Salvatore Corso
My name is Dino (Greek) and I worked at Sty. Bicycle Shop from 1975-1978 on the second floor as a mechanic. Sal took a shine to me as soon as me met me and asked me when I wanted to start. I'll never forget that opportunity. My response as an eager kid was "Right Now!" He was taken back and simple told me to start fresh Monday. I worked side by side with Sal's son Louie Corso and daughter Marie Corso. I have fond memories that shaped my adolescences. The kind of schooling you get working at a bicycle shop is unique to those who've experienced it. Especially working in Manhattan those days, being a teen boy making friends and seeing what beauty the city had to offer.
It came natural to me to be good at repairs and Sal acknowledged and commended me many times. Giving me confidence as I grew.
I became close with Gino Ricardo and his father Guido Ricardo (Italian). (Who worked on the first floor, left side of the store in his own cubby) In my entire life I have yet to ever meet a master mechanic with bicycles like Guido. It was as if he was taken out of the Campagnolo factory line and brought straight to styvasent. I would watch him braze on fork legs onto bicycles that riders would bump rear car bumpers. On his sundays off, I would be called down by Salesman George Diaz to cover Guidos repair booth, an extremely high honor to me. I was so fascinated by working on bicycles at the store I recall a time I was forgotten on the second floor and I was locked in the store with the gates rolled down. Someone had to come back to unlock the doors and let me out.
At lunch time I would run to Stromboli's pizza on University Place and like clock work, Sal's nose would sense it. It was comical how he would come to me and with a handy knife in hand he would say to me " I just want a little piece, a little corner piece." This happened so frequently I also offered to get him a slice and he was so modest about not wanting a whole slice but just that little corner. He never took a whole slice even when I would bring him his own. Of course that was then and NY pizza has never tasted so good.
A few names I want to throw out and hopefully someone can write back to the forum about any updates on their whereabouts are:
George Diaz **took me to little feet concert at the Bottom theater
Bruce ( Salesman)
George Clement
Willy
Sal's brother ( Louie Corso)
John ( the eyes for Sal)
***FUN FACT: So you know not only did Sal's store sell road track racing bikes, but also they sold and distributed the Touring Raleigh bicycles ***the ones made in NOTTINGHAM ENGLAND
A big seller!
Reading and writing about these times really brought a joy to me. I still work on bicycles but of course mainly to my personal collection of vintage bicycles out of my repair shop in Queens NY.
***I'm having issues uploading photos but I will get back to at another time.