"What happened to Sal and Stuyvesant Cycle Shop?"
Sal Corso is still with us but retired. His old shop has gone through several incarnations. The very first Stuyvesant was on Ave. A and 12th Street. It next moved to First Avenue, and sometime in the 1980s, moved to West 14th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. With that move came a new name-"A Bike Shop," which took up two store fronts. But by the 1990s, Sal closed one side and the shop shrunk. In the early 2000, it moved to West 26th St. and 7th Ave. Then about two years ago it moved yet again.
All these moves show how difficult it is to make it in the bike business in NYC. In its day, Stuyvesant was a great resource for the lightweight racing bikes and equipment we all love. Today the shop is a shadow of its past. I don't know the particulars of its demise. But I'm sure Sal Corso was a powerful force in making the shop standout. He always had a booth at the New York Bike Show.
Another bike shop from those days, Toga, has expanded to 5 stores. Though one of them recently closed after only a year in business. The economy and a big rent increase put the shop out of business.
Michael Allison
New York, NY