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Shoppers Scurry to Find Something Special for Dad

By Paul Lomax | June 17, 2012 12:11am
Chris Walker, 32, from Baton Rouge gets fitted for a tailor made suit, a Fathers Day gift from his wife Laranda at Mario Caldi on 57th St., New York City.
Chris Walker, 32, from Baton Rouge gets fitted for a tailor made suit, a Fathers Day gift from his wife Laranda at Mario Caldi on 57th St., New York City.
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DNAinfo/Paul Lomax

MANHATTAN — Wives, daughters, sons and grandchildren were still shopping hours before Father's Day on Saturday afternoon, looking for the perfect last-minute gifts to honor and celebrate Dad's special day in a uniquely New York fashion.

Many stores on the Upper West Side were bustling with business in the last moments before Sunday's holiday, including Davidoff Cigars of Geneva, the men's store at J.Crew, and electronics giant Best Buy.

Davidoff tobacconist John Rosseselli, 55, said that this past week was great for business at the Columbus Circle shop, and added that the most popular cigar purchases had been gift sets, collections and limited boxes.

John told DNAinfo.com New York, "We've had lots of wives, daughters, and, of course, sons coming in this week to purchase cigars. It's been a very brisk week for business."

The most popular-selling cigar for Father's Day has been the Davidoff 100 Year Anniversary box set selling for $380 and the Magnificos selling for $90 for a set of 10.

Maggie Parker, 24, of the Upper West Side, was shopping for her father in Best Buy at West 62nd Street and Broadway. "I going to get my dad some Blue Rays. He loves 'The Simpsons' so I'll probably get him a few of them," she said.

Speaking her father, Parker, who is a Brooklyn native, added, "He's a real hard worker, in fact he's working today and he's the best dad in the world. I love him." She wasn't sure what the plans were for Sunday, but she was just happy to do "whatever he wants."

Kenneth Olson, 84, from Brooklyn, who is a father of three, told said he was looking forward to enjoying Father's Day by having his favorite breakfast of eggs, sausage, home fries, rye toast, coffee and orange juice with his son and daughter at the Bridgeview Diner in Bay Ridge.

"We've been going there for Father's Day for the last 15 years. It's a great American diner and it'll be good to enjoy the day with my kids," he said.

Erica Mendez, 26, from Queens, was having trouble finding a Father's Day gift, and chatted as she rushed from the J. Crew men's store in the Time Warner Center to meet her sister Downtown, so they could shop together and find that something special for their dad. 

"I haven't found anything yet," she said. "It's driving me crazy. My dad has everything so it's always really difficult to find him a gift. It gets harder and harder every year, but we'll find him something special," she vowed. "He means the world to me and my sister."