BY THE VILLAGE SUN | Amid the sweltering heat wave, a two-alarm fire broke out in the basement of a Lower East Side fabric store last Thursday.
The blaze struck shortly after 5 p.m. at 72 Allen Street, a five-story building located between Grand and Broome Streets, where Zarin Fabrics is located. Twenty-five Fire Department vehicles with 106 firefighters, plus E.M.S. personnel responded to the scene.
The fire was deemed under control four hours later.
One firefighter with a minor injury was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment. Fire marshals are investigating the fire’s cause.
Zarin’s may be a fourth- or fifth-generation business. These are the guys we can’t afford to lose. A college buddy of mine is a Zarin cousin. I’m sorry to hear that another customer had a problem. They were always welcoming with me, especially Herbie.
Maybe having a buddy affiliated with the business makes a difference.
If you check the Better Business Bureau complaints and reviews, and recent one-star Google and Yelp reviews, you’ll see that my experience is not an anomaly.
I dealt directly with current owner David Zarin.
Maybe it was another aggrieved customer.
Zarin was not honest with me, twice, about what fabrics they sold me, and they declined to make it right.
I believe the business was better in the past.