As we've been reporting in recent months, Gem Spa has been struggling of late, in part due to its temporary ban on selling cigarettes and lottery tickets as well as various landlord issues.
On Saturday from noon to 2 p.m., the folks at #SaveNYC are hosting a Cash Mob at the shop on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place to help support the longtime business. Per the official invite:
Come prepared to spend some money — egg creams, pretzels, t-shirts, toothpaste! — and take your photo with a surprise work of guerrilla street art, as an acclaimed group of cultural activists and designers radically transform Gem Spa into a dystopian vision for the new St. Mark’s Place.
This is the latest act of kindness that neighbors have shown for the shop, which Parul Patel has been running for her ailing father Ray, the owner since 1986.
Here are some other ways that people have been helping out:
• St. Mark's Place resident David Godlis donated prints of a Madonna photo outside Gem Spa in 1984 during filming of "Desperately Seeking Susan." Postcards are available at the shop.
• Kiehl’s donated lip balm that the shop is including with sales of Gem Spa t-shirts.
• V and Paper gifted the shop copies of its magazines to sell at 50 percent off the cover price.
• More artists/photographers are donating work inspired by Gem Spa that will be available for sale at the shop.
Previously on EV Grieve:
• Get your Gem Spa t-shirts or photos of Madonna — at Gem Spa! (Aug. 16)
• A July 4 moment at Gem Spa (July 4)
• Will you buy a Gem Spa T-shirt? (June 28)
• The Gem Spa Zoltar is alive and well and telling fortunes an L-train ride away in Bushwick (June 19)
• "Gem Spa is open!" (June 18)
• What is happening at Gem Spa? (June 11)
• A visit to Gem Spa (May 10)
6 comments:
After reading about the awful gas explosion at the other end of this block, it's heartwarming to read of neighbors coming together to help out a longtime beloved business. There is still kindness in this world.
maybe more people can take this action to the entire community and start supporting local pharmacies, coffee shops, diners etc. instead of all the national chains
It is wonderful to see the neighborhood step up to help. Perhaps someone (Godlis? Gruen?) has Toshi Matsuo's contact info and could get him to donate a print of the Dolls in front? And while I'm on the subject, and since he was quoted in the recent NYT piece, perhaps someone can give David J a ring and convince him to stop by for this.
i bought a t-shirt :)
Why can’t they sell cigarettes & lotto tickets? In that business those are the two biggest items to get people in the door and hopefully buying something else.
I feel for them but this seems like a temporary delay of the inevitable.
Why they cant sell cigs and lotto: https://evgrieve.com/2019/06/what-is-happening-at-gem-spa.html
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