
Photo by Bobby Williams
Name: Alex Shamuelov
Occupation: Barber and student
Location: Ace of Cuts, 518 E. 6th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B
Date: 9 a.m., July 9
I’m from Uzbekistan, but my background goes back to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Because of the Soviet Union, it was really tough there but it was a little bit easier in the southern part, so that’s why my ancestors moved down there. So I was born in Uzbekistan and I came to New York when I was 3 years old.
I never thought I’d be a hairdresser. My dad has been a hairdresser for a long time, but when he was young he was a mechanic. His father’s a hairdresser, his brother’s a hairdresser, his mom used to be a hairdresser, and his sister’s a hairdresser. Everybody in my family from both sides — everybody’s a hairdresser. That’s how it was from the old country. Everybody was a hairdresser.
My father always said, ‘You know, listen — it’s better for you to learn a talent than it is for you to hop from one job to another.’ He said, ‘This is something that you’re going to have and something that you’re never going to lose. You never know what could happen in life. Let’s say one day, God forbid, you lose your job, then you have something to turn to. Hair always grows. Everybody always needs haircuts.’
So I took those words into consideration. I was only 15 years old. Imagine when you’re 15 years old, for six months for almost two summers after school, standing next to a barber and not making anything, whereas I wanted to go become a counselor or something, you know. I wanted to make some money. No, my father kept pushing me toward it and I’m happy for that. This is something that I like to do, and not to brag, but I’m good at it. I’ve won competitions and stuff like that. I like to draw and I’m artistic, so this helps me sculpt a person, sculpt a head. So everything worked out well.
I’m 20 years old now and I just opened my own barber shop with my father. [July 9] is actually a month since we opened. Everybody is shocked about that. It’s not easy trying to succeed in this life right now. I have the support of my family. We’re all together. We live next to each other, in a two-block radius in Queens.
The landlord of this building is my previous customer from Long Island. He currently goes to my uncle, because that was my uncle’s barbershop, so he told my uncle about it. So I came one day with my parents and uncle and I loved the place, and now we’re here. I love the East Village. Everybody’s very neighborhoody; everybody’s very friendly. Say if you go to Midtown, neighbors don’t know each other. Here everybody knows each other and they say hi to each other. It’s the same thing where I live Queens — in Rego Park.
You know how landlords are — they want their rent on the spot, so we had to do it quick. I renovated this whole place in about three weeks. I did it for my father mostly. I don’t want him to work for somebody all his life. I wanted him to become his own boss, so that’s why I’m here now. I’m on break from school. I’m helping him out. I’m in the middle of the street so it’s really hard to advertise. You have to be patient. I went from cutting 35 to 40 people a day to cutting five people a day. Psychologically that hurts you.
In Park Slope I used to cut 40 people a day. We were right next to Mayor de Blasio’s house. I’ve cut his hair. I used to see him every day; every day he walked by. It was shocking because you see somebody, you take care of somebody, and then all of a sudden, boom — he’s an icon of New York. Over there you need speed and you need technique, and you need a sense of style. Imagine in 12 hours cutting 40 people. That means about 100 to 150 people come in every day. They used to call me Ferrari because I used to be very quick.
Obviously I’m not going to be the same here because I don’t have that competition going on. That’s why I made this barbershop like this, you know. I have Jameson. I have vodka. I have beer. I have everything for someone to come in and relax. I have a 65-inch TV. People come in, they watch TV. I charge $15. So yeah, hopefully I’ll make it. I was trying to go for a different image for someone to come and relax.
I am also currently in school at LIU, Long Island University, in downtown Brooklyn. I’m trying to get into the pharmacy program out there. It was a challenge for me to pick my profession that I wanted to go for, that I wanted to succeed in. My dream is now opening a pharmacy and having a barber chair, to build a barber shop in the pharmacy, so while you wait for your medicine you get your hair cut real quick. Cause you know how everybody in New York is trying to get things done quick.
What happened to all the auto tire repair/flats fixed places? Are there any left? I need a tire repaired.
The subject property is a 4-story vacant townhouse located on the north side of East 7th Street, between Avenues C & D. There are 4 floor-through units including a garden and parlor floor. The building is in an R8B zone with a residential FAR of 4.0 which would allow for a total buildable square footage of approximately 9,312 SF. The existing building is approximately 3,860 SF with an additional 5,451 SF of available air-rights. Therefore, the buyer could keep the existing structure and add floor area. Alternatively, the buyer could demolish the existing and structure and build a new ground-up development.
This affordable space has high ceilings, large windows, exposed brick, hardwood floors and a large kitchen in excellent condition. Everything you could want in a loft at a fraction of the price! Conveniently located in the heart of the East Village with amazing restaurants and nightlife at your doorstep. 186 is a boutique building that’s well managed and has an incredible sense of community.
Besides the Boulton & Watt’s signature mason jar pickles (in seasonal varieties such as pineapple with habanero, mint and basil and beets with peppercorns and red wine vinegar — $5 each or three jars for $13) and modern classics such as Boulton and Watt mac and cheese (white cheddar persillade bread crumbs, $10) and “The Burger” (house-made blend on brioche bun and fries — $14 and up), new items include a refreshing baby arugula, date and orange salad with lime vinaigrette, toasted pistachio and ricotta salata ($12), soft scrambled eggs (with a side of avocado toast and watercress — $10), an heirloom tomato sandwich that is sure to be a summer favorite (baby arugula, charred red onion, basil, roasted garlic mayo on seven grain toast — $10 or $12 with bacon) and the intriguing “Hangover” (two fried eggs, cheddar, avocado, bacon, chipotle aioli on seven grain bread - $12), the perfect pick-me-up after a late East Village night.
FYI - Valet service in the East Village has been cancelled this evening (7/15) due to a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
— Citi Bike (@CitibikeNYC) July 15, 2014
FLASH FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 5:15 PM FOR ALL OF NYC. 2" to locally 4" of rain can fall causing rapid flooding: pic.twitter.com/RKApBHY6o3
— Storm Team 4 NY (@StormTeam4NY) July 15, 2014
BEAUTIFUL EAST VILLAGE DUPLEX 1 BEDROOM WITH PRIVATE TERRACE
BRAND NEW LISTING - AMAZING EAST VILLAGE LOCATION
Brand New Listing available for SEPT 1 - Move In! 1 Bedroom. Amazing Deal. This Apartment will not last!
High-design gets a downtown attitude at Eleventh and Third where the only rules to live by are the ones that keep life interesting. With just 53 studio, one-, and two-bedroom homes – some with private terraces, most with amazing views, and all with top-shelf interior finishes – it’s a boutique building fueled with serious style.
Building Features:
- 24 Hour Doorman
- In Unit Laundry in All 1 Bedroom & 2 Bedroom Apartments
- Communal Roof Terrace Outdoor Space
- State-of-the-art Fitness Room
- Yoga / Meditation Studio
- Private Massage Studio
- Laundry Room
Apartment Features:
- Brand New Glass Panel Windows In Every Apartment
- Walnut Flooring
- Built in A/C and Heating
- Polished Concrete Counter tops
- Bertazzoni, Fisher & Paykel, & Bosch Kitchen Appliances
- Brizo, Lacava & Toto Bathroom Fixtures
- Self Closing Drawers and Cabinetry
"Some one tried to steal your bike — got it back from the fucker — (I didn't wanna go to the police because they make everything into an ordeal) … If you can unlock the wheel we'll know your the real bike owner — I left just left it in a nearby store — They're good guys."
Twenty-five years after Meg Ryan faked cinema’s most famous orgasm in Katz’s Deli, customers still follow her lead in the 126-year-old Lower East Side establishment.
Sexually charged gasps and moans fill the deli “at least a couple times a month,” says co-owner Fred Austin, who’s in the process of transferring management to his nephew Jake Dell. He’s reluctant to admit they’re staged.