After 30 Years, City Forces Insurance Office To Relocate
By Charles Rogers

Insurance brokerage office, across Flatlands Avenue from Holy Family Church, has been “almost a landmark” for 30 years. Charles Rogers

The Umanoff-Boyer Nationwide Insurance Brokerage had been located at 9712 Flatlands Avenue for 30 years. People who live here have seen their sign on the building across from Holy Family Church for “a hundred years,” one said, jokingly. “You can’t miss it,” she said. “It’s almost a landmark×”

Not any more, if the New York City Buildings Department has its way. They say the insurance office is on non-commercial property and, therefore, they can’t do business there.

One of the owners, Terry Boyer, says she came to work Tuesday at 9 a.m. and found she was figuratively “locked out,” with all those terrifying flyers from the City Sheriff’s office plastered on the door announcing that Umanoff-Boyer Nationwide can’t do business there anymore.

“We’ve been working for months to have the situation resolved,” said Boyer, adding that an anonymous caller brought it to the attention of the Department of Housing. “For years we were joined on this block by other businesses, including the popular Family Florist, although they went out of business a few years ago. The point is, we’re on Flatlands Avenue near Rockaway Parkway. It’s a natural place for a business to be lo-cated.”

Founder Ed Umanoff said Commu-nity Board 18 recently held a public hearing on the subject and “agreed one hundred percent to a variance” for the location to be changed to accommodate a business. The community board’s ruling, however, is just advisory, and holds no bearing on an official designation except to tell the Buildings Dept. that the community agrees with the petition.

“Now, all we really want is some time,” Umanoff said. “We need time to move things out and see that our staff can properly transfer files and records. That’s all. We’ve been here a long time, after all.”

Boyer said they finally agreed to move their operation to another location at 1504 Ralph Avenue. “We have to move, I guess,” she said. “We’ve already chosen the place. But the point is that, all of a sudden we come to work on a Tuesday morning and see these awful flyers and warnings. These people have no heart and it’s just not right.”