From the NY Sun:
"the EDC is looking into ways to convince non-food-related stalls, such as Santa Lucia Religious, which sells a variety of knickknacks and religious objects, and Aminova's Barbershop, which has one barber chair and a barber from Uzbekistan, to leave the market. 'During hard times, a lot of these other stalls moved in,' Mr. Figuereo said. 'Some of them might not get to stay.'"
"Ways to convince"?
The best thing by far about the Essex Street Market is the diversity of shoppers and merchants, an eclectic and harmonious mix of races, classes, and ages. It actually feels like New York City in there. But the new urban order dictates total uniformity and monoculture. It will not tolerate deviation in any corner of the LES. So get your Uzbeki haircut, religious candles, and other unacceptables before the joint is full of nothing but Big Brother-approved gourmet cheeses and artisanal meats.
I'm sure that if there were enough customers to support these old school institutions they would stay. I can't imagine that it's the style of the vendor that determines whether they stay or go. It has to be just a matter of supply and demand. The neighborhood is changing and the demand is no longer for religious candles and cheap haircuts (both of which are still quite easy to find in the neighborhood). Don't get me wrong, it's not that I like the gentrification but to deny the reality of the changes in the neighborhood and to suggest that there is some type of conspiracy to uniformity undermines the significance of the real issue which is about rent control and real estate development, etc. etc. If you're seeking community and diversity, come see us at the 4th Street Food Co-op (between 2nd Ave. and Bowery). It's the best place in the world and way cooler than what the Essex Street Market has become.
ReplyDeleteThose people are still there and it's a damn good haircut. How can you compare the Essex St Market to a food co-op? It's so much more.
ReplyDelete