Author Archive

Dapolito Rec Center

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Kids drawing their neighborhood Lovemarks at the Dapolito Rec Center

The corner of Hudson & Houston has been home to SaatchiNY since the agency arrived in America almost 25 years ago. Over the years the location has become a part of our identity. Two of the SaatchiNY creatives, Jessica Raddatz & Jaclyn Marinese, put together a book about the local neighborhood to celebrate that connection. This is this year’s final Hudson/Houston feature from the book. The Tony Dapolito Recreation Center is located at 1 Clarkson Street.


MAYOR OF GREENWICH VILLAGE
The Tony Dapolito Recreation Center was named in honor of Anthony V. Dapolito in 2004, a year after he passed away. Dapolito’s community work in the neighborhood earned him the honorary title, “Mayor of Greenwich Village.” His family opened the Vesuvio Bakery on Prince Street in 1920, shortly after his birth. When old enough, he took over the family business and eventually became a respected community organizer. He focused on rebuilding parks and facilities for children in the neighborhood.

IMPROVING LIVES
Dapolito was a consistent advocate for the youth of Greenwich Village throughout his life. Today the recreation center offers facilities for residents in the community. It will continue to serve the people of Greenwich Village and New York City for many years to come, as did the man it honors.

AMAZING ART
The art you will see here was made by the children who attend the Parks After School Program at the center. The program works to enhance communities and enrich the lives of children by providing safe, supportive, and structured environments that support overall health and well being.

These art pieces represent the children’s favorite neighborhood Lovemarks. While the rec center is proof that one man’s work can have a lasting impact on the future generations of a community, the art itself shows us that love and loyalty to the places and things we love exist even when we are young, often lasting for a lifetime.

Category: Lovemarks, New York

Garber’s Hardware

Monday, November 15th, 2010

Garber's Iconic Sign

The corner of Hudson & Houston has been home to SaatchiNY since the agency arrived in America almost 25 years ago. Over the years the location has become a part of our identity. Two of the SaatchiNY creatives, Jessica Raddatz & Jaclyn Marinese, put together a book about the local neighborhood to celebrate that connection. This is the seventh Hudson/Houston feature from the book. Garber’s Hardware is located at 710 Greenwich Street.


FAMILY OWNED 120+ YEARS
Garber’s Hardware is one of the longest running mom and pop businesses in New York City. “When it opened it was a pushcart-style business,” says Nathaniel Garber-Schoen, whose grandfather’s grandfather opened the store in 1884, on 8th Avenue between Horatio and Jane Streets. “You took people’s orders and the store custom ordered the item.”

Today Garber’s is on Greenwich Street and is one of the premier hardware stores in the city, carrying an extensive array of tools, paint supplies, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, garden supplies, house wares, and nuts and bolts. His father, George Schoen, and his Uncle, Tom Schoen, also run the store with him.

“One of the biggest things about our reputation is just the knowledge we all have,” says Nathaniel. “George and Tom have been in the store 30 years and their father, my grandfather, was a master carpenter.”

PART OF THE COMMUNITY

Besides growing up with their knowledge, Nathaniel says he learned a lot from the customers. “You sell stuff to people, and they tell you what it’s for, if you ask,” he says. “I was raised by every carpenter, contractor and electrician in the Village.” Nathaniel, who lives in the neighborhood as well, says that the store has become somewhat of a staple for many.

“People come in and see their friends and neighbors here.” he said. “It becomes a community, like the general store used to be. If I had room I probably could put in a soda fountain and people would sit and eat their lunch here.”

When asked if it’s been hard to do business in this economy, Garber-Schoen, who notes that the business has survived two world wars and the depression, says it’s all about being careful, having a strong customer base and a consistent service ethic – one that dates back to the shop’s origins. They’re definitely doing something right.

Category: Lovemarks, New York

McKenna’s Pub

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Brian McKenna, owner of McKenna's Pub

Since 1932, McKenna’s Pub has been one of the go-to pubs in the West Village. Once on Jane Street, the bar now lines the top edge of the neighborhood on the south side of 14th Street. “I had an uncle who owned a bar, who was going to retire. So I built my place, kind of took over some of their business, and started my own,” says owner Brian McKenna, who now has two college-age kids. He managed Little League in the Village for years when they were younger and describes the area as “a really centered community.”

Everyone who walks in the door seems to know him. “I like to stop at McKenna’s and see Brian,” says Jerry Dean, a longtime Village resident whose family has been here for generations. “People know Brian McKenna. My father used to go there when it was a longshoreman’s bar back in the day. I think people just feel at home at McKenna’s. It’s why they go there and keep coming back.”

A PLACE FOR REGULARS

A few of the McKenna's regulars

Brian is humble about the success of the bar but admits the place has some kind of magnetism for customers. “I’m pretty friendly to most people who come in,” he says. “I’m looking around here right now, and everybody has been in here a lot of times. I get a lot of return customers. I may not know all their names, but they do come back in.”

Category: Lovemarks, New York

St. Luke’s Thrift Shop

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

Glassware & Knick Knacks @ St. Luke's Thrift Shop

The corner of Hudson & Houston has been home to SaatchiNY since the agency arrived in America almost 25 years ago. Over the years the location has become a part of our identity. Two of the SaatchiNY creatives, Jessica Raddatz & Jaclyn Marinese, put together a book about the local neighborhood to celebrate that connection. This is the fifth Hudson/Houston feature from the book. St. Luke’s Thrift Store is located @ 487 Hudson Street (between Christopher St & Grove St).

MORE THAN A THRIFT SHOP
Around 30 years ago, the parents of children attending the St. Luke’s school began a thrift store. The shop, located 487 Hudson Street, is run mostly by volunteers now. “The St. Luke’s Thrift Store helps a lot of poor and homeless people in the neighborhood,” said Rita McCarthy, one of the shop’s two paid employees. “Just this year alone we gave out $2,000 in vouchers so people could come in and get clothing.”

St. Luke’s Church was founded on October 22, 1820, by a small group of residents and was named after St. Luke, the physician evangelist, in recognition of the Village’s role as a refuge from the yellow fever epidemics of the time. Since then St. Luke’s has remained a place of refuge for the neighborhood’s less fortunate. One example is the AIDS Project of St. Luke’s that has served Saturday dinner and weekend teas to over 35,000 persons with AIDS since its founding in 1987.

I FEEL LIKE I’M COMING HOME TO FAMILY
It’s clear when you walk around that this is more than just a thrift shop. It has a homey feeling and is clearly a special place where people go for support and comfort. “When you look at the people who come into this shop, you get a sense of the whole community,” adds McCarthy. “People come in, say hello, or just check out what’s going on…People feel comfortable here to just have a conversation and relax without buying anything.”

Marj Zeller is one of those people. A 35-year customer to the shop (and SaatchiNY employee), she’s an avid thrift shopper, with a longtime passion for fashion design using classic materials. “The clothing is more classic, a higher quality [than other local thrifts stores] and I feel like I’m coming home to a family,” says Zeller, who currently designs her own line of antique pillows called Hearts ’n Flowers. She says she gets a lot of her inspiration and sometimes even materials from places like the St. Luke’s store. “It’s like a mom and pop feeling, and the price is right.”

Category: Lovemarks, New York

Westbeth Artists Complex

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Inside Jonathan Bauchs Studio

The corner of Hudson & Houston has been home to SaatchiNY since the agency arrived in America almost 25 years ago. Over the years the location has become a part of the SaatchiNY identity. Two of the SaatchiNY creatives, Jessica Raddatz & Jaclyn Marinese, put together a book about the local neighborhood to celebrate that connection. This is the fourth Hudson/Houston feature from the book. Westbeth Artists Complex is located @ 55 Bethune Street / 155 Bank Street

A Home for Art

Upon entrance to the Westbeth Artists complex, it’s easy to sense the creative history that the West Village building has been home to. Besides being surrounded by resident painters, writers, photographers, filmmakers, poets, sculptors, dancers, choreographers, musicians and composers, all of whom have dedicated their lives to the arts, there are also striking pieces of artwork everywhere. Paintings and sculptures line the walls of the Westbeth Gallery while dancers perform in the Westbeth Community Room.The building in and of itself has an undeniable history in discovery and invention. Built in 1894 by the Western Electric Company, it eventually became Bell Labs, and it was here that the first talking movie, the microphone, stereo sound, first binary computer, and the first TV broadcast were demonstrated. In 1970, with funding from the JM Kaplan Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, Westbeth Artists Housing was born to provide affordable housing for artists.

The Artist’s Take

Today there are over 300 artists in residence. Jonathan Bauch is a sculptor and painter who moved to Westbeth in 1970, moved out for one year, and then put himself back on the waiting list. He was reaccepted ten years later and has been there ever since. “To me Westbeth is a home because I’ve lived here most of my life, or a good part of it,” says Bauch. “It’s an incubator for artists. I moved in here when I was relatively young and it’s been nurturing to me as far as having space to work at an affordable price… It’s the best place I’ve ever lived and I wanted to come back to it.”

A Neighborhood Lovemark

Within the West Village, Westbeth has always been a community within a community. It is a Lovemark for artists like Bauch for many reasons. His life is there, his friends are there, and he’s been able to become who he is because of the supportive creative community that has grown there. Westbeth continues to be a haven for affordable housing for artists, and provides an artbased Lovemark for people in the community where they know they can find art at any time of day — whether it be within the walls of Westbeth’s galleries or simply through a conversation with a resident like Jonathan. There’s a lot to learn here, and it seems the whole neighborhood collectively shares that secret.

Category: Lovemarks, New York

The Grey Dog – Coffee from the Heart

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Two of The Grey Dog's specialties - milk bones & coffee beans

The corner of Hudson & Houston has been home to SaatchiNY since the agency arrived in America almost 25 years ago. Over the years the location has become a part of the SaatchiNY identity. Two of the SaatchiNY creatives, Jessica Raddatz & Jaclyn Marinese, put together a book about the local neighborhood to celebrate that connection. This is the third Hudson/Houston feature from the book. The Grey Dog Coffee is located @ 33 Carmine Street.

CANINE FRIENDLY
The patrons at the Grey Dog on Carmine Street come in all shapes, sizes, and well…species. Several years after the business opened in 1996, a dog strolled up to the coffee shop, without an owner, and took a seat on the bench outside for about an hour. He sat there patiently, apparently waiting to be served. Besides great (human) coffee and food, The Grey Dog also keeps a jar of milk bones at the counter for customers of the K9 persuasion. This dog, it seems, knew exactly where to go for his snack.

RE-FINDING THE LITTLE THINGS
Since its opening, the Grey Dog, named for the owner’s two Labrador Retrievers, has been a place of comfort for many, not only dogs. The owners, a brother duo, Dave and Pete Adrian, say they focused the place around the little things that often get lost in big-city life, like getting to know the names of patrons and serving great food at reasonable prices. Because of that, the people here have grown to trust The Grey Dog, and the cute wood-lined dining area feels like a living room-style hang out, at any hour of the day. “The neighborhood has changed a bit,” adds Pete, “but if you come in here at 7:30 a.m. you’ll see the same people who have been coming in here for years at 7:30 for their cup of coffee.”

Pete adds that they wanted to create the kind of environment where people would come year after year despite changes to the neighborhood. “We’ve evolved a little bit to meet the needs of what the people want, but beyond that we’re staying true to who we are. We don’t ever try to be anything that we’re not.”

A PLACE FOR EVERYONE
That attitude seems to be working, attracting even the local lost dogs back to their doors. When staffers started to worry the dog might be lost. They finally brought him in, gave him a milk bone, and wrote on the sidewalk blackboard, “Did you lose your big brown dog?” Lo and behold a few hours later a frantic owner came in. She had been moving that day, and her dog decided to go for a walk to his favorite café; the place he got milk bones every morning while his owner got her coffee. Can you really blame him? After all, dogs are part of the neighborhood too.

Category: Lovemarks, New York

House of Oldies – The Home of Vinyl

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

The Entrance to House of Oldies Rare Records

The corner of Hudson & Houston has been home to SaatchiNY since the agency first arrived in America almost 25 years ago. Over the years the location has become a part of the SaatchiNY identity. Two of the SaatchiNY creatives, Jessica Raddatz & Jaclyn Marinese, put together a book about the local neighborhood to celebrate that connection. This is the second Hudson/Houston feature from the book. House of Oldies Rare Records is located @ 35 Carmine Street.

There’s a sign in the window of the House of Oldies record store on Carmine Street that reads “NO CD’s, NO TAPES.” That’s right. There are only records lining the walls of this cozy little dusty West Village record store. It’s like that for a reason.

The Owner’s Perspective

“A lot of people in their 30s, 40s, 50s remember coming to a store like this,” says owner Bob Abramson. “That’s why I haven’t changed anything. The only thing I do is paint the ceiling so the plaster doesn’t fall out. But I just try to keep it like this. I want you to feel like it’s 1960 when you walk in here.”

And that’s exactly what it does feel like. The business began on Bleecker Street in 1969 and has remained at the Carmine Street location since 1980. The late John Lennon was once a regular. Why only vinyl during a time when electronic files seem to be taking over in music? Well the answer is simple for Abramson.

“It just sounds better.” The record store is much more than just a business for him, “It’s a love of music,” he says. “You’re not selling a cold inanimate object. Music reminds people of where they were: their first kiss, their first date, their first dance. It’s a different thing. It’s a passion for vinyl.”

That type of dedication keeps customers like Robert Plant and generations of locals returning to get their record fix. It’s a shared passion that somehow manages to exist despite new technology. It remains intact, and on record.

Category: Lovemarks, New York

La Bonbonniere – The Greasy Spoon

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

The iconic sign of La Bonbonniere

The corner of Hudson & Houston has been home to SaatchiNY since the agency first arrived in America almost 25 years ago. Over the years the location has become a part of the SaatchiNY identity. Two of the SaatchiNY creatives, Jessica Raddatz & Jaclyn Marinese, put together a book about the local neighborhood to celebrate that connection. This is the first Hudson/Houston feature from the book. La Bonbonniere is located at 28 Eighth Avenue.

It’s easy to see how this cute little greasy spoon luncheonette has been a neighborhood favorite for so many years. Having passed through four owners since its original French owner gave it its name over 75 years ago, little has changed here.

While other West Village newcomers work hard to give their interiors an old and established feel, La Bonbonniere doesn’t really have to try that hard. The entire restaurant is original from the smoke tainted tin walls built before the smoking ban to the tiny two person kitchen, where staff skillfully move past one another to get the plates out quickly.

Patrons range from big name celebrities to people who have been in the neighborhood for decades. They all return to eat La Bonbonniere’s awesomely cheap, unapologetically greasy food, served up by friendly, family like staff.

“This guy who just came in, he’s been coming here every day for over 40 years,” says Marina Cortez, the diner’s manager, who along with her partner, Gus, has been there for decades. “And see the guy over there at the other table – last week he was so sick with the flu, I made him a chicken soup, homemade. And I gave him some to go.”

That family vibe is immediately apparent when you enter the door of this small yet special establishment. You can tell that most of the people eating here come because they have a relationship with this place that goes beyond just the dining.

The Local’s Perspective

“La Bonbonniere is my favorite greasy spoon. I’ve never found a spoon greasier,” says Mike Saes, who lived around the corner on Jane Street from 1979 to 1987. He recalls the West Village as a major stomping ground back then. “I remember when we were young my friends used to walk around here, and we would do a little graffiti here and there.” says Saes, who now works in the arts full time, “People would look at us and say, ‘Go back to your own neighborhood’ and we’d look at them and say, ‘This is our neighborhood!’”

Saes doesn’t live in the Village anymore, but still returns to La Bonbonniere whenever he’s nearby. “I used to have a tab. You know, for eggs. I used to get ’em sunny side up back then.”

These days he orders them over easy, with a side of sausage and well-done home fries. But it seems like more than just the taste of his favorite breakfast that brings him back here decades later. For Saes it’s also a taste of the old school New York, a place with history and a sense of familiarity. Where they’ll make you a special soup if you’re sick, just because they know who you are.

Image from Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York

Category: Lovemarks, New York