The East Broadway Mall in Manhattan's center had once been a center of the local Fujianese community. A $5 million renovation aims to restore its long-lost vibrancy.

Most storefronts are empty, but many of the remaining merchants have been there for decades. They say they don't know what's ahead for them personally — if the same renovation that makes leaky ceilings, often-clogged toilets and graffiti-covered entranceways a thing of the past will also lead to rent hikes they can't afford. 

Jade Jiang and Elizabeth Kim provided Mandarin interpretation for this report.