What Economy Candy looked like in the 1980s

Sweets emporium Economy Candy, a beloved time machine of a candy store, got its start on Rivington Street in the 1930s (hence the very Depression-friendly name).

Today the shop has one of New York’s most recognizable old-school signs (above), and its maze of candy bins and shelves of nostalgia brands draw big crowds on weekends—a testament to its reputation as well as the Lower East Side’s revival.

But things at 108 Rivington looked very different in the 1980s, when this NYC Department of Records photo was taken.  (Click the thumbnail to see it larger.)

How it looked inside, I have no idea. But outside are boarded-up upper windows, graffiti near the facade—and a sign noting Israeli specialties and Halvah, reflecting the tastes of the neighborhood 30-plus years ago.

A couple of clubs on the Bowery in 1983

About a hundred years before this ad ran in the East Village Eye, 261 Bowery was the decades-long home of Mike Lyons Restaurant.

It was a refuge for politicians, musicians, raconteurs, and other characters who populated the Bowery’s dance-hall heyday.

In 1983, it housed the Buskers Club, a short-lived rock venue.

A little bit north at no. 315 was CBGB’s. This New Wave-y ad also comes from a 1983 East Village Eye.

Does anyone know what happened to Unknown Gender—and Huge Killer Ship and Wild Wild West, for that matter?

Lower East Side loft! $1150/month!

The rent for these big duplex lofts (Spiral staircase! Full kitchen!) sounds pretty cheap today.

But in July 1984, when this ad ran in the East Village Eye, wouldn’t $1150 and $1300 a month be kind of on the pricey side?

I wonder what the location was and if these apartments still exist—or if they’ve been boutique-hotelized.