In reviewing my photo archives, I came across a series of images that astounds me now as much as the day I took them. Why astounded? Because in Manhattan, the last thing I ever imagined was a place that, for all intents and purposes, looks like a shrine to beef (see photos inside here). Even the outdoor signage and name seemed like it belonged in Texas or Michigan. I never posted the photos because at the time I found them too rough and was looking to a future opportunity to photograph the store in a more flattering light. In retrospect, a silly consideration – after all, this is the reality of the place and its environment. It would be difficult to photograph this place in a way that exudes bucolic charm or is more polished.

Perhaps I have lived too insular an existence, but New York City, particularly Manhattan, always seemed to be a city of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish. Of course I know that meat is eaten here – virtually every menu in the city has meat. But a store like this seems so out of place. We do have a gun shop and shooting ranges like that in the private club Tiro A Segno, but this is not the place where many mingle with members of the National Rifle Association.

Western Beef has 21 stores in the five boroughs. This place sells all types of meat along with many other grocery items. Since the time this photo was taken (2006), the store has moved from 403a West 14th Street in the meat packing district, shown in the photo, to 16th Street. According to their website, “Western Beef, Inc. establishes supermarkets primarily in inner-city neighborhoods abandoned by many other supermarket chains.” This was certainly true of the area at one time – on a stroll through the meatpacking district, one would see trucks, sides of beef hanging from hooks, entrails being packed into drums, and prostitutes at night. The area was defined by beef at every business level – wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and restaurants such as Old Homestead.

However, now the area is très chic, with fashion boutiques, hotels, the Diane von Furstenberg complex, and a new Apple Store. As the meat packing district becomes completely gentrified, we should consider opening a museum to preserve the history of the area, perhaps calling it Shrine to Beef 🙂

Related Posts: Meatup, Old Homestead, Pastis

Perhaps you’ve wondered what it feels like to actually shoot yourself in the foot. Would you like to find out without undergoing any actual physical injury? Then take a trip to Shoemania. Better yet, go on New Year’s Day, when half of America is at home sleeping or watching TV and the other half is desperate for something to do. And what do most desperate Americans do? Go shopping – shop ’til you drop and other colloquialisms summarize the recreational desires of many.

Shoemania is on 14th street / Union Square, one of the busiest areas in the entire city. They were open on New Year’s Day with a 50% off everything sale. I don’t know if there was any monkey business with pricing prior to the sale or whether these were all discontinued models, but brands that never go on sale were at 50% off: Bruno Magli, Arche, Mephisto, Merrell, Clark’s, et al.

So now you have the formula for true mania: 14th Street/Union Square, a workday off for most, people getting cabin fever, too cold to do anything outdoors, nothing much open except retail stores (and most of them closed), a prominent location at 14th Street and Broadway with frontage and entrances on both streets, and a post-holiday 50% sale with an inventory of most major shoe brands.
Shoemania is the type of store that is quintessential New York style and delivers on all the negative stereotypes people have of New York and more. I found brusk service, overcrowdedness, sample shoes strewn everywhere in complete disarray, inadequate seating to try shoes, salesmen barking requests to the back room in their wireless headsets, and, after a selection is brought out from the stock room, customers and salesmen trying to find each other like lovers separated after a world war.

The cashier is truly an ice princess and must be a finalist on Make Me Laugh. She truly had no sense of humor and was unflinching with any attempts to melt her. A customer before me who had a problem was dealt with the unfeeling efficiency of a seasoned executioner.
On the positive side, they do have a broad selection, good pricing, and little sales pressure – it is just too chaotic to effectively wage a war of sales terror.

And the pièce de résistance? Our selection was brought to us in a box with a cover that was destroyed and literally over 1 inch longer than the box itself. The salesman did apologize and say that it was the best he could do. But amidst all the mania, we did procure a nice pair of black suede women’s pumps made by Clarks for $49. Not bad at all…

People love to complain, and a popular object is the demise of single-location businesses and the domination of retail chain stores. Americans, however, love a deal, and few can resist the lure of a huge selection and deep discounts. Even those most adamantly opposed to the retailing giants will, at times, find themselves at places like Home Depot for AA batteries or perhaps KMart for beach accouterments.

The weaknesses in these places are staff knowledge and quality of goods. To enter a mom-and-pop, family-run specialty shop usually means cutting to the chase – learning what’s available, qualitative differences in products, and every other nuance. And in the case of smaller operations, all of this can be done quickly. I frequent many of these stores, smaller and larger, and have blogged several: Space Surplus Metals (now gone), Joe’s Dairy, Myers of Keswick, Murray’s Cheese, Raffetto’s, Pearl Paint, Faerman Cash Register, Eileen’s Cheesecake, Economy Candy, Canal Rubber, B & H Photo Video, Kate’s Paperie, Bleecker Bob’s, Strand Bookstore, Met Lumber, and Matt Umanov Guitars. Many other places, veritable NYC institutions, have closed, like Industrial Plastics on Canal Street.

Most chains whose primary strength is price create an illusion of good service and competency with buzz words which, I am sure, come down from the corporate headquarters. Phrases like “Did I give you excellent service today?” which is really more of an irritant, adding insult to injury. Why tell them the truth when they don’t really have the capability of giving you excellent service? How can young workers compete with people who have owned businesses for decades or even half a century? There are upscale retail chains like Starbuck’s and Whole Foods, but the size of their operations still makes it impossible to have the type of staffing you find in a smaller independent retailer, like McNulty’s Tea and Coffee. In fact, I just called with a coffee question while writing this – the owner answered and gave me an immediate, detailed, informed answer.

I am not a coffee drinker, so my knowledge of McNulty’s is from browsing and buying for others. This place has that stamp of authenticity – you can feel it when you walk in – a place for serious coffee buyers managed by serious coffee merchants. McNulty’s, established in 1895, is located at 109 Christopher Street in the West Village and is run buy David Wong, the 7th owner of the shop. There are over 100 teas and 75 kinds of coffee from around the world, as well as, of course, many things you won’t find elsewhere – that’s why we live here and why others visit. Let’s hope for survival of the independents and coexistence with the chain stores…