The local media and politicians tried to save Claudio's Barber Shop from shuttering because of an increased rent issue with a new landlord until a compromise had finally been reached. Claudio Caponigro had been at the original East 116th Street location (top photo) since the 1950s but when the rent for the storefront tripled about a year ago, many feared that one of the last vestige East Harlem's Italian heritage might disappear soon. Walking by the block between 1st and 2nd Avenue recently, we noticed that the new shop has definitely opened just a couple of blocks west from the original location. The interior looks similar to the old one since everything switched over to the new space but somehow the character of the facade is lacking in comparison to the original. Read more about Claudio's in our past post:
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Good to see Claudio’s is still in business.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to see that Claudio is still in business. However, the barber shop was owned by our Grandfather "Sally the Barber" The shop was opened in the 1940's by my grandfather and he gave Claudio a job as a barber when he came from Italy. My family gave the shop to Claudio when our grandfather died in May of 1970.
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