A last visit to Raul Candy Store
Photos by Stacie JoyFriends and family gathered yesterday at Raul Candy Store, which wrapped up 43 years in business as I first reported.Raul opened in 1976. The shop has been at No. 205 between 12th Street and 13th Street since 1981.Owner Raul Santiago, 75, and his wife Petra Olivieri, 70, decided to retire.EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by in the afternoon, where she notes there was a sad yet festive mood inside the shop. Raul and Petra’s children came down from Massachusetts to help close up the shop. They gave away the last bags of free candy to a group of kids while Stacie was there taking pictures. Several news outlets stopped by, including NY1 Noticias ……and some more scenes from the shop’s last day…Friends and neighbors had offered to raise money to cover rent for a year, but Raul and Petra declined, as they said “it’s time to go.”