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St. Mark's Historic Landmark Fund/Neighborhood Preservation Center

Several extraordinary non-profit organizations are housed in the historic former Ernest Flagg Rectory of St. Mark's Church In-the-Bowery. The church has consistently been surrounded by a mix of good people, determined to preserve this 1799 structure and all that it represents to those in the East Village and surrounding areas. Back in the late 1960's, community members created an organization called the Preservation Youth Project to address issues surrounding the changing environment in the neighborhood. The Project worked to provide a safety net for children by developing both a playground and a training program to help young people acquire the skills necessary for employment by involving them in projects in and around the church. After a devastating fire that nearly destroyed the church in the 1970's, another group came together to create what was ultimately known as the Landmark Fund. Today, this fund not only supports and maintains the church, but also continues work on the restoration of this historic building that houses all of these groups. In the 1980's yet another fire broke out at the church, this time bringing others together to form the Neighborhood Preservation Center. Those in this organization are committed to "aiding and encouraging citizen participation in the improvement of New York's diverse neighborhoods and cultural heritage." In addition to these three non-profits dedicated to St. Marks, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation also resides here. It is the perfect location for an organization that was founded in 1980 in the hopes of preserving the "architectural heritage and cultural history of the Village."

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Lost Gem
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Alphabet Scoop

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.