Tony Danza's plea to NYC mayor: Save mom-and-pop stores

Tony Danza called in a radio show to speak to NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio (Reuters)

Actor Tony Danza called in to the weekly radio show of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to lament the high rents that are strangling neighborhood businesses like the cheese shop Danza co-owns in Little Italy.

The "Who's the Boss?" star said Friday that soaring commercial rents even forced a Starbucks in his neighborhood to close.

De Blasio says the city lacks tools to regulate commercial rents. But he says the city should try to keep stores that are "the fabric of our community."

He told host Brian Lehrer of WNYC he'd "urge the landlords to be less greedy."

De Blasio told listeners to try the smoked mozzarella at Danza's cheese shop, Alleva.

The shop has been operating since 1892. De Blasio thanked Danza "for helping to save it."