Showing posts with label High Vibe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label High Vibe. Show all posts

Friday, December 22, 2023

Spiritualized: End of days for High Vibe on 3rd Street; 'I would like to stay open!'

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The end is near for High Vibe after 30 years at 138 E. Third St. Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Robert "Bobby" Dagger, owner of the health/natural foods and goods store, plans to close on Dec. 31 after a rent hike courtesy of the landlord, the NYCHA, and an underwhelming response to a crowdfunding campaign

Everything is marked to go inside the small, comfortable shop...
Dagger said that he owns $40,000 in rent to NYCHA. The lease was up in October, and the business has been running month-to-month. 

He tried local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office, though that didn't lead to anything. "They were nice but didn’t provide any help," he said. 

So now what? 

"If I got $40,000, I can stay open. I would like to stay open! NYCHA raised my rent during COVID and only gave me three months of concession," Dagger said. "NYCHA doesn't care about small businesses. For 30 years, I paid taxes here. We're a link in the chain here, keeping America alive. I'm all for immigrants, but what about us? We're paying taxes for these people."
The shop is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for now... and they may shut down before Dec. 31. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

Monday, July 3, 2023

High Vibe looking for some help to continue spreading the love

Photos by Stacie Joy

Robert “Bobby” Dagger, owner of the health/natural foods and goods store High Vibe, recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to help keep the 30-year-old East Village shop at 138 E. Third St. Street between Avenue A and First Avenue in business for years to come...
Here's part of the appeal:
...the pandemic, coupled with the shift to online sales and people moving away from the city, has left us facing financial hardship. We find ourselves in need of assistance to cover bills and back rent, so we can continue serving our community and spreading love to people, dogs, and kids for another 30 years.
You can find the GoFundMe at this link.

High Vibe is open daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find the store's website here. And if you're on Instagram, they have an account at this link.

Previously on EV Grieve:

Thursday, April 2, 2020

A visit to High Vibe on 3rd Street



Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Editor's note: The interview and visit took place on March 4.

When I arrive to interview Dagger (officially Robert “Bobby” Dagger), owner of the health/natural foods and goods store High Vibe, he and his son Jude are inside creating and playing music together.



After learning more about the guitar Dagger made (it’s a beauty), we take a tour of the shop, where he points out some immunity-boosting supplements, favorite crystals (which he calls rocks), ethically sourced foods and products as well as essential oils.

He tells me the store, located at 138 E. Third St. Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, is not only for raw foodies, vegans and vegetarians, it’s also for everyone.



Can you speak a bit about the history of High Vibe?

High Vibe started in 1993 not as a plan — we saw a need for pure information about raw foods and dietary fasting and cleansing to help heal our bodies from the inside, and to take control of our own health.

You started in a basement space on Third Street next to the Hell’s Angels, and eventually relocated to this storefront in 2003. Did you ever consider moving into a different neighborhood?

I started in a basement space that was my photo, music, jewelry and creative space. I used to make belt buckles, and one of the Angels when he was still alive made the leather belts. I eventually relocated to this storefront.

I have thought of opening in other neighborhoods but I am a Lower East Side/East Village lover. So I will, as long as I can, be part of my community here! It is the best spot in NYC.







You are a musician and a musical-instrument creator, as well as a jewelry-maker. When did you envision becoming a business owner?

As a freelance artist/photographer/musician/jeweler/luthier I’ve always been a part businessperson. As for having an actual retail business I never thought about it and it took over naturally and I am so blessed I let it take me to where we are now.





Why does High Vibe often look like a plant shop from the outside?

I love plants! I actually have had way too many and as I am not a great businessperson per se and treat High Vibe as if it’s my home. I have the plants, objects, crystals, and guitars around so I can enjoy the days we have here and hopefully it transcends to our friends and clients.

As a kid, I was also obsessed with plants and think they are needed to help heal the world. So it’s been a life-long obsession. My retirement job will probably be creating and designing indoor and outdoor plant spaces that can feed and beautify. Plants and music are my joy and comfort and healing. Long live the sound and beauty of the Earth, especially in these changing times.

What items have remained perennially popular through the years? What’s your favorite?

Our popular items have always been our own amazing products, which I designed. “Shine” for one, as it is for hair, skin, nails and overall immunity. Our dried fruits, nuts, and seeds are so great. My personal favorites are our dates, nut butters and all our algae products.



How were you personally able to stick with a raw-food lifestyle through the years? What do you recommend for those interested in a plant-based diet?

I was totally raw in the 1990s and early 2000s and then went to a more balanced diet. We encourage people to go toward simple diets, not just plant-based diets.

How have you seen the neighborhood change during your time here — for better or worse?

I have been in the ’hood on Ludlow Street and on Third Street since 1980, so it has changed a lot. Some for the better — Tompkins Square Park is now great; and some for the worse, as storefronts are just too expensive for local shops to be here.

What’s next for High Vibe?

We will be continuing the work we do here and maybe open a whole new concept that will incorporate less plastic and waste and a spot where I can have a stage where we can have more music played all the time. We shall see.


[High Vibe employee Erika Barrett]


[Jude and Dagger]

High Vibe is considered an essential service during the COVID-19 outbreak and plans to remain open. Hours are every day from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. You can keep up with the shop on Instagram here.