While we enjoyed the piece on Pep Gay’s slice of old Dumbo for nostalgic and voyeuristic reasons alone, we were also struck by the contrast in attitude between the Spanish-born make up artist and the South 11th Street colonizers that generated so much discussion last week. Pep’s had a good run–almost a decade renting the 2,500-square-foot space for an initial price of $1,600 a month and recently a good bit more–and is now resigned to the fact that market forces are pushing him out. Instead of suing the landlord, Pep is focusing his energies on building his savings and dealing with the fact that he won’t be able to afford the building or neighborhood he helped colonize.
A Pioneer Knows When to Move on [NY Times]