Real Estate

Meet Fifth Avenue’s funny man

Eye On Real Estate: Rubber Chickens, Silly Stuff Galore at Party-Supply Shop

February 19, 2014 By Lore Croghan Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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Suspenders with holders for shot glasses – no self-respecting party goer should be without them on Saint Patrick’s Day.

Marc Davis has them. Of course. The Bay Ridge party-supply guy makes sure there’s plenty of silly stuff like that in stock.

Or if drinking’s not your thing, he’s got rubber chickens hanging by the door at Havin’ A Party II.

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“Kosher or non-kosher?” Davis asked with deadpan politeness when we went to purchase one of the lanky fake birds, which are covered with goose pimples and open-beaked for a silent squawk.

“Mind, I’ve told these jokes a hundred times,” he said when he got a laugh. “Luckily, people have a sense of humor.”

His goofiest merchandise draws neighborhood dads back to the 22-year-old store at 8414 Fifth Ave.

They show their kids the gag gadgets they bought when they were kids – hand-shake buzzers, fake bugs in fake ice cubes, “fake pet puke,” whoopie cushions.

The costumes Davis carries are another draw for repeat customers.

“Even the grandmothers buy costumes for Halloween,” he said. “A 95-year-old man comes every year. He’s either a priest or a rabbi.”

Customers keep coming as Bay Ridge becomes ever more multicultural.

“Everybody parties,” said Davis. “One day I did balloon deliveries to a church, a synagogue and a mosque. I got all my bases covered.”

In the aftermath of the economic downturn, shoppers are careful with their money. Yeah, well, c’est la vie, that’s Davis’ attitude.

“People who spent $200 are spending $150 – but they’re still buying,” said Davis, who chose his Fifth Avenue storefront those many years ago because he was friends with the owner of a nearby jewelry store. “You bear with it. It’s like the weather. Is is going to last forever? No.”


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