When did you live/work/visit in SoHo?
1979 – 1987
Where did you live/work/visit in SoHo?
I worked for Ronald Mintzer, owner of Tunnel Stationery, 301 Canal. In around 1985 he opened another store on 309 Church Street which I managed for him until 1987. After I left he opened another store on Broadway just a few doors south of Canal on the East side of Broadway.
What was your occupation when you lived/worked in SoHo?
Stationery store worker
If you’re a SoHo old-timer, what do you miss most about SoHo in the early days?
I miss the electronic parts stores and the four hardware stores on one block. I also miss the fried fish place on Lispenard and Church. Nothing great but it was cheap and hit the spot.
What do you miss least about SoHo in the early days?
I don’t miss the guys selling fake/stolen designer handbags usually on Canal and Church and Lispenard and Church.
What is your most vivid SoHo memory?
I forget the year but I saw a garbage truck speeding eastbound on Canal between West Broadway and Mercer hit a pedestrian. It was the most horrific thing I ever saw before or since. They had to collect this poor soul’s body parts into a bag. Vivid – yes, but a fond memory – no.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Even though I just worked in the area, I and all my coworkers had a very deep connection with the neighborhood. We got to know the store owners and workers as well as the steady customers. Artists, musicians, lawyers, judges, and politicians, it was a truly amazing cross-section of the lives that called Soho home.