A Harlem flower shop known for catering to the romantic bliss of its high-profile clientele was the scene of a stabbing yesterday when a man became enraged at facing a former love that had shriveled up. 33-year-old Jimmy Martinez spotted his former lover and her new flame outside Pollen Nation on East 125th Street. Martinez came at the pair wielding scissors and, according to the News, dragged his ex inside, locking the door of the store that provided arrangements for Jay-Z and Beyonce's wedding. Inside the shop, Martinez began beating the woman and said to the florist working, "You're gonna have to die — because you're gonna watch me kill her." Witnesses then saw Martinez bust out of Pollen Nation's back door chasing after the new stamen in her life, where the pair of men hopped over a barbed-wire fence and ran through the back door of a nearby apartment. Police eventually caught up with Martinez and arrested him on assault charges, telling the News, "We just followed the trail of blood." more ›

With alternative ways of filling up vacant retail space, and a Free Store popping up in the Financial District, recessionary times are upon us. Habeas Lounge is one more storefront statement, which has been opened for around a month now and will run through May 1st. Located in an old flower shop at One New York Plaza (concourse level), artist Linda Pollack uses her space as a parlor, "designed to bring people together informally, literally face-to-face on a red serpentine-shaped couch, in a modern forum for civic dialogue. The artist orchestrates a constellation of activities, informal talks, gatherings and events that spark dialogue among the diverse people gathered on lunch and coffee breaks during a typical working day." more ›