Business Economics Lifestyle & Culture

Having a main gig and a side hustle

By Sharnali Zaman

Cardboard boxes of Honeycrisp apples, maraschino cherries and roma tomatoes were lined up horizontally on the top shelf of Mike Jones’ metal food vendor cart. It was 93 degrees on that corner of Greenwich and Chambers Streets, where he stood tending to that rolling cart and his customers. His face was wet with sweat.

“It’s a family-owned business,” said Jones, of the cart. From it, his Uncle Ugur sold vegetables for almost 25 years before handing things over to Jones, an entrepreneur with several jobs, two years ago. Stage 2 Auto Group is Jones’ car rental business. 

He’s not the only New Yorker with a main gig and at least one side gig.

When the COVID-19 pandemic killed New York University graduate Brittany Spring’s film career and pet care business and sent her to her parents’ Florida home. 

“Do you want to make some soap?” 

That question from Spring’s father kickstarted her homemade soap business, Spring and Daughter. Spring, who earned a bachelor’s from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2017, sells her soap at area farmers markets, street fairs, and at Union Square. She also earns money walking three to four dogs daily near Washington Square Park. Spring recently met with NYU officials, hoping to get her all-natural and vegan soaps at the campus bookstore.

“You have to have different side hustles, unfortunately, because everything’s so expensive,” she said. “But I love it here, I love the vibe. Everyone is so friendly.”

To live comfortably in New York City, a single adult needs to earn $138,530 annually or around $66.62 per hour, according to a March 2025 analysis by Smart Assets. 

New York City’s minimum wage will increase next January to $17 an hour from the current $16.50. With rent averaging $4,495 a month in Manhattan, a household would need to earn $179,796 a year to avoid paying more than 30% of income in rent, according to an April 2025 analysis by realtor.com. Some economists have said no more than 30% of income should go toward housing. 

Jose Figuroa, 47, a fine art photographer and artist whose work has been showcased at the Museum of Modern Art and other galleries, said he pays $2,700 for a two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. Figueroa’s side hustle consists of selling custom-made T-shirts that he designed to pay for chemicals and other dark-room supplies, paper and prints.