Penguin. Snow drifts. Christmas Tree.
Luis, the resident artist at Carolina’s Laundry, painted holiday scenes on the window the freakishly balmy Saturday before Christmas. He painted the 9-11 memorial mural that was there for years and the sign hanging inside, there for 20 years, since the opening of the establishment.
Carolina’s been closed for more than 18 months. There was a fire in the 4-story building. The Laundromat takes up the ground floor, the other sections are residential units. They are still unoccupied, the residents remain displaced. That’s where the fire started and was mostly contained; Carolina’s was relatively unscathed. None of the equipment was damaged.
Merna, one of the sunniest folks in the neighborhood, also owns and operates the bodega on Newark & Varick, a block away. She’ll improve anyone’s day just by saying hi (her preferred greeting is how ya doin). She named the Laundromat after her daughter, who just finished college but was still doing shifts at both family businesses.
Family business are the lifeblood of a neighborhood. Residents here are lucky to have this one back, fresh holiday imagery decorating the corner.
No comments:
Post a Comment