Either you wear shoes without socks or you don’t. We had quite a discussion about this in my office. Some find the prospect disgusting while others love it. I enjoyed reading a long forum online where opinions ranged the gamut. There is not only the practical/convenience issue of wearing no socks, but the no-sock look is also seen favorably as a style.

I am not talking about sandals or flip-flops – there, we have aeration and more likely candidates for hand cleaning. I am talking about regular closed shoes, including deck shoes or top siders. The blackened soles of your feet from the accumulation of soot and grime after a good day’s walk sockless in New York City should be a clear warning.

There are many solutions for those who prefer to go au naturel, including Odor Eaters and foot powder. There are other options. For the style-driven, no-show or low rise socks are available.
But the habits of the wearer are all unknowns with someone else’s shoes. Buying used shoes in New York City requires some thought and a reputable dealer.

East Village Shoe Repair is located at 1 St. Marks Place. This tiny place, crammed with goods, has been a cobbler’s shop since 1985. Boris Zuborev took it over with his nephew, Eugene Finkelberg, 14 years ago. Both hail from Belarus. They sell used footwear, customize sneakers and make shoes. From an article in The Villager:

They also make cowboy boots, sandals and high heels. They’ll dye your pumps hot pink, spray-paint pictures on your sneakers or raise your heels up 17 inches. In the ’90s, one could witness Zuborev’s creations on the feet of certain well-known musicians and dancers. In his platform shoes, clubbers he designed for rose above others.

It’s a hole in the wall, the place itself showing little evidence of fine design. The yellow awning has been spray-painted green and white, and signs hang by old shoelaces. Graffiti surrounds the door. Industrial metal shelving stuffed with thick-soled boots, multicolored pumps, sneakers and roughed-up ballet slippers obscures the entrance.

The place gets rave reviews from customers who purchased shoes or had customizations or repairs done. Perhaps one day I will try them for repair. I have purchased used/vintage clothing before, but as far as buying used shoes go, I’ll pass for now. I can’t help but think about the perspiration which may be entombed 🙂

When you start to hear things like “You can’t make everyone happy” or “There will always be people who complain” in reference to a business, I start to worry that these words may be those of defenders of a place with problems. Because there are differences, and some places are just better or worse than others.

It’s a question of fundamental attitude with a customer problem or complaint. Is the customer guilty until proven innocent or innocent until proven guilty? Where is the burden of proof placed?

Admittedly, industry profit margins and product lines probably do make a difference. If you are selling high-priced musical instruments, you cannot be as cavalier about returns as, perhaps, clothing retailers with larger markups. With expensive products, the dealer and/or manufacturer must deal with returned products. However, you have a similar scenario at B&H Photo, where margins are razor-thin on high ticket items. But you are not put through the inquisition on a return. You can return delicate products costing thousands of dollars with no trouble.

In reading about Sam Ash, I did see an inordinate number of negative reviews. Even Mother Teresa has her detractors (notably Christopher Hitchens), but certainly not as many as Benito Mussolini. I also acknowledge that individuals are perhaps more inclined to publicly complain rather than praise, and the Internet has made this process infinitely easier, but customer reviews do count for something. There are only so many of these complaints; it is hard to dismiss them as being part of the normal state of affairs in a retail business. At some point these complaints and admonitions have to be seriously examined.

My visit to Sam Ash was pleasant. I had a brief conversation with some of the staff about how businesses like theirs are often seen as the evil empire pitted against the small mom-and-pop stores such as Manny’s Music. We agreed that it would be interesting to see the how customers would view Sam Ash in the future. Perhaps some blend of those bemoaning the disappearance of “real” places like Manny’s and other, younger customers who, with no experience of the past, have just adapted.

When I was there, a teenage boy was in the midst of a guitar purchase. The boy was busy coveting his possession to be while his parents were embroiled in how the finances were to be handled. For the time being, no one seemed concerned with the past, the future, customer reviews, Benito Mussolini, Christopher Hitchens, or Mother Teresa 🙂

Note: Sam Ash is a national chain of musical instrument retailers, founded in 1924, with over 50 locations in the USA. The one photographed is located on music row, i.e. West 48th Street, across the street from Manny’s Music.

Walk Quickly, Hurry, Run – I am running out of unique words and phrases to convey the urgency to you if you want to see Olde New York before it disappears completely.
Vesuvio has just closed. This was my first posting on March 17, 2006. The choice of making it a first posting was not whimsical at all – Vesuvio was emblematic of the quintessential small, family-run business. Its images were used everywhere to represent New York City.
There are many places which have closed since I started this website in 2006. Some I captured before closing, some immediately after, and some I did not get the opportunity to photograph at all.

Manny’s Music at 111 West 48th Street is one of those places that goes beyond nostalgia and providing a basic service. This is a business that had an influence and provided musicians the tools of their trade for 74 years. The business was started by saxophone salesman Manny Goldrich in 1935. He passed it on to his son Henry, who then passed it on to his two sons in 1998. In 1964, Manny died at the age of 64. See more photos of the store here.

Manny’s is not just a great mom-and-pop store – this establishment is a legacy business with a unique heritage. Over the course of many decades, hundreds of legendary musicians have passed through their doors. Their signed photos cover the walls – Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, U2, and Nirvana are just a few among the crowd. This display, known as their Wall of Fame, has been documented by in a book by the same name.

In 1999, Manny’s was sold to rival Sam Ash, located across 48th street on the block known as music row. The word is, however, that larger business interests are slowly accumulating all the properties on the street and that Sam Ash will also meet its demise.

So if you have been making a checklist of places to see and things to do in New York, add Manny’s, which is scheduled to close at the end of May 2009. And don’t walk, run…

You wake up one morning, and something or somethings are different, like the morning of 9/11. I’ve been through recessions, but not like this one. I recently spoke to one of the suppliers for my business – Quebecor World, the second largest printer in the world. Sales were down 35% in 2008, and they owe $735 million on revolving credit. We have a wave of bankruptcies – Circuit City closing 155 stores, Sharper Image, Linens ‘n Things, etc. These are household names and really big numbers are involved – stores closing, percentage of sales down, money owed.

Certainly the media does not help, and I don’t want to add fuel to the fire. But you make assumptions. Like the assumption that National Wholesale Liquidators would be there forever. I thought bankruptcy lawyers and discount retailers were supposed to be the survivors in a faltering economy.
But the New York Times reported in November 2008 that National Wholesale Liquidators was filing for bankruptcy and closing nearly all their stores. So I was shocked this week to find closing signs with announcements of a 90% off sale. Now these kinds of discounts are frequently touted but rarely to be seen, but the 90% off was real – $2.99 items selling for 29 cents. It was a real fire sale, by the time I got there, nearly an entire store was stripped clean. See the interior here – amazing.

This store served the needs of many. Everyone I know had been in at one time or another to purchase something from the inventory of 120,000 items. They carried many brand name closeouts. Food could be found, along with hardware, electronics, housewares, clothing, paper goods, etc.
There was no charm in this store or ambiance whatsoever. In fact, a spokesman for the company said:

“Contrary to most chains, the store pays no attention to presentation, or to customer expectations, but only to what can be bought on the world market most cheaply. ‘We buy closeouts, end runs, overruns, imports,’ [chain spokesman] Pidgeon said. “When someone makes 5,000 cases too many of a product, we buy it. Those cases end up in piles on the concrete sales floor.”

Yet somehow the complete lack of charm was their charm. No chills, no thrills, no frills…

About the Company: National Wholesale Liquidators is based in Hempstead, New York. It was founded in 1984 by Eva Rosen and remained a family-owned business (Carl, Eva, and their children). The company had over 50 stores in 12 states with nearly 2000 employees. Reasons for closing were a cut in their credit line ($15 million cut by General Electric) and declining consumer sales.

One of the unique advantages of being in a very large melting pot such as New York City are the cultural events and celebrations. Today is the lunar new year – T?t for the Vietnamese and Chinese New Year.
Yesterday, on the eve of the lunar new year, an annual parade was held in Chinatown, but I opted for the Lunar New Year celebration and Flower Market at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to experience a broader range of Asian cultures, particularly Vietnamese. DVL Dance Vietnam was doing a presentation in the Palm House, however, an enormous line had formed well in advance, and no seats were available.

All events were indoors, and most of the programs were family-oriented. My understanding was that T?t is an enormous celebration in Vietnam – the largest of the year with preparations weeks in advance. You can read more about it here.

Lunar New Year celebrations are spread out over a period of time here – calendars show activities for at least another week. Today there is a Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival in Chinatown. Sunday, February 1st is the annual Chinatown Parade. Saturday, January 31, 2009 is the Lunar New Year Parade. There are many more activities this week.

I also took a trip to Tan Tin Hung, 121 Bowery in Chinatown, which carries the largest range of Vietnamese groceries in the city. Prominently placed right at the entryway was Banh T?t and Banh Chung. These are Vietnamese cakes with sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves (Banh Chung is wrapped in dong leaves), eaten during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The sign in magic marker on cardboard in Vietnamese was a badge of authenticity…