When Weekend Gothamist was but a wee little 'ist our way home from elementary school meant getting off the bus at St. Marks and 2nd Ave every afternoon. For years we'd get off the bus, if we had one we'd spend a quarter or two at Gem Spa (oh if only we still collected Marvel trading cards), and walk home. And everyday on that walk home we would walk especially quickly past the awning of Love Saves the Day for fear that the sign in its window ("Unattended Children Will Be Sold Into Slavery") was more than just a joke (we're still not sure). It wasn't until we were much older and well passed our Rocky Horror phase that we could even get up the chutzpah to go into the store. But then we finally went in and we loved it as much as we knew we would (and then we loved it even more after the quirkily similar Little Ricky's, on Third and First, closed). So what a bummer it was to read in the Villager that Love Saves the Day, which has been open for nearly forty years and has been on Seventh and Second since 1983 will be closing its current location in January. So why is the shop, best known from that Madonna movie, closing? No surprises here, the rent went from $5000 a month to $15,000 a month, which would be incentive for us to shut up shop too.
There is a silver-lining however. Unlike other recently lost treasures LSD will be coming back, moving into 64 E. Seventh st. (because, you know, Love does in fact Save the Day), but just not until at least October 2006. So you've had your warning. If you want the classic LSD experience, you have from now until the end of the year to get it.
Photograph of a Love Saves the Day window from Rachael Noel's flickr stream.
