Curmudgeonly Ways

Okay, so the Mr. & I are forever in conversation about the "Goode ole New York". You know, the little bit-o-grit, not many box stores, don't need a paycheck job to afford it New York. We're kind of bah-humbuggy about it, I have to say. A lot of what we lament about are businesses that have closed since we've come to town. Mostly, these were small businesses where you could chat with the owner & which added character to a neighborhood just by being there. But, alas, they are no more & we are in continual mourning for their energy, interest & little trinkets & goodies they offered. So, we are proposing a moment of silence for some of our faves (we know there's some we forgot, so apologies go out ahead of time) :

East Village:
Little Rickie's - purveyor of tiny figurines, funky cards & a PHOTO BOOTH! Many a cool find was found there back in the day.

Gary's on 4th - kind of a junk store/vintage store. They had this wall-sized card catalog type thing in the back which had little titles on each drawer - "hankies", "army men", "patches", etc. You never new what Gary & Wanda would have each visit!

Dullsville - a most-excellent vintage store I stumbled upon one day & never looked back! Run by a husband & wife team, it featured just about anything you didn't know existed - alot of it very interesting handmade folk art. Gnome art? Got it! Plaster wall art of a deer w/men trophies on his wall? Got it! Fungus art? Damn, you bet! They even told me of a "painting" they had in storage made of gum! The Mr. & I took separate trips each Xmas season to stock up on presents & ornaments for each other, refreshing ourselves in the vintage warmth until our next visit. They said they were going to be at the 26th St. flea market from time to time - we've got to check that out.

The "old" Vaselka - okay, first, there was the odd little balcony in the back room & the brown gingerbread trim under it. Then let's talk about SLICES of pie rather than individual ones - no contest.

Brooklyn:
Albert & Piccolo - what a great shop this was, just down the street from us! It was stocked with really interesting art pieces like this seaglass green meneke neko that was probably crackled porcelein, t-shirts & undies silkscreened by the owner, with crazy little scenes of animals having fun, jewelry, handbags, etc. & etc.... Oh - and there was a little art gallery in the back where there was always something happening. The really good thing is that you can still get Albert & Piccolo t-shirts & undies at Flirt in Park Slope! (which is another really great store!)

Well, that's probably just the beginning of our "we can't belive it's gone"/"change is bad" list, but that's it for now.
Oh! Next time, change will be good, when we explore the great new places we've fallen for! Stay tuned....

Mrs. Kat