A hawk at 670 West End Avenue. Photo by anonymous hawk-watcher.
October 16, 2017 Weather: Cloudy with a high of 62 degrees.
Notices:
Special film previews at the JCC and more local events are on our calendar.
The Center at West Park, a nonprofit that is helping restore West-Park Presbyterian Church on 86th and Amsterdam and puts on arts shows, is holding a Glitz & Grit benefit Tuesday night. Food, cocktails and performances.
News:
The new Face Values & Beyond store on 90th and Broadway got mixed reviews from Walter Loeb, a retail reporter who liked the selection but not the service. He found some “great small appliances” but thought the “training of the associates was abominable.” The reporter thinks the store’s decision to sell milk is helping depress prices in the area: “Near the check-out area is some fresh milk, juices and yogurt. Since it sells out too quickly, there are big gaps. In the meantime, it woke up a nearby food store called Barzini’s to reduce their milk prices after charging too much.”
Seniors at one apartment building on 61st Street say that bedbugs are feasting on them, and management won’t do anything about it. “The parasites have been found in several apartments, as well as the laundry room of the 119-unit apartment at 315 W. 61st St., a rent-subsidized building constructed in 2007 that is restricted to those at least 62 years old, tenants said.”
New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast mostly lives in Connecticut, but owns a small place on the UWS where she spends a lot of time. “Ms. Chast in person is exactly what you’d expect from her cartoons: a little neurotic, a lot New Yorky, openly phobic, smallish, with chunky glasses and a Brooklyn accent that could probably be traced to a single census tract in Flatbush. She loves the suburbs, she hates the suburbs, she loves the crowded city where you can be alone, and the Upper West Side, where the schleppy old guys of old have given way to the schleppy old guys of now.”
Twelve firefighters were honored at the FDNY’s Memorial Day in Riverside Park last week. “Firefighters say, sadly, they expect the list of names read each year will continue to grow as a result of 9/11-related illnesses.”
Democrat Marc Fliedner is running a write-in campaign for District Attorney against Cy Vance, whose decisions on cases involving Harvey Weinstein and the Trump children have come into question in recent days.
Meanwhile, Harvey Weinstein’s brother Bob Weinstein has reportedly made a deal to sell a UWS brownstone that was asking $18 million. “Bob Weinstein, brother of disgraced media mogul Harvey, had originally been asking $19 million for his five-story, 6,608-square-foot home at 39 West 70th Street when it went on the market in February. He bought the five-bedroom, five-bath home in May 2009 for $15 million and undertook an extensive renovation. The townhouse went into contract last week with an asking price of $17.9 million, the second-priciest of the week.”
Face Values is so out of character for our neighborhood and with a Duane Reade already up the block, I see no need for it. I have already vowed never to set foot in it. I am not surprised about the service: Bed Bath & Beyond, the parent company, has equally horrid service. Another depressing example of corporate colonialism in our backyard. Long live Barzini’s! With supermarkets closing (including the one that used to occupy the Face Values space, we need them more than ever.
Face Values is wonderful. It is so much cheaper than Duane Reade. Service was great each time I went into the store.
In regard to the comment from Walter Loeb, the same could be said for 99% of employees at retail stores from 90th to 60th. Specifically (in my experience) those employees at Duane Reade, Lowes, and Banana Republic/GAP.
“He found some “great small appliances” but thought the “training of the associates was abominable.”
I like the new Face Values store because I mostly buy shampoo type products, and their prices are amazing, as they are at the Bed, Bath and Beyond on 65th street. I also found the employees helpful and friendly.
it’s very depressing to walk in there and think about how another supermarket could have opened up in the space (which is sorely needed). Barzini’s often sells old produce, has terrible lines for checkout and is a poor store to be the only supermarket on broadway (although their cheese dept. is pretty good). The space at 90th street had been occupied by a supermarket for over 40 years. That notwithstanding, the BB&B part of it (the basement) is extremely limited and wastes space like crazy, but has at least a sampling of what you might need for your home. N.B. they have free coffee downstairs. Madeline, you may want to revisit your “never.” 🙂 The upstairs looks more like a trad. Harmon Values, freshly done. Some of their prices for home products, travel products, etc. are good. Didn’t know they sell milk, good to know. But how a store can make money in that huge space selling mostly shampoo and cosmetics? It is beyond me.
Agree about Barzini’s. Rarely go there now because they change the “sell by” dates on many of the things they sell.
If this is true, you can file a complaint with either NYC or NYS (certain supermarkets are regulated by state rather than local laws), who will investigate and take appropriate action if necessary.
For the record this place would hardly be alone in selling expired goods. Gristedes and a few other NY supermarket chains have been known for ages to sell expired goods.
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/nyregion/westchester/15foodwe.html
My mother taught all her children how to shop, and rule number one is to check sell by dates.
Next was always to take things from the back of row because stock boys move “stale” merchandise forward and put the fresh stuff in back. Sadly for stores with rodent issues the more undisturbed rear of shelves is often were you find things that have been nibbled upon. So there is quite a range there. *LOL*
The Face Values store is an odd duck…but not horrid (however soulless).
It has a lot of the items I used to get at Food Emporium – detergent, shampoo, etc. that can certainly be purchased at Duane Reade, bodega or the hardware store – but the prices are much better at FV.
We checked out Face Values and found the employees friendly and helpful. Even when they didn’t have the answer to the question, they went and found someone who did. That’s all I’m looking for. The merchandise is an interesting mix, and I think I’ll end up in there more than I originally thought I would.
I have had only good experiences at Face Values. I’ve shopped there several times and the staff was always knowledgeable and helpful, and the prices are good. I found some items I had been looking for in vain in other stores.
I found the main floor of Face Values to be kind of a mix of Duane Reade (vibes of DR pseudo-upscale section) and Rickys (some obscure interesting brands) with a dash of Sephora (due to the nail polish display, albeit mostly drugstore brands). There also is the biggest travel-size section I have ever seen, which is quite useful even for non-travel, since most of the products otherwise are sold in giant bottles/tubes, and who needs 6 months worth of shampoo in 1 bottle. The basement level (appliances, bedding, containers, etc.) was kind of random – cross of Bed Bath and Beyond but with a bit of dollar-store vibe, due to the seeming pointlessness. Prices seemed reasonable. Did not even notice the milk case. Though did not strike me as a dash-in-for-milk kind of place — the checkout line moved quite slowly. Overall I am happy to see it in the neighborhood — better than an empty storefront and an interesting variety of mostly-useful merchandise.
If you don’t already know, you can use Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons at Face Values.
The Cy Vance story seems more important than Face Values. I am annoyed he let the Trumps and Weinstein off the hook (and, BTW, bungled the DSK prosecution) and decided not to vote for anybody, since he is running unopposed. Who is Marc Fliedner? Maybe I’ll do my first ever write-in.
“Near the check-out area is some fresh milk, juices and yogurt. . . it woke up a nearby food store called Barzini’s to reduce their milk prices after charging too much.” Isn’t that exactly what the free market is supposed to do? To force competitors to, wait for it, compete! Good for them.
Went into Face Values because I made a special trip to Murray’s Sturgeon. Was so confused by the store, just didn’t seem to have a focus. Other customers seemed like tourists in search of umbrellas for the rainy day. I walked out in two minutes. Will be surprised if it lasts.
I am sorry that we are missing a decent grocery store in this area. I have stopped shopping at Barzini’s after too many experiences of rancid packaged good that have been sitting too long on the shelf. The 86th Street Gristedes is only entered under extreme circumstances. The new Face Values store does not address any of these issues but has decent stock of cleaning supplies and I do like having a mini BB&B downstairs,