Nolita residents rally behind Elizabeth
Street Garden amidst lease termination
BY DEAN MOSES
Residents took up protest
signs and packed into
Elizabeth Street Garden
in Nolita on Sept. 26 in a push
back against an eviction notice.
Executive Director Joseph
Reiver sat on a bench under
the shade of a tree on Sunday,
refl ecting on a near decade-long
fi ght to save the garden his father
founded. Clasping his hands
together, it is clear the fi ght has
taken its toll, leaving him, and
the surrounding community as
a whole, emotionally exhausted.
However, no matter the fatigue
or the heartache, Reiver asserts
that he and garden visitors will
fi ght to ensure its greenery can
continue to be enjoyed for years to
come despite a notice of eviction
that tells the staff to be off the
land by Oct. 31.
“They place their bets on us
getting tired. And they place
their bets on this going on and
on and us losing spirit, but we’re
not going to lose the spirit. We’re
gonna keep fi ghting for this place
because this place is still here
Hundreds rally at Elizabeth Street Garden on Sept. 26 after
Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)
terminates the garden’s lease.
and we’re in it and all of that is a
testament,” Reiver said.
Well over 100 Lower Manhattanites
fi led into Elizabeth Street
Garden, located between Prince
and Spring Streets, in support
of their communal greenspace.
Already engaged in a legal battle,
lawyer for the garden, Norman
Seagal, says that this eviction is
circumventing the legal process
by having the Department of
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Housing Preservation and Development
(HPD) terminate the
garden’s lease.
“Very simply, the city is attempting
to achieve through lease
termination, what they have yet
been able to achieve through litigation.
So very simply, the city, in
my opinion, should wait for the
judge to render a fi nal decision,”
Seagal said.
A forest of humanity holding
banners reading “Save our Garden”
and “Green space for residents,
not big developers” lined
the 20,000 square feet space in
hopes that their collective voices
could raise awareness to prevent
the possible destruction.
Advocates at the rally denounced
Council Member Margaret
Chin for allowing the city
to pursue the garden’s closure
under what they feel is a guise of
affordable housing.
Schneps Media reached out
to Chin’s offi ce for comment. A
spokesperson stated that New
York City is facing an unprecedented
housing crisis and the
only way to address this issue is
by repurposing land.
“During the Rudy Giuliani
Administration the late gallery
owner got a sweetheart deal
to lease this city-owned parcel
of land at a steeply discounted
price. The site was never opened
to the public until the gallery
owner caught wind that the city
planned to terminate the lease in
order to build affordable housing.
Fast forward to today, our city is
struggling to house residents as
our population rapidly expands.
This housing shortage allows
landlords to drive up rent prices
which displaces low-income
New Yorkers, especially older
adults who are living on a fi xed
income,” Chin said. “The need for
more housing is a pressing issue
not just for newcomers, but for
New Yorkers who are priced out
of their homes entirely.”
Additionally, the city’s Department
of Housing Preservation and
Development states that seniors in
the Special Little Italy district are
the targeted group for this new
affordable housing project, since
they have been most affected by
the real estate crisis. They claim
that they have collaborated with
the Haven Green Developers and
the owner of neighboring affordable
housing development Little
Italy Restoration Apartments
(LIRA) to expand a portion of
their courtyard.
“We have worked diligently to
strike a balance between the need
for low-cost housing for seniors
with maintaining New York’s
vibrant open spaces, which is why
we recently negotiated with the
neighboring site to nearly double
the planned public space for the
community while also creating
affordable housing for the seniors
who need it most.”
It’s alive! East Village’s Halloween Adventure has reopened
BY DEAN MOSES
Halloween Adventure in
the East Village arisen
from the grave, but will
it last forever?
When it was announced in January
that the beloved, longstanding
Halloween Adventure, at 808
Broadway and 104-110 Fourth
Ave., would be closing its doors
for good, customers mourned the
loss as another artistic business
that fell victim to the economic
crisis induced by the COVID-19
pandemic.
However, thanks to aid from a
community gift card charity drive
and additional funding backed by
their former owners, the 40-yearold
spooktacular shop re-opened
its doors to the public on Sept.
15 — at least for this season.
“We are here and back in action.
We are ready to make your
imagination come true,” said
Stitch Azintime, the manager at
Halloween Adventure.
Azintime, as well as other
staff shared their enthusiasm to
welcome back customers, and
are hoping the store stays open
indefi nitely, yet that will depend
on their Halloween and Holliday
patronage.
“Hopefully forever, forever if
this Halloween does well then it
will be forever. I think it should
because this is a New York landmark,”
Azintime said, sharing his
excitement to be back in action.
For Ashley Pena, a customer
who returned to Halloween Adventure
says the store was always
a place to visit with friends, to try
on masks, and to just have fun
being creative. It wasn’t until she
decided to prepare for the spooky
season with a costume based on
Cuban singer Celia Cruz that she
realized the store had been closed
down for several months.
“I hope this store stays open,
it’s amazing! The people are super
Luna helps customers find their perfect costume.
nice in here,” Pena exclaimed,
remembering all of the memories
she had exploring the shop. “I love
this place. It’s for everyone.”
Joe Guardino was disappointed
when he learned of the closing
but was greatly surprised when
he discovered it had once again
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
re-opened its doors. He was excited
to take his young son, Logan,
to shop for his Halloween costume
— Miles Morales from the Spiderman:
Into the Spider-verse.
“It’s such a cool store. It’s not
like your typical costume store,
it’s got so much more. This is just
a one-of-a-kind store,” Guardino
said, advocating for more people
to stop by and show Halloween
Adventure their support.
Pet costumes, kids’ fairytale
outfi ts, adult fantasy wear, stage
props, and gag paraphernalia
fi lls the business with a quirky
atmosphere that fosters all aspects
of your imagination, which many
New Yorkers feel gives it a vibe
unlike any other.
“It’s amazing to be back. It’s
defi nitely a good feeling because
this is our other home and it’s a
place in the city for people to fi nd
costumes and to make themselves
be a different person and dress up
in everyday life when they need
to for clubs, events, and parties.
There is no other place like this,”
Azintime said.
Halloween Adventure is open
Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.,
and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m.
Additional reporting by
Amanda Moses
Scchnepss Mediia Septtemberr 30,, 2021 3