Ray's Candy Store

It is operated by Ray Alvarez and serves an eclectic mix of foods, including egg creams, soft serve ice cream, frozen yogurt, New Orleans style beignets, Belgian fries, and coffee.[2] The store has been featured in several books, films, and television shows. It's also become famous for its annual Birthday Burlesque Extravaganza, an invite-only surprise birthday party held in honor of the proprietor.

Alvarez was born on January 1, 1933 in Iran and moved to New York in 1964, where he worked for another decade as a dishwasher in New York until he paid $30,000 for the candy store in 1974.

On the notorious night of August 6, 1988, while the police battled protesters in what came to be known as the Tompkins Square Park Riot, Ray's Candy Store remained open, per Ray, "because all the combatants were his customers."[3]

On the morning of June 19, 1992, anti-crime activist, founder and CEO of the Guardian Angels, and radio talk show host and media personality, Curtis Sliwa, was kidnapped and shot by two gunmen after entering a stolen taxi outside Ray's Candy Store.[4]

In early 2010, Ray's Candy Store fell behind on its rent and faced eviction by its landlord. The business was the subject of much press as a result.[3][5][6] In a broad show of support, friends, neighbors, customers, and other community members quickly rushed to Ray's aid, hosting various fundraisers and starting a social media campaign meant to boost the beloved business's profile.[7][8]

In July 2011, after a decades-long process, proprietor Ray, whose real name is Asghar Ghahraman, became a naturalized U.S. citizen at a ceremony held at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan. Years earlier, he had jumped ship from the Iranian Navy, but anxiety about his status as an illegal immigrant led him to adopt a new identity in his new home — as a Puerto Rican named Ray Alvarez.[9] Asghar-turned-Ray eventually received amnesty under President Reagan — but, in a twist of fate, his green card was mailed to the wrong address, and he remained stuck in legal limbo. Without proper documentation, he faced an uphill road to naturalization. With the help of friends who assisted him with paperwork, Ray, 78 at the time, was finally able to qualify to become an American.[10]

New York photographer Robert "Bob" Arihood often staked out a spot in front of Ray's Candy store taking pictures of the comings and going around the store and often portrayed Ray and his store on his blog, Neither more nor less. After Arihood's death in October of 2011, he was temporarily memorialized on the sign of Ray's Candy Store.[11]

In August 2015, Ray's Candy Store was selected as the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation's "Business of the Month."[12]

In November 2016, Ray's Candy Store won "Best Restaurant" in the East Village in the inaugural Time Out New York Love New York Awards.[13]

In 2020, Ray's Candy Store was awarded a "Village Award" by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. The awards recognize those people, places, and organizations that make a significant contribution to the quality of life in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo."[14]

On the evening of August 6, 1988, what became known as the Tompkins Square Park Riot broke out between police and a group of protestors rallying against a recently enacted curfew on the park. Groups of "drug pushers, homeless people and young people known as 'skinheads'" had largely taken over the park. The Alphabet City/East Village neighborhood, in which the park was located, was divided about what, if anything, should be done about it.[15] The local governing body, Manhattan Community Board 3, recommended, and the New York City Parks Department adopted, a 1 a.m. curfew for the previously 24-hour park, in an attempt to bring it under control.[16][17] Ray's Candy Store, located across from the entrance to the park, remained open during the riot that ensued. Ray said he stayed open "because all the combatants were his customers."[3]

On the morning of June 19, 1992, anti-crime activist, founder and CEO of the Guardian Angels, and radio talk show host and media personality, Curtis Sliwa, was kidnapped and shot by two gunmen after entering a stolen taxi outside Ray's Candy Store.[18] The taxi picked up Sliwa near his home in the East Village and a gunman hiding in the front passenger seat jumped up and fired several shots, hitting him in the groin and legs. The kidnapping was apparently foiled when Sliwa leapt from the front window of the moving cab and escaped. Sliwa underwent surgery for internal injuries and leg wounds.[19]

Federal prosecutors eventually charged John A. Gotti, the son of Gambino crime family leader John Gotti, with the attempted murder, among a raft of other charges. Prosecutors claimed that Gotti was angered by remarks Sliwa had made about his father on his radio program. However, after three attempts to try him, the last on September 20, 2005, three separate juries were unable to agree to convict Gotti on all of the charges brought against him and the charges were dropped. Jurors later told reporters they did believe he had a role in Sliwa's shooting.[20] Prosecutors declined to re-try Gotti and dismissed the charges against him. Sliwa has said he would seek damages in civil court.[21] Michael Yannotti, a Gotti associate, was also charged with shooting Sliwa in the incident but was acquitted. Yannotti, however, was sentenced to 20 years on an unrelated racketeering charge.[22] Still, Manhattan Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin said evidence suggested Yannotti was the shooter.[23]

Beginning in 2007, some friends and employees of Ray's have thrown him an annual birthday party at the store, typically featuring a lineup of local burlesque dancers. The invite-only surprise party is often chronicled by local media and is cheekily referred to by the store's staff as "THE BEST TRADITION IN NEW YORK CITY™."[24][25]

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  Ray Alvarez, the operator
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  Alvarez showing off his new crepe machine in 2011
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  Outside of Ray's Candy Store

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ray's Candy Store.

• Official website