Photos and text by Stacie Joy
Castellano Electric Motors Inc. has long captured my attention. Nestled in a modest, single-level building at 147 Ridge St., between Houston and Stanton, it stands as a relic of a bygone era.
Established in the late 1950s and operating at this location for over 40 years, Castellano Electric Motors harkens back to a time when the area was home to more independent service providers like this ... and before most single-level buildings were transformed into high-end housing.
Jimmy, the owner, shared that he has no intentions of selling the building that houses the electric motor repair service. He satisfied my enduring curiosity by allowing me to photograph the interior (from a distance, anyway) ...
10 comments:
Thanks for the story and pictures of this location I walk by it all the time and wondered about this place and how they stayed in business for so long in the LES. It looks like a much larger business operation than I thought it was.
Great pics and promo. "if we don't have it, it doesn't exist."
There are times I think NYC has changed for the worst... or maybe it's just nostalgia. But I miss the small, independent shops and industries of the city. I used to wander around industrial Soho... with the machine shops... the garment factories... the wholesalers... the trucks... the small greasy restaurants... The artist hangouts... Anybody remember FOOD?... The babel of languages and all those cobbled streets and then at 6:00 the silence... after the trucks disappeared... the doors slammed shut... the grates rolled down.
FOOD? Was that on Prince? Chunky soups and stews just great simple food I loved it. Was that the restaurant in An Unmarried Woman where he broke up with his wife?
OMG! My 1st (illegal sublet) apt. in NYC in 1972 was at Sullivan & Spring. SOHO was filled with artists, Italian grandmother's sitting in front of their buildings, small grocery stores, galleries, artist's lofts and more. With the exception of Sullivan St bakery it is all gone.
O tempora, o mores
I remember and am so happy I was around to live it. Every block was an adventure and so unique to the NYC experience.
I remember FOOD! My 1st NYC apt. in 1972 was on Sullivan & Prince. The neighborhood was in the process of changing from Italian with grandmas sitting on their stoops & small shops with lots of Italian food stuffs to artist lofts, artists, galleries and a vibrant art culture. FOOD was sort of the center of the wheel.
Except for Sullivan St. Bakery & St. Anthony's Church, it's pretty much all gone.
The Orange Tree Cafe on East Houston was a nice place too. I used to go there for omelettes. Did Riverun in Soho come later? I don't remember. Also great stores, After the Rain and I think I recall The Enchanted Forest for children's toys.
I'm so happy you featured this place. I've been there a few times and let me tell you...the service is OUTSTANDING. Friendly people, quick service, knowledgeable. A real gem. Let's hope it doesn't get replaced by a basic wine bar where 22-year olds are tiktoking and shouting at each other.
Food was located on Prince and Wooster.
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