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 will be supplemented by a map of local businesses. Stop by 165 & 169 Ave C before June 30 to take a look! And read on for more on upcoming events.
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.
Upcoming Events
Info Session: Available Storefronts & Support for Potential Tenants
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
6:30 – 7:15 PM on Zoom
Register
In connection with Placeholders, Cooper Square Committee will be presenting 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.
Cooper Square Committee offers free commercial lease assistance and other forms of support to commercial tenants.
Questions? Email smallbusiness@coopersquare.org or call/text (646) 801-2880.
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 — more details soon!
Resources for Small Businesses in the LES
For local artists, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs looking for commercial space in the Lower East Side, Cooper Square Committee offers free commercial lease assistance and other support.
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