How would you like a tall, elegant, black-glazed ceramic mug with an outsized curvy handle for only two bucks? Pretty darn good deal, eh? How about if I told you the mug had “CPW Dentistry,” along with the business’s phone number imprinted in white? Would that be a deal-breaker—or up the ante for you?

Whether you’re a fan of the ironic, the kitschy, the camp, the scarce—or just can’t resist a bargain—you will want to get your fine self to a Housing Works Thrift Shop, where I just spotted the above. And if you’re within the sound of my voice, or at least within the geographic parameters of this newspaper, be assured there is an HW near you: from the Upper West Side (Broadway and 96th) to Chelsea (143 W. 17th St.), with pit stops between. If you dare to cross our southern border, be advised you needn’t pack a sandwich in case you get lost: The HW bookstore café at 126 Crosby St. has snacks and suds.

Has it really been two decades since the original HW shop opened on West 17th? Indeed it has, and while there are now various outposts, know that shopping at whichever locale you choose helps the same worthy cause: ending the often twinned crises of HIV and homelessness.

Speaking of homelessness, many of us lucky enough to have roofs over our head have entered the nesting stage of winter: post-holidays, we’re tired and broke and weather-whipped. Ah, here’s the fix: a steaming mug of cocoa in, say, that “CPW Dentistry” mug we were smart enough to snag!
What could be more cheering than serendipitously scoring when sorting through often one-of-a-kind wares being sold for a song? Not that it need be said—though here I go saying it, anyway—in any venue with many singular pieces and high turnover, please take examples cited here as simply, though accurately, representative of the kinds of finds you can expect; you may well discover even better stuff.

That said, there’s often a good selection of small, novel kitchenware, and if you’re looking for a new mug, or want to add to an existing collection of quirky cups, consider such additional examples as the one reading “Howe Caverns” with a colorful, if hard to figure out, depiction of the natural attraction ($2); and “YOGA BADASS” followed by “deal with it” (um, should a yoga devotee be this truculent?). The latter cup, perhaps to make up for its bad attitude, had a $1 sticker.
Perhaps most predictably, what you should find at these thrifts are lots of blue jeans at OMG prices. I spotted men’s classic five-pocket Gap Boot Fit jeans tagged at $10, the same price I recall seeing on denims at HW maybe 10 years ago. A dusky blue-and-black-checked Calvin Klein Jeans casual men’s shirt in irresistibly soft cotton was going for $15.

There often seems to be a plethora of black separates for women (well, this is New York); in black skirts alone, I spotted velvets, faux suedes and real leathers. Loved a humble black corduroy—label missing, but who cares—tailored skirt for $15. Paired with a fitted blazer, such as the Grace Elements paisley brocade tagged at $25: knockout.

“Oooh, a Slinky!” a grown-up near me suddenly exclaimed, as she reached over for the “famous walking spring toy,” selling for $2. “I haven’t seen one of these in a long time,” she wistfully added, as she played with the toy that, as its box declares, “moves without motors!”

See—serendipity: What’d I tell you?

By Aaron Adler

Two members of Housing Works, a New York-based healthcare and AIDS advocate group, climbed two 40 foot flagpoles at the southern end of City Hall Park in lower Manhattan on Wednesday around 10:45 a.m. The activists, wearing helmets and climbing gear, unfurled a 30 foot banner that read “HOUSING IS HEALTHCARE: HOUSE PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS” after quickly climbing to the top of the flagpoles without being noticed by several police officers in the vicinity.

Police quickly arrived and blocked the sidewalk and the area immediately under the flagpoles and brought in a cherrypicker to bring down the activists. Other Housing Works activists held signs and cheered on Tony Ray and the other unidentified flagpole climber from the ground.

“I am up here today because of the lack of attention to housing for people with AIDS.” said activist Tony Ray through a megaphone high above the crowd, “If people with AIDS have a safe place to live, and a place for them to refrigerate their meds, they are going to stay healthy.”

The two activists stayed on the flagpoles for around 25 minutes before they were removed peaceably by the NYPD and arrested without incident.

The civil disobedience came two days before World Aids Day, a global day of remembrance of those lost to the disease.

I also predict that the city will continue to cut funding for homeless people who are HIV positive. Our organization will continue to advocate on their behalf.

9/11 MEMORIAL Northeast corner of Albany and Greenwich Sts., www.911memorial.org

With free admission to both the 9/11 memorial and museum, it’s nice to give back with a gift shop purchase—net proceeds go toward developing and sustaining the organization. While the museum shop offers everything from FDNY and NYPD ornaments to 10th anniversary jewelry, our favorite picks can be found in the book section, particularly Listening Is an Act of Love ($24.95), a medley of StoryCorpxs’ 30,000- plus recorded interviews arranged to show a portrait of American life. For the shopper looking to give a small piece of the memorial to their loved one, the 9/11 Memorial Lapel Pin ($6) is a good pick.

FILM FORUM 209 W. Houston St. (betw. 6th Ave. & Varick St.), www.filmforum.org

While Downtown is known for its selection of indie movie houses, few know that Film Forum is indeed a not-for-profit. The cinema had humble beginnings in 1970, when it consisted of 50 folding chairs, one projector and a $19,000 annual budget. It has since flourished into a three-screen space that shows a fascinating, out-of-the-ordinary collection of films (see Cullen Gallagher’s piece on Film Forum’s silent film series at OTDowntown.com). For the cinéaste or art lover in your life, consider buying them a Film Forum DVD set on varying themes like fashion or dance. The dance set ($65) includes three carefully curated DVDs: Stormy Weather, The Red Shoes and Ballets Russes. Or grab the Maira Kalman—author of the Max books—T-shirt, with six canine cinephiles watching a 3-D movie ($14.95).

GREENWICH VILLAGE SOCIETY FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION www.gvshp.org

The name is misleading; the GVSHP fights to preserve the architectural heritage and cultural history of buildings in the East Village and Noho as well as Greenwich Village. Founded in 1980, the GVSHP also offers public lectures, tours, exhibitions, school programs, an oral history project and publications. Tucked on their website is a roster of locally themed wares like the GVSHP porcelain holiday ornament bearing an anthemion ($9.99) or a poster of Tony Sarg’s classic 1934 Village map ($17.99).

HOUSING WORKS

For the location nearest you, visit www.housingworks.org While running thrift stores with amazing bargains and a coffee house/bookstore with great brews and good reads, at the end of the day Housing Works’ main mission is to help homeless and HIV/ AIDS-afflicted New Yorkers. Their various entrepreneurial pursuits, which also include a catering company and screenprinting business, all go to fund their main goal. If you are unable to make it to their brick-and-mortar storefronts, Housing Works also boasts a well-organized website, where you can place bids on some truly remarkable items. Last time we checked, a vintage Gucci cross carry bag was going for $75, along with a monogrammed zip case at $45. You can also purchase art, accessories and even furniture, like an Avery Boardman Sleeper Sofa for $175.

TENEMENT MUSEUM 103 Orchard St. (betw. Delancey & Broome Sts.), www.tenement.org

The Tenement Museum aims to preserve and interpret the history of immigration to the Lower East Side by telling the personal experiences of immigrants past and present. While the museum is known for its neighborhood tours, exquisitely restored apartment exhibitions and thought-provoking talks, it also boasts a large selection of funky and chic merchandise at college student prices. Pick up the Tenement tote bag ($8.95) for your farmers market fanatic friend or the gold Skyline desk organizer ($25.95) for your officemate. For those family and friends who celebrate Chanukah, how could you say no to a set of four glasses of the “Heroes of the Torah” ($22.95)?

THE MOTH www.themoth.org

While The Moth, a live storytelling series that started in NYC but is now aired on select NPR stations, might not have a physical store, the not-for-profi t is based in Soho. If you aren’t able to make it or get into the live show—they often sell out—we suggest giving the gift of The Moth by purchasing their Best Of box sets (Volume 1 or 2, $55 each). The stories on these CD compilations are told by some familiar voices, like Jonathan Ames, Malcolm Gladwell and Dan Savage. For a Moth-related present that won’t leave a dent in your wallet, take a peek at their line of “I Moth Stories” T-shirts ($20).

The marchers seemed to diverge into two sections. While a majority made their way into City Hall Park, a group of roughly 20 protesters stood at a crosswalk, stopping traffic. While cabs, buses and vehicles honked their horns, the crowd remained, eventually dispersing to reveal about 10 AIDS activists chained together, donning dark green Robin Hood-inspired tunics and caps with the words “Take It Back” written across a symbol of a bag of money.

“Keep walking, you will get arrested if you do not stay on the sidewalk,” shouted organizers of the rally to most of the crowd. The group of protesters teemed on the edge of the sidewalk where Park Place and Broadway meet.

“I guess those are the people who were planning to get arrested,” one woman, who preferred to remain anonymous, said to a fellow demonstrator. Asked if this was preplanned through the organizations as a whole, the woman replied, “No, but I do think it has become a part of our culture for some people to socially martyr themselves.”

The New York Police Department arrived with a van, and proceeded to arrest the chained protesters.

While the protesters seemed to diverge into two groups, they shared a common complaint and mission: to demand Mayor Bloomberg drop his opposition to the NY State Millionaires Tax and to call upon Senator Charles Schumer to support a Financial Transaction Tax on Wall Street in order to generate money for HIV/AIDS housing and other services. According to a press release distributed by Housing Works, Mayor Bloomberg has cute more than $10 million for HIV/AIDS in the past year.

At his World AIDS Day breakfast, however, Mayor Bloomberg highlighted the work the city has done to help New Yorkers know their HIV/AIDS status. Both Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) President Alan D. Aviles accepted an award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the event. According to the city, HHC has tested more than 1 million New Yorkers for HIV since 2005, the year that public hospitals and health centers began to offer HIV testing as part of their routine medical care for people ages 13 to 64.