Second Childhood
On Bleecker Street, there was a deep and narrow shop filled with collectible vintage toys. I remember entire armies of cast-iron men pouring over miniature war-torn hillsides, tin dirigibles and airplanes with spinning propellers, painted hobby horses, carousels, model trains. It was a wonder. But when I walked by yesterday it all was gone, a FOR RENT sign on the front.
In the window I saw the pale, boyish face of Van Dexter, the man who presided over the shop for the past 39 years. I waved to him and he invited me inside. In his late 80s, Mr. Dexter may be hard of hearing, but his skin is smooth, almost translucent, and his eyes are sharp. He stood in the ruins of his once-packed shop, now stripped bare, all the toys taken by a single buyer. He is putting his beloved carousel horses up for auction. "I hate to see them go, most of all," he told me. He won't open another shop, though, and hopes to get back into acting.
He gave me a souvenir pen that doesn't write unless "you lick it or light the end with a match." He licked the ballpoint to demonstrate and handed me a card. On it, I noted the scandalous rent increase that has pushed him out of his neighborhood: It's going from $7,000 a month to $15,000. When he first moved in, back in 1969, he was paying $150.
In the window I saw the pale, boyish face of Van Dexter, the man who presided over the shop for the past 39 years. I waved to him and he invited me inside. In his late 80s, Mr. Dexter may be hard of hearing, but his skin is smooth, almost translucent, and his eyes are sharp. He stood in the ruins of his once-packed shop, now stripped bare, all the toys taken by a single buyer. He is putting his beloved carousel horses up for auction. "I hate to see them go, most of all," he told me. He won't open another shop, though, and hopes to get back into acting.
He gave me a souvenir pen that doesn't write unless "you lick it or light the end with a match." He licked the ballpoint to demonstrate and handed me a card. On it, I noted the scandalous rent increase that has pushed him out of his neighborhood: It's going from $7,000 a month to $15,000. When he first moved in, back in 1969, he was paying $150.
i really loved that shop and will miss it and Mr. Dexter.
ReplyDelete*fingers crossed for another Pinkberry!*
as a resident of the west village, i've always made monthly visits to second childhood and was proud of its existence in a neighborhood becoming ever more devoid of charm and character. I am deeply depressed that it's gone!! what's the village without a toystore?
ReplyDeleteNice piece! I’m the person who took the FLICKR set. I knew the closing was happening, thus I went down and bought some stuff and took some pictures since despite the place being around for nearly 40-years there isn’t much in the way of photo documentation of this great place.
ReplyDeleteTo also add some perspective, I discovered the place in the 1970s when he sold Japanese toys right alongside the antique toys. He really loved them as well, and he was a great seller because he didn’t gouge kids with some increased “import” price; his prices were fair and affordable if you could save up your allowance.
I always walked past and went inside when I had the time. Grover Van Dexter was always friendly and was the only man in his 80s I knew who could talk about vintage Microman figures and Transformers. But I was always afraid that I’d pass by and the place was closed without warning. When I passed by a few weeks ago I saw a ”Show Cases For Sale!” sign and knew something was up. Happily when I went inside he was still there—and not ill or worse—and he and his assistants explained the rent & health scenario.
While I was there, I reminisced with Van about the Japanese toy she sold in the 1970s and lo & behold he actually still had 3 mint-in-box Japanese toys that he held onto from the 1970s and he sold all three to me directly. These are quite possibly the most special things I own now because I literally remember seeing these in his great display cases back when I was a 9-/10-year-old kid and the same person in the same store sold them to me as an adult.
Oh, and FWIW he plays a lawyer in an episode of Car 54 that somewhat ironically has this plot. “Toody and Muldoon have to evict a sweet old lady from her apartment building to make room for the new approach to the George Washington bridge.” And he’s a lawyer working with the city to try and get her out!
Oh, the title of that Car 54 episode is: “I Won’t Go”
ReplyDeleteAnd Molly Picon (famous actress of Yiddish film and theater) played the stubborn lady who would not move.
ReplyDeleteMy heart sank last night as well (March 23rd) when I walked past the For Rent sign in this this lovely shop window. I make vintage charm bracelets & frequently stopped in here to chat with Mr. Dexter & purchase (at his great, reasonable prices) goofy charms & miniatures. What a lovely man. The NYC I love & cherish is vanishing...not sure what to do about this...
ReplyDeleteuWell written moving piece. Well done Jeremiah....
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite stores to just go in and browse. A little fire breathing Godzilla I got about 30 years ago still works;-) What a treat to see the Flicker set on this place after adding something to your Vanishing NYC Flicker pool.
ReplyDelete