You had to wonder on opening day. A stationery store without any stationery? But was it more of what its colorful sign said: A stationary head shop with goals that didn’t match its agreement with Shops On Main?
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Since a closing, years before, Roosevelt Islanders yearned for a new stationery store, but realistically, it was a pipe dream. In a digital age, stationery stores faded faster than the first cherry blossoms.
Only a few survived in all of Manhattan and some misguided retailer would outfit one in our tiny community…? Really?
So, when the sign went up, we were surprised. And intrigued.
A Stationary Head Shop
I missed the glaring error.
But others did not and had a lot of fun with it on social. The “ISLAND STATIONARY” either wasn’t what it promised or someone misspelled their own business. “Stationary” is about staying put, not envelopes and greeting cards.
But that was okay in an ironic way because they didn’t have any stationery or greeting cards either.
I walked in and asked about it. The clerk mumbled like a politician caught with a wad of marked bills in his pocket.
And one cigarette-smoking friend griped that they didn’t have tobacco either.
A year later, after hearing rumors of an eviction, I asked at the store. Never heard about that, the clerk said.
So, I checked in with Hudson-Related, which manages Shops On Main.
“We leased the space for the use of a first-class stationery and greeting card store selling small gifts and electronics typical of a Hallmark-style retail store,” a representative told me. “The tenant then proceeded to open the store to what it is today…”
At a Stalemate
As for the eviction efforts…
“After numerous court dates, the tenant has agreed to remove items we find offensive and operate as agreed upon,” a Shops On Main representative said. “We hope that they comply with the agreement and will hold them accountable.”
To be continued…
A quick survey about Main Street…
