Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez says more needs to be done to protect stores from going out of business.

In one strip of eight stores on Knolls Crescent, two stores are big chains and two stores are out of business.

A dry cleaner and a cafe in the strip mall are closed. People tell News 12 that the gates have been pulled down in front of those stores for months.

Residents in Riverdale say they're sad to see so many shuttered 'mom-and-pop' stores.

Mo Ansari, the owner of a hair salon that's been open for decades, says all the closures are hard to watch.

Rodriguez says he hopes his Small Business Jobs Survival Act will help by establishing lease negotiation rules.

Many say that the act is a good idea as long as the other side is also considered.

The councilman says he will continue to refine the bill.