Ricky’s NYC Fills Kim’s Videos Broadway Vacancy

Students lined up around the block last fall for Halloween garb when Ricky’s NYC first opened its 23rd location on Broadway at 114th Street. After closing temporarily to make the transition from its seasonal role as a costume shop to its year-round function as a cosmetics store, Ricky’s opened for regular business last Saturday, in the building that formerly housed much-loved indie film shop Kim’s Video.

Ricky’s opened its latest location when it realized the potential for marketing to students. “We are definitely targeting the student clientele,” store manager Mamadou Ndoia said. “This building is owned by Columbia University, and CU students are a big part of this neighborhood.” Until now, the only uptown location close to campus was at 89th and 3rd avenues.

Ndoia has high expectations for this location. The transition from seasonal Halloween merchandise took about three months because of construction to alter the layout of the store, but the new location is “a turning point for the Ricky’s chain. This store is the first to have the layout and setup that all Ricky’s stores will soon have,” Ndoia said.

As of now, Ndoia has noted slow traffic in the store, but he believes that with the right strategy of customer service, discounts, and flexible return policies, Ricky’s will weather the economic storm. The shop has not been open as a beauty supply and cosmetics business for long enough to predict any long-term economic trend.

Although cosmetics sales dominate Ricky’s calendar, “Halloween is our trademark and our most lucrative time of the year,” Ndoia said. “Ricky’s is the number one Halloween store in New York, and if you don’t go to Ricky’s, you’re not a New Yorker.”

Despite the convenience of this Halloween mecca’s proximity to campus, many Columbia students are already nostalgic for the eccentric mix of videos they could find at Kim’s, the location’s former tenant.
“Kim’s is dearly missed. It was amazing and it was also the only movie rental store near campus,” said Rajiv Agarwal, CC ’09.

Students lament that it will be difficult to fill the gap left by the hodgepodge of obscure films once found at Kim’s, whose iconic St. Mark’s Place location also shut its doors last year. With one signature chain giving way to another, students will have to make do with the long walk to Blockbuster on 93rd Street—or settle for cosmetics instead.