A visit to former East Village mainstay Love Saves the Day in New Hope, Pa.

Photos and text by Shawn Chittle

Tucked neatly away along the Delaware River not far from where Washington made his famous crossing lies a lovely little town called New Hope, Pa. I took a two-hour car ride (it goes by fast) here and found an old friend: Love Saves The Day, the former vintage store on Second Avenue and Seventh Street made famous, in part, by its appearance in the 1985 film “Desperately Seeking Susan.”

I introduced myself to the the manager, Stasia Kauriga. “We love our East Village fans,” she told me.


[From left: Stasia Kauriga, manager; Adam, music associate; Jill Edge, asst. manager]

She told me about the day when her phone wouldn’t stop ringing with people worried about the store after the deadly Second Avenue explosion in March 2015, which destroyed three buildings including the original Love Saves the Day location at No. 119.

“I had to tell them we actually weren’t at that location anymore.” she said.

The East Village Love Saves the Day closed on Jan. 18, 2009, after 43 years in business. Word was their rent tripled.

However, Love Saves the Day already had a presence in New Hope. "We just moved the Second Avenue inventory here when we couldn’t maintain that location,” Kauriga said.

That news was a surprise to me. I had always thought that the store closing in 2009 was for a move to New Hope. But the New Hope storefront has been around a long time, and it looks at home on the town's Main Street.

As I look around the store, it looks all so familiar, but so much larger.





Then I spot something familiar in the corner: the original Love Saves the Day awning from Second Avenue. It’s peeking out from behind a corner, looking worn and forgotten, but a welcome sight nonetheless.



All my "Star Wars" toys from the 1970s are here, along with Beatles records and collectables, everything KISS, Pee Wee Herman, lunch boxes, and kitsch galore. Frankly, the prices are affordable and I left with a few treasures.



The sense of humor and adventure, all the charm and pure East Village that was the store on Second Avenue is here in abundance, and I do mean abundant. The store has both an upstairs and downstairs.





Love Saves The Day is located at 1 S Main St, New Hope, Pa., and is open Mon-Fri: 11 am - 6 pm, Sat 11 am - 7 pm and Sun 11 am - 6 pm.

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[119 2nd Ave. from early 2009]

A memory of Love Saves the Day

If you haven't seen this at the base of the new retail space on the NW corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street... the onetime home of the vintage shop Love Saves the Day.

Per the street art here...

"This used to be Love Saves the Day. I used to come in as a kid and get sparklers and sneak peaks at the vintage Playboys." 

The East Village Love Saves the Day closed on Jan. 18, 2009. Word was their rent tripled. 

Their location remains open in New Hope, Pa.

The deadly Second Avenue gas explosion in March 2015 destroyed three buildings here, including the space (119 Second Ave.) that housed the shop for 43 years.

Love Saves the Day is cleared out; Meanwhile, Karen will remain...

Since Love Saves the Day officially closed on Jan. 18, the store had still been full of good loot, like that Charlie's Angels lunchbox. No more, though. On Saturday, everything worth anything was removed and carted off...



A woman walked up and asked one if the movers if there was anything left to buy. He seemed slighly surprised. "NO, it's all gone. There's nothing left," he scolded.

Meanwhile, Karen was setting up shop out front per usual. Was this her last day too, I asked? "Oh no, I'll be here next week...either here or across the street," she said, pointing toward the old Kiev storefront. So that's good news...we'll still have Karen's flea market...and a true EV character.





For further reading and viewing:
Love Saves the Day is Closing, Karen wants to remain here in the East Village (YouTube)
Karen Saves the Day (Jeremiahs's Vanishing NY)
Last Trip to LSD (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)
End Comes for Outpost of East Village Counterculture (New York Times)

Summer Fridays rehash: Desperately Seeking 1985 New York City

Hey, we're digging into the EVG archives for these next few summer Fridays... first posted on July 22, 2008, before I learned when a post was getting too fucking long... (and keep in mind that there is not a free screening of the movie tonight — this was four years ago...)

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There's a free screening tonight of 1985's Desperately Seeking Susan at McCarren Park Pool in Greenpoint. It's a silly movie (stolen ancient Egyptian earrings! amnesia! mistaken identities!) that I enjoy watching every summer. (In fact, I just watched it Sunday night.) As Brian J. Dillard writes in his review at allmovie.com, "A classic Hollywood screwball comedy transposed to modern-day Manhattan, Desperately Seeking Susan offered mid-'80s moviegoers a mall-friendly version of hip New York style, much like Madonna did throughout her early musical career."

I like it for a lot of reasons, such as seeing youngish John Turturro, Steven Wright and Giancarlo Esposito, among others, in small roles. And director Susan Seidelman rounded out the film with several downtown musicians/performers — Richard Edson, Rockets Redglare, Richard Hell, John Lurie, Arto Lindsay, Ann Magnuson. And, of course, you get to see some mid-1980s New York, including several scenes in the East Village. (Nice, too, that many of these places are still around some 23 years later, including Gem Spa, Trash & Vaudeville, B & H Dairy and Love Saves the Day.)

Wacky Neighbor had a post on Susan's production design in September 2004. As he notes, the players behind the look of the film were Woody Allen regulars at the time.

Meanwhile, here are a few screenshots from Desperately Seeking Susan.

On St. Mark's.

On Second Avenue.

In front of Love Saves the Day.

Ohhh! Don't mess with the guy with the bucket of the Colonel hanging around Second Avenue and 7th Street!

Scary clubgoers! Do all New Yorkers look like this?!

Outside the Magic Club. (In the film, the club is said to be on Broadway. According to Wikipedia, some of the interiors and exteriors were filmed in Harlem.)

Now, some Desperately Seeking Susan trivia from Wikipedia, which means it may or may not be right:
* The filmakers had initially wanted Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn to play the roles of Roberta and Susan. But the director decided to cast newcomers Rosanna Arquette and Madonna instead. 

* Bruce Willis was up for the role of Dez. Melanie Griffith was up for the part of Susan as well.
* Madonna barely beat out Ellen Barkin to the part of Susan. Barkin was the producers first choice for the part, but the director claimed Barkin had a lack of substance.
* The Statue of Liberty can be seen in the film when it is still covered in scaffolding during its two year renovation.
* The DVD commentary track for the film (recorded in 1996) noted that after Madonna's first screen test, the producers asked her to take four weeks of acting lessons and get screen-tested again. Although the second screen test wasn't much of an improvement, the director still wanted her for the role, as much for her presence and sense of style as for anything else.
* The 1964 sci-fi movie The Time Travelers is playing in scenes 6 and 23 (melts at the end of the movie).
* The movie was originally filmed in the summer of 1984, early in Madonna's rise to popularity, and was intended to be an R-rated feature. However, following the success of the singer's 1984-85 hits "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl," the film was trimmed in content by Orion Pictures in order to receive a PG-13 rating in order for Madonna's teenage fanbase to be able to see it
* The interior / exterior shots of The Magic Club were filmed in Harlem.
* Some of the scenes were filmed in Danceteria, a club that Madonna frequented and which gave her a start in the music business.

Desperately Seeking 1985 New York City

There's a free screening tonight of 1985's Desperately Seeking Susan at McCarren Park Pool in Greenpoint. It's a silly movie (stolen ancient Egyptian earrings! amnesia! mistaken identities!) that I enjoy watching every summer. (In fact, I just watched it Sunday night.) As Brian J. Dillard writes in his review at allmovie.com, "A classic Hollywood screwball comedy transposed to modern-day Manhattan, Desperately Seeking Susan offered mid-'80s moviegoers a mall-friendly version of hip New York style, much like Madonna did throughout her early musical career." Hmm, that's about right. I like it for a lot of reasons, such as seeing youngish John Turturro, Steven Wright and Giancarlo Esposito, among others, in small roles. And director Susan Seidelman rounded out the film with several downtown musicians/performers -- Richard Edson, Rockets Redglare, Richard Hell, John Lurie, Arto Lindsay, Ann Magnuson. And, of course, you get to see some mid-1980s New York, including several scenes in the East Village. (Nice, too, that many of these places are still around some 23 years later, including Gem Spa, Trash & Vaudeville, B & H Dairy and Love Saves the Day.)

Wacky Neighbor had a post on Susan's production design in September 2004. As he notes, the players behind the look of the film were Woody Allen regulars at the time.

Meanwhile, here are a few screenshots from Desperately Seeking Susan.

On St. Mark's.

On Second Avenue.

In front of Love Saves the Day.

Ohhh! Don't mess with the guy with the bucket of the Colonel hanging around Second Avenue and 7th Street!

Scary clubgoers! Do all New Yorkers look like this?!

Outside the Magic Club. (In the film, the club is said to be on Broadway. According to Wikipedia, some of the interiors and exteriors were filmed in Harlem.)

Now, some Desperately Seeking Susan trivia from Wikipedia, which means it may or may not be right:
* The filmakers had initially wanted Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn to play the roles of Roberta and Susan. But the director decided to cast newcomers Rosanna Arquette and Madonna instead. 

* Bruce Willis was up for the role of Dez. Melanie Griffith was up for the part of Susan as well.
* Madonna barely beat out Ellen Barkin to the part of Susan. Barkin was the producers first choice for the part, but the director claimed Barkin had a lack of substance.
* The Statue of Liberty can be seen in the film when it is still covered in scaffolding during its two year renovation.
* The DVD commentary track for the film (recorded in 1996) noted that after Madonna's first screen test, the producers asked her to take four weeks of acting lessons and get screen-tested again. Although the second screen test wasn't much of an improvement, the director still wanted her for the role, as much for her presence and sense of style as for anything else.
* The 1964 sci-fi movie The Time Travelers is playing in scenes 6 and 23 (melts at the end of the movie).
* The movie was originally filmed in the summer of 1984, early in Madonna's rise to popularity, and was intended to be an R-rated feature. However, following the success of the singer's 1984-85 hits "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl," the film was trimmed in content by Orion Pictures in order to receive a PG-13 rating in order for Madonna's teenage fanbase to be able to see it
* The interior / exterior shots of The Magic Club were filmed in Harlem.
* Some of the scenes were filmed in Danceteria, a club that Madonna frequented and which gave her a start in the music business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
In case why you were wondering why some SATC fans are now into Richard Hell

Ramenification of Love Saves the Day continues

Yesterday morning, we noted the new plywood surrounding the former Love Saves the Day store on Second Avenue at Seventh Street... Now one of the last remaining bits of the former shop was removed -- the tiled Love Saves the Day sign above the storefront...



Here's how it looks now...




Also, as the Graffiti Friend of EV Grieve (GFOEVG) noted, the plywood covered two tags by longtime NYC graffiti artists, SEN4 and KAY2... their fate will soon be sealed under several coats of paint along with the rest of the colorful LSD façade...



[LSD tile photo via Racked]

When Loves Save[d] the Day

Photo by Steven

On Second Avenue at Seventh Street, there's tile art showing a former tenant of the corner space ... the one-time home of the vintage shop Love Saves the Day ... made famous, in part, by its appearance in the 1985 film “Desperately Seeking Susan.”

The East Village Love Saves the Day closed on Jan. 18, 2009. Word was their rent tripled. 

Their location remains open in New Hope, Pa.

The deadly Second Avenue gas explosion in March 2015 destroyed three buildings here, including the space (119 Second Ave.) that housed the shop for 43 years.

We've seen other tile art for some longtime businesses that are no longer with us, such as outside the former Stage across Second Avenue.

More love in the media for Love Saves the Day

[Photo by Vivi via Picasa.]

Since Jeremiah broke the story Dec. 2 of Love Saves the Day's apparent demise, there has been no shortage of affection for kitsch central at Seventh Street and Second Avenue:

From Lily Koppel's feature in the Times yesterday:

It opened 42 years ago, in a time known by some as the Age of Aquarius, in a Manhattan neighborhood that was a hippie haven. It endured as a psychedelic oasis even as the hippies disappeared and the neighborhood, the East Village, was transformed into a pricier and less scruffy place by the real estate boom that washed across many parts of New York City.

Meanwhile, in The Villager this week, Dottie Wilson has an essay on the store:

LSD, located on the same block of Second Ave. as Gem Spa, B&H Dairy, The Orpheum, Stage Deli and Toy Tokyo, now has a new sign on its door, and it isn’t amusing. It’s an ugly announcement about the departure of yet another special facet of the East Village.

And!

But how ironic and horrible that this unique “real estate” will most likely end up symbolizing a really bad acid trip when a Duane Reade or the equivalent no doubt occupies the space.

Where is Karen?

Speaking of Loves Saves the Day...what happened to Karen? Despite LSD closing, she told me on Jan. 24 that she would continue with her flea market in front of this location — or on the other side of the street, whatever they're calling the former location of the Kiev.



However, I don't recall having seen her lately...Has anyone spotted her around the neighborhood...or know what happened to her?

For further reading and viewing:
Love Saves the Day is Closing, Karen wants to remain here in the East Village (YouTube)
Karen Saves the Day (Jeremiahs's Vanishing NY)
Last Trip to LSD (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)
End Comes for Outpost of East Village Counterculture (New York Times)

[Updated] The remains

Late-night photos of 119-123 Second Ave. via @edenbrower …



119 Second Ave. at the corner of East Seventh Street (one-time home to Love Saves the Day) is gone … as is 121 Second Ave., where the blast occurred yesterday afternoon (Sushi Park is the retail tenant), and 123 Second Ave., where Pommes Frittes and Sam's Deli were the retail businesses. We do not know the status of Enz's, the shop at 125 Second Ave., though we did hear via Facebook that owner Mariann Marlowe got away safely. The folks at B&H Dairy at 127 Second Ave. reported on Facebook that they are OK and will be open for business soon…

The latest published reports say that 19 people were injured, four critically. Two men are still missing. Will continue to update today throughout the day.


[Via Google Streetview]

The Village Chinese Therapy Center and King's Copies were also destroyed on East Seventh Street...


[Via Google Streetview]

Next-door neighbors Jimmy's No. 43 and Standings are day to day...

We'll remain closed today. We're day to day and will update as we have news to share. Thanks for love + support.

— Jimmy's No. 43 (@JimmysNo43) March 27, 2015

Former Love Saves the Day space on the market

East Noodle & Izakaya closed here at 119 Second Ave. at East Seventh Street last August … after sitting empty these past nine months, two small for rent signs have arrived on the front window … we didn't spot the listing online anywhere … we're curious about the asking rents here.



This was, we think, the second ramen place to try this high-profile space since Love Saves the Day closed on Jan. 18, 2009, after 42 years in business. Word was their rent tripled.


Jeremiah Moss had a post on this corner just last week. Check that out here.

P.S.
Since the phone number on the for rent sign got cut off … it's 347-608-4058 in case you are interested…

Anti-ramen graffiti remains at former Love Saves the Day spot

Back in May, we noted some graffiti left behind by someone who, perhaps, didn't care much for the new ramen place coming to the former Love Saves the Day location at Second Avenue and Seventh Street.



Since then, we've continued to keep tabs on the progress of the renovation. On Thursday, we noted the removal of the plywood.



Oddly enough, though... most of the graffiti was left up...

Winter Friday Flashback: Last day for Love Saves the Day is Sunday

On Fridays this winter, and probably spring and summer ... we'll post one of the 16,000-plus EVG, uh, posts from yesteryear, like this one from Jan. 13, 2009 ...

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On Dec. 2, Jeremiah was first to report that Loves Saves the Day will shutter its iconic corner store on Seventh Street and Second Avenue. A sign on their storefront confirms the store's last day.


Meanwhile, what will become of the pay phones on the south side of the store? No way will Duane Reade keep them once they open their newest location here...(And yes -- I will burn in Hell for writing that...)