Free (and cool?) stuff alert

You've probably seen these flyers around advertising "free & cool stuff" on Ninth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

So here we are — it's outside 741 E. Ninth St., home of the Frank Alexander studio, an NYC event designer...

Anyway, it is all free... there is a lot of stuff here, including glassware, linens, plastic flowers, vases, etc. — like the remains of someone's wedding (no cake!) or corporate banquet. And the ground-floor storage space is packed, with people bringing out more items to the sidewalk tables. The giveaway will continue through the week of Nov. 18. 

The event business is certainly hurting right now. Via a Frank Alexander Instagram post from Sept. 2:

Make no mistake our industry is on Red Alert — I stand in solidarity with thousands in the event/entertainment/hospitality industry who are out of work at no fault of their own. Most of us have spent our lives getting to a point where we can make a living doing what we love to do. 

We have spent years building our business from the ground up. Time, money, more time, more money and constant grinding has brought us here. While we have survived recessions, stock market collapses, housing crises and natural disasters, this is something new and unexpected… being told you can't do large events at all. Period.