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Ray's Candy Store Owner Celebrates Birthday But Future in Jeopardy
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 27, 2010
Modified Jan 27, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 27, 2010
Modified Jan 27, 2010
Share
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Around midnight last night Ray Alvarez, owner of beloved East Village hole-in-the-wall Ray's Candy Store [MySpace], celebrated his 77th birthday with a cake, a clown, a stripper, and a spanking. (Photo #4 mildly NSFW) Bob Arihood took some stellar photos and reports, "These are very trying times for Ray and this party afforded a brief respite from his struggle and noticeably lifted his spirits." Slum Goddess writes that before blowing out the candles, Alvarez wished for his business to stay open until his 80th birthday. Many in the neighborhood view Ray's as one of the last relics of a funkier Alphabet City (it opened in 1974) and hope it survives longer than that.
But the managing agent of his building says Alvarez is over two months behind on his $3,000-a-month rent and is threatening to evict him. There is a "Ray" of hope: A professional negotiator working to "establish communications" between the building's managing agent and Ray, reports Neither More Nor Less. And on February 6th there will be a "Day of Ray" benefit at the Sidewalk Cafe. $1,000 has been raised already, mainly by Ray's fans spreading the word through Facebook and Twitter.
Tagged
birthday
east village
nyc
party
photos
ray's candy store
stripper
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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