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Memorial Day Weekend Mania: Thor Equities Coney Flea In-Fest-ation Is a Flop

Posted in News, Redevelopment, tagged Coney Island, Coney Island Redevelopment, Festival by the Sea, flea market, Joe Sitt, Thor Equities on May 27, 2009| 1 Comment »

Opening day at Thor Equities huge tentless structure on west side of Stillwell behind Nathan's. An equally huge and empty structure stands on the east side of the street. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

photo via me-myself-i, flickr

Before I start my tirade against Joe Sitt’s Memorial Day desecration of Coney Island’s C-7 amusement district, if you’re wondering “Are the rides and games open at Coney?” the answer is YES! The REST of Coney Island–Boardwalk and beach, rides, games, sideshows, food, drinks– is alive and kickin’! Thor Equities does NOT own the entirety of Coney Island, though you’d never guess it from the Sitt-centric Festival by the Sea posters in the subway.

The May 15 grand opening of Joe Sitt’s flea market was postponed due to threat of bad weather on a sunny day, but on Memorial Day Weekend the rescheduled less than grand opening took place under the open sky. Last weekend’s “Closed due to threat of bad weather” sign was replaced by one that read “Pardon our Appearance while we adjust our tents.” Translation: The City’s DOB is requiring that the tents and structures be able to withstand hurricane force winds before issuing a C of O.

Pardon us until we get our C of O from the DOB. Photo by me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

Pardon us until we get our C of O from the DOB. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Despite Thor Equities much vaunted $250K advertising campaign with full-page ads in the New York Post, Time Out New York, AM New York, plus subway advertising and Google ads, vendors were sparse over the Memorial Day Weekend. On Friday, a couple dozen vendors set up in preassigned spaces and were scattered throughout the huge tentless structures on both sides of Stillwell. Most of the booths were selling clothes, new and used. Vendors specializing in auto supplies, housewares, Arbonne cosmetics, a water filtration system, Hawaiian noni juice and credit counseling also made an appearance over the three-day weekend. Here is my set of flickr pix of Thor’s attempted flea in-fest-ation of Coney Island.

Vendors at Thor Equities Flopped Flea Market, Coney Island. Photo by me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

photo via me-myself-i, flickr

Stands selling clothing and shoes were a reminder that Thor Equities pitch book unsuccessfullly used to lobby BP Markowitz for 10,000 square feet retail touted flagship retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap/Banana Republic, and DSW (“Thousands of shoes…prices you love”).

Shoes galore at Thor Equities flea market. Photo by me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

photo via me-myself-i, flickr

One vendor told me she was given a free space on Friday to compensate for the time and trouble of having showed up last week for nothing. Several others said rent had been temporarily reduced from $100 a day to $20. Despite the bargain basement prices, many said they wouldn’t be back next weekend. On Saturday the flea management moved all of the vendors to the east side of Stillwell, leaving the tentless framework behind Nathan’s completely empty. On Surf Ave. I ran into a man and his son carrying a display rack with repros of his Coney themed artwork. Five dollars apiece. The man said he decided NOT to rent space at Thor’s festival after seeing the miserable setup. He also didn’t like the dirt ground of Sitt’s space. Instead he walked around Coney Island all day and was pleased to have exercised his first amendment rights by selling about $100 worth of his artwork without paying any rent.

Thor Equities idea of entertainment at the flea market was a band playing two sets. Photo by me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

The entertainment at Thor Equities self-described “uniquely entertaining and amusing marketplace in Coney Island” consisted of a band playing two sets. So I guess this makes the flea legal in the C-7 amusement district? Loophole in the law or flagrant violation? In March Joe Sitt’s newly registered to do biz in NY state Delaware LLC “Chart Development Company” successfully applied for a DOB permit for a “temporary fair” after an earlier app for a “flea market” was disapproved.

Tent-less structure on East side of Stillwell Avenue

Thor Equities Flea Fest on Opening Day. Photo by me-myself-i/Tricia Vita

What used to be here? The Tornado Roller coaster (1927-1977), the Bobsled (1941-1974), and Stauch’s Baths and Dance Hall (1930-1998). An aerial view of the amusement district looking west from the Astro Tower in the 1970s shows Stauch’s Baths, the Wonder Wheel, the Tornado and Thunderbolt roller coasters and the Bobsled ride. In recent years, popular amusements such as the Bumper Boats, Go Karts, Climbing Wall, Batting Cages and Mini-Golf thrived here. Visitors to Coney still ask what happened to them: Bulldozed in February 2007 by Joe Sitt who was eager to get an early start on “site prep work” though nothing could be built there until the rezoning was done. Site prep work = Deliberately created empty lots.

The Bumper Boats and other amusements thrived on this very location until Joe Sitt evicted them in 2007 to create his empty lots. Hooray for redevelopment! Photo by the hanner via flickr

photo via the hanner, flickr

Joe Sitt’s Memorial Day Weekend flea in-fest-ation is a desecration of Coney Island’s C-7 amusement zone! The rash of press releases from Thor Equities touting their so-called “Festival by the Sea” fails to mention that Joe Sitt created the empty lots where he put his flea market. That area was NOT rundown until Sitt emptied it out to blight the property in hope of getting it rezoned for big box retail and high rises. There were thriving amusements here when Joe Sitt bought this property from Hy Singer. He evicted the amusement operators and made empty lots. Sitt wants to erase those rides and attractions from our collective memory to make way for a tented shopping mall followed by a permanent shopping mall. Want your Bumper Boats, Go-Karts, and Batting Cages back? Here’s what you can do to Save Coney Island’s amusement zoning now!

Somebody please tell the City what is wrong with this picture. Photo by me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

photo via me-myself-i, flickr

Joe Sitt’s No Show Rides

Posted in Amusement ride, Coney Island, News, tagged Astroland, Coney Island, Dreamland, Joe Sitt, rides, Thor Equities on May 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »

The Cyclone Roller Coaster, Wonder Wheel, Eldorado Skooters and more than two dozen independent rides owned by local operators have been open for business in Coney Island since Palm Sunday. Coney’s Only No Shows are Joe Sitt’s promised 25 Rides. Here’s what Sittland East (the former Astroland site) aka Thor Equities so-called “Dreamland Amusement Park” looked like on May 15, the day of its long planned grand opening.

Where are "Some" or "Half" of the 25 Rides?

photo via me-myself-i, flickr

Contrary to the misinformation given out to the media on Thursday by Thor’s pr tools that anywhere from “some” to “half” of the 25 promised rides were being set up at Thor’s “amusement park,” there wasn’t a single new ride set up by Saturday. The Brooklyn Paper, metro, and the NY Post dutifully reported what they were told by Thor’s pr about the rides being set up and it is ABSOLUTELY FALSE.

As of Saturday, May 16, everything that is operating on Sittland East has been there for the past few weeks–the Batman inflate, the largest rat & headless woman sideshows, a few games. The equipment was moved around to open up a midway for the anticipated rides. But where are the rides? ONLY 3 rides have arrived in recent days and ALL 3 are still sitting disassembled on trailers.

The word on the street is the DOB’s safety requirements do not allow the operators to set up the rides on the property as long as the other attractions—the sideshows and games– are open for business. That means we don’t expect them to start setting up the 3 rides until Monday at the earliest.

The three rides are sitting on trailers belonging to Georgia-based Geren Rides. They appear to be the Ring of Fire, Scrambler and Himalaya, which played Sitt’s Summer of Hope on Stillwell (Sittland West) last year and left in the middle of July to play fairs in Tennessee. Thor’s long-running ad posted on usedrides.com says “If you need to leave in Aug for fair season that is not a problem.” I expect to see quite a bit of coming and going, that is if the promised “dozens of amusement rides” ever get here…

On April 5, the Opening Day for Coney Island's Cyclone, Wonder Wheel and Other Rides and Attractions, Thor 's Dreamland was nothing more than a "Coming Soon" sign

Joe Sitt evicted Astroland Park months ago and had plenty of time to arrange for replacements for Astroland’s 11 adult rides, 14 kiddie rides, 3 arcades and about a dozen games. He should have had them in place, ready and open for business on Palm Sunday, and then every weekend after that till Memorial day. Then full blast, 7 days a week. May 15 is late by both Coney Island and carnival standards, and yet he can’t even keep that promise.

The grand opening of Thor Equities’ Festival by the Sea and Dreamland Park was postponed till next weekend because the tents weren’t up to code and the rides hadn’t arrived. Obviously Joe Sitt doesn’t have a clue about anything having to do with running an amusement park. He should sell the land to the city and get the #%$@ out of the Coney Island!

But don’t let the above photos of Thor’s empty lot deter you from coming to Coney Island! Please come out and patronize the longtime amusement operators who have been open since April 5th, Coney Island’s traditional opening day of the season. The Cyclone Roller Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement park with 25 rides, Eldorado Skooters and arcade, McCullough’s Kiddie Park, Coney Island Arcade, Bowery and Jones Walk games, The Coney Island Sideshow, the Coney Island Museum, The Polar Express and 12th St Amusements and much much more…

AUGUST 5, 2009 UPDATE…”Coney Island Has 56 Rides and 33 More Days of Summer!”

JUNE 4, 2009 UPDATE…“What rides are open at Coney Island?”
Coney Island Ride Count