A moment with Ray and Stella this morning at Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A as the two look over the schedule for the coming week... thanks to Peter Brownscombe for the photo!
Showing posts with label Ray's Candy Store. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ray's Candy Store. Show all posts
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Sunday morning staff meeting at Ray's
A moment with Ray and Stella this morning at Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A as the two look over the schedule for the coming week... thanks to Peter Brownscombe for the photo!
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
A new sign for Ray's Candy Store, and a visit by Kim Kardashian West
Here's a look at the almost completed new sign at Ray's Candy Store ... NYC-based illustrator Peach Tao (with help from Will DeNatale and Shreya Gupta) started work on Sunday.
Peach said she still has a few more details to add.
This version replaces the well-weathered facade that Chico created in July 2016. Chico's previous sign here was in part a tribute to neighborhood photographer Bob Arihood, who died in September 2011.
Steven took these photos yesterday afternoon.
Early last evening around 6:45, Kim Kardashian West stopped by the shop here on Avenue A near Seventh Street with friends (besties?) Simon Huck and Jonathan Cheban to celebrate La La Anthony's birthday (this info via Instagram).
The reality TV star and makeup mogul shared photos/clips in her Instagram Stories showing the group ordering milkshakes and deep-fried Oreos from Ray, who was working behind the counter...
In true Kardashian fashion, there were reports of "a mob scene" outside the shop during the brief stopover, as Ray's was plunged into the paparazzi world ... with black sedans and bodyguards on Avenue A...
[Bottom 2 photos via @RaysCandyStore]
Last week, it was Kendall Jenner's turn to stop by Ray's.
H/T Jon-Michael!
Previously on EV Grieve:
Kim Kardashian was in the East Village on Tuesday, ever so discreetly
Sunday, June 23, 2019
WIP: A new sign for Ray's Candy Store
[Photo by John Cline]
Work started today on a new sign for Ray's Candy Story over at 113 Avenue A near Seventh Street...
[Photo by Steven]
Peach and Will expect to have the sign finished tomorrow...
[Photo by Steven]
This version — with a small 's on Ray — replaces the well-weathered facade that Chico created in July 2016. Chico's previous sign here was in part a tribute to neighborhood photographer Bob Arihood, who died in September 2011.
[Photo by Eden]
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Ray's Candy Store the setting for one of these 'East Side Stories' at the Metropolitan Playhouse
The 14th edition of "East Side Stories," a new collection of one-act plays, premieres tonight at the Metropolitan Playhouse.
The works are "based on the rich history and eclectic character of [the] East Village and Lower East Side."
Here's a quick overview of what you'll find in "East Side Stories, Back Again" ... including one very well-known business on Avenue A...
• "Counting Pedestals" by Carlos Jerome
A community college student, focused on survival after a bid in prison, finds an unlikely bond with his mathematics professor.
• "Iriomote" by Arlene Jaffe
Greed and ego threaten the survival of two irreplaceable communities; one in lower Manhattan, the other more than 7,000 miles away.
• "The Poor Door" by Leonard Goodisman
Two women meet in an apartment building's entrance hall, each affronted by the other, and find they have more in common than they expected.
• "Ray's Candy Store" by Rachael Carnes
An aspiring actress, finding life in the city more difficult than she expected, meets a candy store owner who offers her a new perspective and an egg cream.
The run ends on June 23. You can find ticket info at this link. The Metropolitan Playhouse is at 220 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
A birthday celebration for Ray at Ray's Candy Store
Ray Alvarez, the hard-working proprietor of Ray's Candy Store, turns 86 on Jan. 25.
And as is tradition in recent years (dating to 2007), a group of Ray's friends/regulars hosted a birthday extravaganza, complete with a cake from Veniero's, inside the shop at 113 Avenue A last night.
Lilin Lace, Pearls Daily, Gal Friday, Nasty Canasta, Tansy and Cheeky Lane were there to help Ray celebrate.
This year, Ray's team paid tribute to their favorite fallen rock stars. After an intro of "The Candy Man" by Sammy Davis Jr., each of the six burlesque dancers took the stage/counter to accompany tracks by the Archies ("Sugar, Sugar"), Amy Winehouse ("Valerie"), Roy Orbison ("Oh, Pretty Woman"), the Jimi Hendrix Experience ("Foxy Lady"), the Doors ("Touch Me") and David Bowie ("The Jean Genie").
EVG correspondent Stacie Joy shared these photos from last night...
[Pearls Daily]
[Lilin Lace]
[Cheeky Lane]
[Gal Friday]
[Tansy]
[Nasty Canasta]
[Lilin Lace, Pearls Daily, Gal Friday, Ray, Nasty Canasta, Tansy & Cheeky Lane]
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Get Ray's Candy Store delivered to your door
Over at Ray's Candy Store at 113 Avenue A, Ray started a delivery service via Uber Eats back in the late summer... which has apparently helped boost business ...
[Photo by Peter Brownscombe from September]
And now, Ray's has even more delivery options, as announced today, so you can get beignets or Belgian fries or something crazy that Ray has even dreamed up just yet brought to your doorstep...
Monday, November 12, 2018
Ray gets to see Ray's Candy Store on 'Parts Unknown'
CNN aired the series finale of Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown" last night, as you might know. The episode, which arrived five months after the TV host and writer's death, was set in the East Village and Lower East Side. "This is a show about a very special place, a special time, and some very special people," Bourdain announced in the intro, the only voice-over during the 75-minute show.
Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A was among the stops (this listicle has all the places he visited) that Bourdain made with a variety of artists, musicians and filmmakers.
Ray was working and didn't get to watch any of the episode. However, afterwards, he was able to see his appearance — in which he serves Bourdain and Harley Flanagan egg creams — courtesy of Eden's smartphone. (EVG contributor Stacie Joy was among the people who stopped by Ray's last night.)
Meanwhile, over at Eater, Greg Morabito complied his best moments-quotes from the episode, including:
Bourdain asking Jim Jarmusch and Amos Poe about the neighborhood: “What do you think now when you walk around the neighborhood? You paid some dues to walk down back in the day, now it’s projectile vomiting frat boys with their baseball caps on backwards. Does this give you a sinking feeling or make you angry?”
Jarmusch, responding: “The thing that I always tell myself is: Look at the history of New York City, and it’s always about hustling and change. And if you want it to stay the same, man, you’ve got the wrong historical spot, because there used to be a Native American trading post on the tip of Manhattan. It’s now Wall Street.”
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
An Evening at Ray's Candy Store
Last night saw another Evening at Ray's Candy Store: A Special Restaurant Week Chef's Tasting Event.
For $10, attendees could enjoy a five-course tasting menu featuring a selection of Ray's finest and favorites — prepared by Chef Ray himself...
EVG regular Peter Brownscombe shared there photos from the shop at 113 Avenue A...
Monday, August 20, 2018
Spend the evening at Ray's tonight with a special 'Tasting Event'
Via the EVG inbox...
Another Evening at Ray's Candy Store: A Special Restaurant Week Chef's Tasting Event!
Date: Monday, Aug. 20 (Today!)
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: 113 Avenue A at Seventh Street
Cost: $10 per person (cash only)
Join us at the shop and enjoy a most unique tasting menu cooked up by Chef Ray himself! Once again, guests will be served a 5-course tasting menu made up of a selection of Ray's favorites! Your choice of egg cream, coffee, tea or soft drink included.
Come! Bring friends!
More info and RSVP here.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
ICYMI: Ray in the Sunday Times
[Photo by Francisco Valera]
In an article published Sunday, Alex Vadukul at The New York Times looks at the relationship between filmmaker Arya Ghavamian and Ray Alvarez, the proprietor of Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A.
Ghavamian recently held a successful crowdfunding campaign to help cover the production costs of his coming documentary, "The Candy Store," which "explores Mr. Alvarez's reputation as an unlikely Zen character displaced from New York’s urbanity."
An excerpt from the article:
Mr. Ghavamian walked into Ray’s Candy Store one night in 2014. As Mr. Alvarez made him a milkshake, he noticed a photograph of Mr. Alvarez proudly holding his certificate of naturalization. They started speaking Farsi, and Mr. Ghavamian discovered that Mr. Alvarez is from Tabriz, just like his father. “Metaphorically, I realized that our stories are the same,” he said. He started filming soon after.
And here was the video that came with the crowdfunding campaign...
The Candy Store: A Documentary from candystoremovie on Vimeo.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
And hold the bun...
Jax taking a look inside Ray's on Avenue A... thanks to Sharon for the photo earlier today...
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Back to the 80s: Celebrating Ray's 85th birthday at Ray's Candy Store
Ray Alvarez, the hard-working proprietor of Ray's Candy Store, turned 85 on Jan. 25.
And, as is recent tradition, some of Ray's friends/regulars threw him a party inside the shop at 113 Avenue A.
Last night's celebration had an 1980s-theme, and featured burlesque dancers Cheeky Lane, Pearls Daily, Lil Miss Lixx, Nasty Canasta and Gal Friday, who took turns to era-friendly classics such as "I Want Candy" and "Material Girl." (The Ray's birthday party celebration with dancers goes back to 2007. Check out Bob Arihood's photos from Ray's 74th birthday bash here.)
EVG correspondent Stacie Joy shared a few photos from last night...
[Cheeky Lane]
[Pearls Daily]
[Gal Friday]
Throughout the evening, friends and longtime regulars stopped by to wish Ray a happy birthday. There was a cake from Veniero's...
Jimmy Webb delivered a gift from his Orchard Street boutique I Need More (there was also a gift from the folks behind the
East Village Vintage Collective on 12th Street) ...
Updated:
Slum Goddess has photos and videos here.
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