Nighttime Shopping with the Lulav Vendors of Canal Street [PHOTOS]
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With the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in the proverbial back pocket, it’s on to the next with the feast Sukkot. Meaning, the traditional rush is on to pick up lulav and etrog … if that is your custom.
The old time holdout vendors returned to the fray yesterday, setting up shop at the usual spot near the confluence of Canal, Rutgers, and Essex Streets. There are a total of three tables and one storefront (19 Essex) from which to purchase. Here, they will spend the next few days peddling the “four species.” By last night, it was a relative mob scene, with groups of people grabbing supplies for the holiday.
With the passage of each year, though, the cynic within feels that it’ll likely be the last. However, they continue to return, even as hyper-gentrification has not only mounted the proverbial doorstep, but entered. Yes, Essex Crossing is coming.
For those seeking lulav and etrog, you have until Sunday evening at sundown, when Sukkot officially begins and the unsold stock becomes nearly worthless.