美国国家公共电台 NPR--E-commerce gains push warehouse vacancies to a low, rents to a record high

E-commerce gains push warehouse¹ vacancies² to a low, rents to a record high

Transcript³

Community Forklift in Maryland is a beloved shopping spot for deals on architectural salvage⁴, but like many such businesses, it's struggling with rising prices for warehouse space.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Each year, America generates twice as much construction and demolition⁵ debris⁶ as it does household garbage. Now some of the salvage companies that keep these materials out of landfills are struggling. From member station WAMU in Washington, D.C., Jacob Fenston reports.

JACOB FENSTON, BYLINE⁷: Some people are drawn⁸ to Community Forklift looking for a good deal.

VICTOR ETONGWA: My plumber⁹ said I should get this, so I came to get it from here. It's much cheaper.

FENSTON: Victor Etongwa was shopping for some faucet¹¹ supply lines. Others come with creative ideas in mind.

SARAH ELLIOT: Every time I have a project, this is the first place I come.

FENSTON: Sarah Elliot was loading an old window she bought into her cargo¹² bike. She's been here hundreds of times, she says.

ELLIOT: Everything just sort of has a story behind it. And it's got some age and some loveliness to it.

FENSTON: There's vintage furniture, used power tools, antique doorknobs and aisles¹³ of cabinets and carpet. Community Forklift opened in 2005. CEO Nancy Meyer says it was the brainchild of a group of local contractors¹⁴ and architects.

NANCY MEYER: They really wanted to divert materials from their jobs. And part of the problem was what to do with the materials after they save them.

FENSTON: The warehouse sits on about three acres just outside D.C. Recently, Meyer learned the landlord wants them out. Before the pandemic, finding a new warehouse wouldn't have been too much of a problem, Meyer says. But in 2022, it's a different story.

MEYER: Businesses like Amazon - they bought up a lot of the local warehouse space, of which there's not that much to begin with.

FENSTON: The explosion of e-commerce during the pandemic drove warehouse vacancy¹⁵ rates to an all-time low across the country, with rents at an all-time high. The demand for next-day delivery means companies need more warehouses¹⁶ closer to consumers.

GREG TRAINOR: It's just not possible for me to make it work anymore. The math doesn't work.

FENSTON: Greg Trainor, executive director of Philly Reclaim¹⁷, a salvage business that shut down for good last month. His landlord is converting the warehouse to self-storage. When he looked for a new place, he says rents were as much as four times what he had been paying. He's frustrated¹⁸ that there just doesn't seem to be room anymore for a business like his.

TRAINOR: There are still entrepreneurs or people like myself who are trying to build or save or do physical work making things. And where are you supposed to go anymore? I don't know.

FENSTON: These relatively¹⁹ small salvage businesses reuse a staggering amount of material, playing an important role in the effort to cut down on waste. At Community Forklift last year, that included 8.2 miles of lumber¹⁰, if you laid it out end to end. Also...

MEYER: Four hundred seventy-one toilets.

FENSTON: Three thousand, nine hundred ninety doors.

MEYER: One thousand, one hundred fourteen windows.

FENSTON: Meyer says it adds up to $45 million of material that's been repurposed instead of thrown out over the years. In addition to creating value by repurposing things, these salvage businesses also provide good jobs for people who might otherwise have trouble finding work. At Community Forklift, wages start at $17 an hour, with good benefits.

Store manager Raymond Stroud says the place gave him his life back.

RAYMOND STROUD: When I came in, I was in a homeless shelter. From working here, I have my own place now. I have - my vehicle - I own it.

FENSTON: Nancy Meyer is still optimistic Community Forklift will find a new space. People are counting on it.

Here's shopper Sarah Elliott when they told her the business is getting kicked out.

ELLIOT: No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

FENSTON: For NPR News, I'm Jacob Fenston in Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF TEEBS' "THE ENDLESS")

1 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

2 vacancies   

n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 )；空虚；空白；空缺

参考例句：

• job vacancies 职位空缺
• The sign outside the motel said \"No Vacancies\". 汽车旅馆外的招牌显示“客满”。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

5 demolition   

n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹

参考例句：

• The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
• The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。

6 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

9 plumber   

n.(装修水管的)管子工

参考例句：

• Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗？
• The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。

10 lumber   

n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动

参考例句：

• The truck was sent to carry lumber.卡车被派出去运木材。
• They slapped together a cabin out of old lumber.他们利用旧木料草草地盖起了一间小屋。

11 faucet   

n.水龙头

参考例句：

• The faucet has developed a drip.那个水龙头已经开始滴水了。
• She turned off the faucet and dried her hands.她关掉水龙头，把手擦干。

12 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

13 aisles   

n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊

参考例句：

• Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期，原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。
• They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下来。

14 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

16 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

17 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

18 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。