Remembering a familiar presence on Broadway and Astor Place

Photos by William Klayer 

There's a growing memorial on the newsstand outside 740 Broadway at Astor Place. Dave, the longtime proprietor here, recently passed away.

Flowers, candles and notes have been left in his memory at the stand where he greeted customers for years.

A worker at No. 740 said a service has already been held. One of the signs notes that Dave was born in 1956. 

A social media user posted this remembrance on Instagram: 

I must have bought a few hundred packs of Trident peppermint from David over the last 26 years. His newsstand sat directly outside 740 Broadway ... He'd say hi even if I wasn't buying gum. He smiled, he nodded. I smiled and nodded back ... This tribute to him, to his presence, his language (French), his smile, moved me to tears. How I love New York.