Astoria Characters: The Deep-Discount Guy

Chris Sciacco, who is wearing a grey sweater and a big smile, throws open the doors to Kaiya’s Pallets. Chris is the owner of Kaiya’s Pallets. This is week No. 5 of the wholesale/discount store’s existence, and he’s really pumped. Come on in! We have deals you can’t pass up! Water is 10 cents a bottle. Gatorade is 50 cents a bottle. Diapers are on sale for $10 a pack. Kaiya’s Pallets is at 36-37 31st St. And brand-name cereals are $3 to $5 for a two-pack. Come…

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Astoria Characters: The Plastic Bag on the Roof

It’s not the first time that someone has thrown something on my roof. A while ago, a shiny silver ladder fell from the sky like a hammer and landed, splat, on the shingles. Jimmy doesn’t have perfect pitch. This time, it’s a black plastic shopping bag. My friend Jimmy Ruchalski hurled it there. This throwing of things, it seems to be a tradition in Astoria, one that I was initiated into on Day One of my residency. Seventeen years ago, when I moved into my house, a stranger…

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