165 & 169 Ave C — Loisaida Ave, Manhattan
May 25 to June 30, 2025
Photo credits: Alisha Kim Levin / Van Alen Institute
Due to decades of grassroots organizing, the Lower East Side is home to many Housing Development Fund Corporation cooperatives (HDFCs), a unique type of affordable housing collectively owned and operated by residents. HDFCs often rent their storefronts to small businesses, artists, and nonprofits that serve local needs, nurture creativity, and express culture. Collectively, HDFCs offer a stable model for residents and small businesses facing the threat of displacement.
Offering a glimpse into this vibrant community, Placeholders showcases items from local businesses located in HDFCs in a site-specific installation created by local artist Delphine Le Goff. Items include a camera from Fourth Street Photo Gallery, the city’s oldest Black-owned photography studio; a hand-painted mortar and pestle from Puerto Rican restaurant Casa Adela; and handmade Mexican folk art from La Sirena. The exhibition was supplemented by a newspaper including a map of local businesses.
Cooper Square Committee co-created Placeholders with Scott Kelly and Delphine Le Goff as part of Design Sprints: Building Creative Capacity, an initiative of Van Alen Institute and the NYC Department of Small Business Services. Special thanks to the board and shareholders of the 165-167-169 Avenue C HDFC.
Past Events
Placeholders Closing Reception
Friday, June 27, 2025, 6 – 8 PM
367 E 10th St, NY, NY 10009
RSVP
Co-hosted with Piragua Art Space & Relative Arts
Resources for Small Businesses in the LES
In connection with Placeholders, Cooper Square Committee presented an information session identifying the storefronts available for rent in local HDFC coops as well as tips and resources for signing a new lease on a storefront space. This session is geared towards local businesses, artists, and nonprofits looking for commercial space in the East Village and Lower East Side.
Watch the Info Session Recording
View Presentation Slides
For help, email smallbusiness@coopersquare.org or call/text (646) 801-2880.
Learn more about the Cooper Square Committee
To learn more about Cooper Square Committee’s history of organizing for housing and community/cultural spaces, read about our history.
Learn more about our current organizing campaigns.
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HDFC Storefronts on the Lower East Side
Last updated June 2025. Send feedback and corrections to: smallbusiness@coopersquare.org