Metro Antiques

Grab a decorator and come and explore Bijan's amazing antique store. Established in 1965, the owners have amassed a significant collection of furniture, lighting, and accessories that span a number of periods in history and come from all over the globe. Browsing here is a real treat, and they have many props available to rent for movies and shows.

There is a short distance of 10th Street that has a plethora of antique shops. I was delighted to be able to meet Gerard, himself, on one visit, as he is known as an icon in this business. Maison Gerard has been around since 1974 and can lay claim to being called New York’s first art deco retail shop.

Since 1986, Bernd Goeckler has been on 10th Street collecting a combination of British and American antique furniture, lighting, mirrors, glassware, silver serving pieces, flatware, frames, and so much more.

Founded in London in 1947 by H. M. Luther, this European furniture company's  New York location has kept to his philosophy of antiques -- “eclecticism” is how gallery director James Harrison describes it. Their stock contains a broad range of English pieces spanning from the 18th century to modern styles. James described what they do as keeping up with the ever-changing current of fashion and taste, while maintaining their own independent sense of style.

The ice cream at Alphabet Scoop is refreshing in more ways than one: Managed by Robbie Vedral, Alphabet Scoop is an extension of Father’s Heart Ministry, which has been focused on empowering the neighborhood youth in the Lower East Side since 2005. Robbie, for his part, has always believed that if you take care of your employees, your employees will take care of you—in this case, those employees just so happen to be high schoolers from the East Village. Under the wishes of his parents, who are still pastors of the church next door, Robbie has taken it upon himself to hold Alphabet Scoop to an uncompromising standard, always ensuring that things are done right. From a background of 25 years in retail, Robbie has found that he can learn from anyone’s mistakes - including his own. He has, in this vein, adjusted the shop’s schedule to keep it open all year; previously it was just a summer stop, but Robbie found that being a seasonal location made it more difficult for customers to anticipate when Alphabet Scoop would be in business. So, now, rather than seasonal hours, Alphabet Scoop boasts seasonal flavors. Pistachio flavor, a summer 2019 special, comes highly recommended by the Manhattan Sideways team. Alphabet Scoop is also constantly experimenting with new flavors suggested to them by customers, so if you’ve been saving up that million-dollar ice cream flavor idea, Alphabet Scoop might just be the place to make it a reality. The “sweet n’ salty” flavor is proof of the potential here, as it was suggested by one of the shop’s  younger customers. While the spritely New Yorkers that work in the shop are paid for their work, Alphabet Scoop is also a non-profit. The mission, transparently, is as stated on the walls: “Justice & Sprinkles for all. ” The kids, typically between the ages of 14 and 16, learn all aspects of the business, from hands on skills such as making ice cream to managerial skills like taking inventory. The goal of Alphabet Scoop is to encourage maximum involvement from its employees, so they are invited to help make decisions about the business. Robbie told us a story of a young woman, for example, who has worked in the shop for close to two years, and who was initially quite difficult to work with - but with patience and persistence from Robbie and other employees, the young woman grew to better understand the mission of Alphabet Scoop, and now even has keys to the shop. Robbie’s work at Alphabet Scoop shows the importance of creating strong foundations for young people, as well as how truly influential small businesses can be in their communities. Stop by the shop - any time of year - to help Robbie make his impact.