Thief Clips Candy Store Bottle Opener ~ Yorkville's Police Blotter

“What are you doing?” Nan asked.

“Nothing,” I answered and kept rummaging through my grandmother’s kitchen drawer.

“What the hell are you looking for?”

“Aaah, a screwdriver.”

“Why?”

“Fix my skates.”

“Skates don’t have screws, they have nuts!”

“Thanks,” I said, found the item and ran out of the apartment with the wooden handle tool.

Downstairs I walked south on York Avenue to the corner of 83^rd Street and turned down the block stopping at a vacant store at 501. Looking around carefully, I approached the doorway and started working on two large screws deeply sunk into the wood on the side panel. Once the screws were in my pocket I shook the metal bottle opener away from a dozen coats of paint trapping it to the wall. Once off, I rubbed the wood underneath probably installed before 1920.

Joe forgot or didn’t care to take his Coca~Cola bottle opener when he moved his Candy Store around the corner to York Avenue between 83^rd & 84^th Street the week before in 1965. I was making sure the item had a good home in my room.  That bottle opener is pictured here along with a photo of the 501 East 83^rd Street store front, along with a photo of Billy Majorssey and me with a 12 ounce Pepsi bottle.

TONIGHT ~ TUESDAY, JANUARY 24th @ Word Up! bookshop:

No Name @ WORD UP!
The evening will conclude with an open mic portion where you can share YOUR work!
ERIC VETTER is the MC~ THOMAS PRYOR, JON SAVOY, ONI PEREZ, & more, and YOU-- the reading concludes with Open Stage!

When- TUESDAY, JANUARY 24th
Where- WORD UP! bookshop
4157 BROADWAY (between 175th St & 176th St)

Showtime- 7:00 pm
Admission- FREE!!