May 21, 2011

Well, if this guy is right, this may be the last MAD post, so I thought I’d go right back to the place where I started: Ray’s Candy Store in the East Village. Last week Ray got fucked over fined and shut down by the DOH, over and over again. You can read about it over at Bob Arihood’s great blog, Neither More Nor Less. Here’s the story as it broke and just like when you tip your masseuse enough, there was a happy ending. Great reporting and photos by Bob! Ray’s is open again, hooRAY!

Let’s go congratulate Ray!

Here we are in the East Village, just a few blocks and we'll be there.

Wow, check it out, they're screening a Charlie Chaplin movie on this building!

Very cool! But we have to get to Ray's, let's go!

There's Ray's, straight ahead and it looks like the lights are on.

To quote EV Grieve, YES! Ray's is open again!

A glance in the window confirms things are operational at Ray's again.

Love trumps the DOH any old day of the week.

Let's go inside and see what's shaking.

I got a vanilla milkshake and here's Amy making it.

And here she is serving it up and showing her cool grilled cheese painting that's in the front window. Nice!

And here's the man himself, Ray! He manages a smile, even though he has a shitload of fines from the DOH. Stop by and help him out if you can. Tipping is allowed at Ray's and will help him stay open.

Great pull quote on the wall, sorry about the fuzzy photo!

Two free toppings!

These people were in town all the way from Texas and came by to support Ray's, very cool indeed!

Obligatory Ray's mirror shot!

To Ray's! The best candy store in NYC and the world! Stop by and help him stay open. And fuck the DOH. If you're afraid of a little dust in your hotdog you shouldn't be eating in New York City.

Ha! Deja vu on the way home. Usually I'd say, "Goodnight and see you tomorrow after dark," but considering the outlook for today, I'll just say, "I'll see you in hell, later tonight!"

While there was a happy ending to this tale, Ray’s troubles aren’t over. Now he’s socked with thousands of dollars of fines and he was out of business for several days. If you live in the city stop by and buy something from Ray and if you can, leave him a decent tip. If you don’t live in New York you can still help out by visiting Ray’s online store and buy a product emblazoned with the Ray logo! Let’s help keep this man in business!

Ray's Candy Store
113 Ave. A (Near 7th St.)

Further reading: EV Grieve, Neither More Nor Less, Grub Street and Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York.

You might also like: Candy Corn, Candy Canes and Candy Darling.

Four Other Rays
Ray Charles
Ray Davies
Margaret Ray
Raymond J. Johnson (You can call him Ray.)

Candy says I hate the big decisions,
That cause endless revisions in my mind.

ARCHIVES

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

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Bonus Section!

Rapture T-Shirt by “Boris!”

Resident MAD artist, “Boris” has designed a special t-shirt for today’s special Rapture moment. Order one and show everybody that you survived Judgement Day! And if the shit really does go down? Well, order one anyway and put it on a credit card, it’s not like you’re going to have to pay the bill afterwards!  Here’s what “Boris” has to say about it: “Be the First (or Last) in your Neighborhood to wear this (soon to be) Collectible. You can't take it with you, so you might as well buy a T-Shirt. Wear It Like There's No Tomorrow.” This collectible t-shirt is available for a limited time only, so get yours before hell freezes over, it may happen sooner than you think! Check it out and buy one here: Rapture T-Shirt.

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And speaking of Rapture, Gene and Smoopy, two thirds of the BBC (Baltimore Bar Crawlers) are in town and on their way to their 1,967th bar yesterday, they snapped a picture of the kook the man Gene described as, “The end of the world guy.” Yikes, he's almost as scary looking as the Cardboard Box Man!
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And a final cartoon from Jaws. Goodbye everyone! I hope they allow blogs in hell!