Craigslist freebie of the day: Giant neon signage from closed Chelsea restaurant

Opening a fusion Spanish/Chinese food restaurant in Chelsea is a far riskier business venture than the act of acquiring said store’s signage after it closes and puts its neon front up for grabs on Craigslist. Now the chance is yours: now closed Chelsea restaurant El Paraiso is giving away its front.

“Do you want it? You can have it,” reads the blunt Craigslist post for the sign.

It is unclear the state of functionality of the sign, and if it still glows, but with a little love it can probably be brought back to light.

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It’s not quite steampunk, but its got industrial vibes and in the right context could take on a Blade Runner aesthetic. A perfect addition for any large loft space lacking in character or abounding in other strange street acquisitions. Or, bring it home and mount it above your other worded home decorations. It’ll be a much better conversation starter than that Live, Laugh, Love poster you bought in the dollar section of Target, and probably more inspiring too. I mean, what do three random English commands hold to a giant illuminated store sign that reads, in foot-tall red block letters, THE PARADISE?

The Craigslist ad has been up for two days and probably won’t be there much longer, so call that friend with a pickup truck or splurge on an UberX and convince your driver to strap this thing to the top of their car (and don’t forget to give that driver a very fat tip).

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According to Yelp reviews, the place was what one reviewer refers to as a “lonely man special.” According to native New Yorker Duey Y., in a review long enough to serve as an obit for El Paraiso:

So we go in and the place frankly is what I call a “lonely man special.” people (mostly men but some women) eating alone as it’s not a fancy place (at all) and definitely not a hip spot where one may feel intimidated or awkward sitting around “the beautiful people” while dining alone. But what I do know about “Lonely man specials” (I’ve definitely been the “lonely man” more than once LOL) is that the food is usually dynamite and this was no exception!

Go, friends, take this bit of New York history, it’s yours if you want it.