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Within a predominantly Ukrainian neighborhood in the East Village, a corner of Mexico exists. Inside a petite footprint on Third Street, Mexican folk art store La Sirena is packed with hand-crafted treasures ranging from Frida Kahlo pendants to embroidered clothing to Dia de Los Muertos tributes.
For 27 years, this transportive spot has welcomed New Yorkers to explore a bevy of goods sourced directly from Mexico by store owner Dina Leor. Now, the store has fallen on hard times and is at risk of closing—but you can help by shopping. Leor is currently liquidating her wares with deep discounts. As she says, "depending how it all goes, [we] will be closing or continuing on."
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A native Manhattanite, Leor accompanied her mother on a trip to Mexico as a child and was immediately captivated. "There's something about Mexico. I was enamored, and I still am today. It's my passion, everything about it," she told Time Out.
Though she doesn't have Mexican heritage, Leor speaks fluent Spanish because her mother is from Argentina. She describes herself as "Argentine American with a Mexican heart."
Once Mexico took hold of her, it didn't let go. She returned to the country as an adult, sometimes using it as an escape from her challenging job in art therapy at Bellevue Hospital. On her vacations, Leor would watch artisans in the market with great fascination, buying her favorite pieces to host pop-up art shops at her job. But when she returned to her day job that fall, she got laid off. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it gave her some funds to start La Sirena.
She began more procurement adventures, traversing the country from Chiapas to Oaxaca and beyond and filling her store wall to wall with trinkets and treasures. Leor says never planned to own a store, but she's driven by a passion to share Mexican folk art with a bigger audience.
"The reason [the store is] so full is because I love all of it," she said. "I only buy things that I really like."
Though it's hard to choose a favorite, Leor is particularly fond of the clay pieces by Josefina Aguilar. Like many folk artisans, Aguilar creates the pieces with her family.
"The thing about Mexican folk art is that you don't go to school for it. You literally learn it in your home. You'll come home from school and just hang out with your parents who are making folk art," she explained. "It's generation to generation, which is really magical to me. I think it's so special and so nice that the families stay together that way."
Over the years, Leor has sourced "enough folk art for two stores." She purchases directly from the artisans themselves.
"Everything's made by another human being. To me, that's so special," she said.
As longtime friend and store assistant Ivan Xochicale puts it, "She loves the tradition and she tries to support all these people to do this kind of work."
Everything's made by another human being. To me, that's so special.
In addition to curating an impressive array of folk art, Leor has also created a community space. She often hosts cultural events with folkloric dancers, mariachis and tamales.
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Leor remembers a story about a delivery driver from Mexico who was surprised to happen upon a piece of Mexico in the East Village.
"All of the sudden, I noticed he had tears coming down his face," she remembers. "He said that the place reminded him so much of his grandmother. ... There's no money that makes up for something like that. I told him, 'you don't have to buy anything, but you could come back anytime and just hang out.' People will come in because they just want to feel like they're in Mexico."
People will come in because they just want to feel like they're in Mexico.
Despite the cultural impacts, the store has fallen on hard times. La Sirena had to close its doors amid pandemic restrictions, but then benefitted from an initial surge of people shopping local. Now, she says, sales have slowed down, and she's paying out of pocket to keep the store running. She's liquidating the store, selling everything for 20-60 percent off (mention Time Out for discounts) now through May 12. She's also launched a GoFundMe page for those who would like to contribute.
Find La Sirena at 27 East Third Street (between 2nd Avenue and Bowery) in the East Village. It's open from 12-6pm daily.