Sunday, May 15, 2011

Italian Harlem Relic to Close



In the Papers

The New York Times profiled Claudio Caponigro's East 116th Street barber shop this week, and it seems that this 60-year-old Italian Harlem relic will be closing very soon.

The Times Writes:
It has become a beloved museum of the old-fashioned barber trade, attracting political leaders, entertainers and underworld bosses who mixed with the neighborhood’s declining corps of Italian men, as well as the generations of Puerto Rican and other Latino men who have displaced them... But now the rental pressures of a gentrifying neighborhood are threatening to close his shop, which along with Rao’s celebrity-packed restaurant, is one of the last relics of Italian East Harlem.

Read the full article here.

Do any of you go to Caludio's for a trim or a shave? Do you know of any other Italian Harlem relics in danger of closing?

Photo Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times

Follow me on Twitter for more East Harlem news @GloriaDawson

3 comments:

  1. I used to walk by it all the time and was tempted to stop in. Suppose I should try and get in before it's closed for good.

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  2. I've been going to Claudio for the last four years. This was a heartbreaking article to read. I really hope they can work something out and give him another few years to keep the store open.

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  3. Let Claudio Stay. Italian Harlem is making a strong come back. With the Feasts, The Stickball events, The Church, Raos, Patsys, etc. New Landlord, don't look at it as just short term money from Rent.. Claudio and his barber shop is an Icon and a big plus to the Neighborhood as a whole. Upping his rent and making him leave would be very foolish. Go in and for a haircut and shave yourself, and you can see for yourself. Rather why don't you start making Claudio's Barber Shop - Italian Harlem T Shirts, and offering them for sale yourself.. That's how well known he is around the globe ! (Not $ value, but HUGE sentimental value).

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