The Paper of Record for Greenwich Village, East Village, Lower East Side, Soho, Union Square, Chinatown and Noho, Since 1933
November 28, 2013 • $1.00 Volume 83 • Number 26
Illegal hotel operator is gone — but so are rent-regulated units BY SAM SPOKONY PHOTO BY SAM SPOKONY
A great new space to create Renzo Ortega was one of 150 Hunter College art students who welcomed visitors into their new Tribeca studios Nov. 25 after a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The second through fourth floors of 205 Hudson St. now house Hunter’s M.F.A. studio art program.
Typewriter repairman’s job was punctuated by changes BY HEATHER DUBIN
A
sad note to typewriter aficionados: The final period is about to be struck on a longrunning romance story — about typewriters. After 28 years in the business, Bino Gan, owner of Typewriters ’N Things in the West Village, is clos-
ing up shop. Gan and his wife, Nita, who also sell office supplies and stationery, will bid their loyal customers a final farewell on Dec. 31. In an interview last week, Bino Gan spoke about his career, the rise and fall of the typewriter, and the couple’s impending retirement. Originally from Manila, in the Philippines, Gan arrived in New
York in 1976, and started working at his brother’s store in the family business — typewriters. His brother, who owned a store for 20 years in Midtown, taught Gan the trade. In 1985, Gan branched out with his sister, and they purchased a typewriter business together, which ASDF, continued on p. 4
E
ven though one of the city’s illegal hotel kingpins has now been shut down, housing advocates say that the resulting loss of rent-stabilized apartments is still a major problem. A year after the city filed a lawsuit against Smart
Apartments — also known as Hotel Toshi — for violating a state law that bans tourist rentals of less than 30 days in residential apartments, Mayor Bloomberg announced on Nov. 19 that a settlement had been reached. Smart Apartments will pay a $1 million penalty to REGULATION, continued on p. 9
East Villagers map out a plan to keep chain stores in check BY GERARD FLYNN
R
ecently at a meeting of the East Village Community Coalition, about 20 local residents and merchants gathered to share their views on the impact that the influx of so-called “formula retail” stores is having on their lives and on
their neighborhood. Chain stores like the Gap or 7-Eleven — the latter which brought demonstrations recently when it opened on Avenue A at 11th St. — were the focus of much of the evening’s discussion. Yet, while the talk was indignant in some FORMULA, continued on p. 5
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