There are not a lot of original Art Deco facades left uptown especially since Lenox Lounge was defaced recently and now one of the other last vestiges of that era has disappeared a bit further north. We always stopped to check out the storefront of the Olympia Florist when ever getting out of the 157th Street 1 Station on Broadway but now that shop has shuttered. A Planet Fitness has located itself upstairs so the rent increased were probably too much for the small business. Let's just hope whoever arrives next can figure out a way to maybe incorporate this old piece of history into their new store design.
I adored this florist when I first moved to the neighborhood about two years ago! I bought fresh flowers every fortnight and the staff working were always so lovely. Broke my heart when it closed. I am pleased there's a gym so close to my home now, but I don't know if it's worth losing small businesses like these.
ReplyDeleteThat florist was owned by the same husband & wife team from way back when Freddie Prinze (of Chico & the Man fame) lived on West 157th Street. I know the husband's health was declining a few years ago and whenever I stopped in for plants & such you could see the strain & fatigue of illness on his face.
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