Nicole Guzzardi Day of the Dead figurines at La Sirena.
Nicole Guzzardi La Sirena, the Mexican memorabilia shop that got news of a whopping rent hike in July, will live to see another Day of the Dead.
Despite earlier indications that she planned to close her store at 27 East Third Street, Dina Leor now says she won’t give up (or pack up) until she receives written documentation from Tower Brokerage that her rent will increase by 42 percent.
Asked about her future plans, she told The Local, “I don’t know yet because it’s not clear yet what we’re negotiating. They told me 42 percent but I said I want it in writing.” She said she made the request about a month ago.
While she continues to pay rent on a month-by-month basis, Ms. Leor is having merchandise shipped in from Mexican artisans, in hopes that Day of the Dead will mean killer business. “I really need stuff to get sold because I don’t want to move all this when I move, but also I need the money,” she said.
Mano A ManoAny extra income, she said, will go toward the opening of a combination Mexican cultural center and trinket shop in the near future. To contribute to this cause, her friends are helping her put together a Kickstarter campaign, which will be up and running soon, she said.
Ms. Leor isn’t the only one gearing up for Dead of the Dead: Mano A Mano will hold its annual Dia de Muertos festival from Nov. 1 to 4, at St. Mark’s Church on Tenth Street and Second Avenue. This year’s festival will bring Mexican craft and poetry workshops as well as a procession through the Villages, to begin at Union Square at 5 p.m. Nov. 2.
For a schedule of events and more information, head over to Mano A Mano.
