People
Old-time Orchard St. lives on in suit seller
PHOTO BY ETHAN STARK-MILLER
Sammy Gluck, holding a photo of his father, in
his Orchard St. menswear store. Gluck’s father
founded the store in 1970.
remained open on Sundays when blue laws prevented
most businesses throughout the city from opening on
the Christian Sabbath.
Tim Laughlin, president of the Lower East Side Partnership
business improvement district, said the repeal
of the blue laws and the advent of Internet shopping
have caused a signifi cant drop of foot traffi c in the area.
Laughlin, 35, said that legacy merchants like Gluck now
face challenging times.
Lower East Side business conditions are constrained
because there are a lot of low-level buildings, there isn’t
a critical mass of residents, “and there aren’t a lot of daytime
uses here that are attracting folks to come to the
neighborhood,” Laughlin said.
Gluck agrees that reduced foot traffi c has made conditions
more challenging, noting the signifi cant drop-off
in the number of customers he gets each day.
“You don’t know,” Gluck said, “one day slow, one
day busy.”
The news site The Lo Down reported in late 2017
that Gluck had posted a “for rent” sign on his front window.
The haberdasher said he was considering renting
the space but decided to stay in business for the immediate
future.
His friend Sammy Goldman, 45, said Gluck makes
a good income from the other real estate he owns, and
keeps the store open because of his familial and community
connections.
“He’s so in love with the people from Orchard St.,”
Goldman said.
Jamel Oeser-Sweat, 42, one of Gluck’s customers, is
impressed with Gluck’s old-world sales approach.
“He’s a hard-working guy,” Oeser-Sweat said, “and
his dedication to making things happen is a lost art.”
Gluck admitted that he stays in business because he
still loves going out and talking to people on the street
and taking care of his customers.
“Main thing is that you show them a personal feeling,”
Gluck said.
“It’s all about connecting to people.”
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BY ETHAN STARK-MILLER
As soon as a customer walks into Global International
Menswear, before he even has time to notice
the fl uorescent lighting and suit-lined walls,
Samuel “Sammy” Gluck greets them with a warm smile
and a handshake.
Gluck, 65, has sold suits on the Lower East Side for 35
years, since the days when people fl ocked to the famed
enclave for discounted goods and one-on-one customer
service. But now the neighborhood is populated by
trendy bars and art galleries, and old Jewish merchants
like Gluck are a rarity.
Gluck inherited the store from his father, Isaac Gluck,
who fi rst opened for business in 1970. Gluck said that, in
its heyday, Global International Menswear was a threefl
oor mini-department store that was always busy.
“We had lines on the street to come into the store,”
Gluck said.
But, he said, the Lower East Side has experienced signifi
cantly less foot traffi c in recent years, which caused
many fellow merchants to leave the neighborhood or go
out of business.
The reduced foot traffi c also has led to a drop in the
number of his own customers. Gluck said that he has
outlasted other mom-and-pop stores because he owns
his building and because he still loves selling suits on
Orchard St.
When Gluck’s store opened, Orchard St. was populated
by Jewish merchants who peddled designer fabrics
for discounted prices. In addition, Jewish-owned stores
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November 1 Schneps Community News Group DEX 5 - November 28, 2018 11