Wednesday, September 5, 2012

IT'S A CRIME



Click on the Links
Partners In Crime
44 Greenwich Avenue
(corner of Charles Street) 
A West Village independent bookseller, unfortunately, facing extinction on September 20th, and having a blow out sale as parting gesture to the community they've been
an integral part of for decades.

I picked up a pristine first edition copy of Walter Mosley's "Fearless Jones" for only one dollar!  
There is still a good selection, including out-of-print editions,
and some autographed items. 
It's one sad story after another in this real estate grab -fest
that's squeezing all the vital juice from authentic New York neighborhoods, where hospitals become luxury condominiums, original houses of worship morph into dancing palaces,
'mom & pop' stores convert to 7/11s overnight, and
nail salons spread like weeds onto every corner.

I can usually manage a certain distance from the recurring tragedies, till I meet, and talk with the actual people affected,
see the sadness etched in faces, and feel the weight of the loss to their patrons, as a lifetime's familiar community
is $natched away. 
It's A Damn Crime
The store has not formulated any plans to continue
in business as yet. If you're in New York City
pay them a visit before they vanish from the scene.
If you're out of town log on to the site.
Saturday evening I attended a free show there.
Exciting reenactments of two classic old time radio shows, complete with costumes and sound effects
The Shadow and Sam Spade

performed by
Cranston and Spade Theater Company

A swell troupe of professionals,
beloved regulars at the store.
They are now searching for a new home base.
Some performances are scheduled this Fall,
so if you like old time radio as much as I do,
log on to their site for upcoming events.
Related to these persistent 'Vanishings', Jeremiah Moss has been chronicling the particulars of changes to our New york landscape at his site for years.  Visit him
here 
keep up with the changing times, but don't forget to
remember the good stuff.


4 comments:

Deb Lacativa said...

Hell & Damn! And I whined last week about the last Barnes and Noble in the county closing!! What shame.

I helped my Dad build a Heathkit fm tuner in the early 60's and one of the first things I heard when tuning up and down the dial was a performance of "Under Milkwood" by Dylan Thomas. I was captivated!

Nancy said...

Well, I was having a sad day anyway...and this really put the cherry on top.
This is how I felt when the children's bookstore my mom worked at for 20 years was closing (along with other local independents). So sad. All of their customers were so upset. If they had only shopped there more often, instead of other big box choices. At the time Harry Potter had just come out and Costco was selling it for less than the store owner had to pay to get it in the store. How can you beat that.
Here's an article:
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/aug/14/local/me-pages14
Also, my daddy used to say the Shadow's tagline...incessantly! His big joke..."the shadow knows"! I can still hear his voice.

Ms. said...

How I love you adding in your own memories....just LOVE it....I used to listen under the comforter when I was a kid....especially that year of the measles and mumps confined to bed and bored to tears except for the radio...even now, i have a little under the pillow speaker, and listen in bed still when all the world is silent. I am a devoted fan of Prairie Home and selected shorts, and several other NPR story telling shows....but there's not near enough of them to fill my greedy desire for them.

Deb Lacativa said...

try this!!

http://radiolovers.com/