Thursday, May 26, 2011

Jerry's on the Facebook

Jerry Delakas, the newsstand guy of Astor Place, has launched a Facebook fan page. A sign on his stand asks you to "Please 'Like' Jerry's Newsstand on the facebook" and help him keep his business, which the city is trying to take away from him.



He's 62 years old and has been running this stand for 24 years. "I've spent more time on this corner than any corner on Earth," he told the Daily News, "It's like a second home."

"It would be a big loss," one of Jerry's customers told the Post. "Let’s help save it. It’s important to Jerry’s life... We have to keep these pieces of New York together."

The city already took his old stand away from him during the first blows of the Cemusa blitz. They put this glass and steel box here in October 2007. At the time, I said to him of the new box, "It looks just like that building," pointing to the nearby glass condo tower. He said, "It's supposed to."

Until then, Jerry's newsstand was a ramshackle beauty, a real antique. Just before it was carted away, I took this photo of it with a prophetic Time Out cover taped to the front asking, "Has Manhattan lost its soul?"



A few years later, we know the answer to that question. So go ahead and like Jerry's Newsstand on the facebook already, call 311, write to whomever you have to write to, and keep Jerry where he belongs.


from Facebook

2 comments:

Mykola ( Mick) Dementiuk said...

Ever since I was a little kid, 40, 50 years ago, there's always been a newsstand by the downtown subway entrance on Astor Place. What the hell is this asshole city trying to do?

Marty Wombacher said...

Wow, that sure was a prophetic photo you took! It says it all. Sad to see people like Jerry having to battle the city just to stay in business.