By summer, he closed off half the store and planned an expansion. Sawdust mixed with incense as he knocked down walls, raised the ceiling, transformed an elevator shaft into an office and relocated the cash register from under the stairs. His second-floor tenant, Walm N’Dure, extended the fitness center he runs to the roof, configuring a rock-climbing course replete with netting and a retractable awning.“It has always been a fight, up and down, a lot of mishaps,” Mr. George said. “Despite all of that we always rise.”Mr. George never expected to peddle wordsmiths’ wares. Born in Tobago, …
