BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | Ray’s Candy Store on Avenue A is getting hit by reality — as in reality TV stars Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian.
The “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” stars have recently both paid visits to the hole-in-the-wall hot spot.
Younger sister Kendall first dropped by one night in May, then returned for another visit a couple of weeks ago. Following suit, Kim was there just last Tuesday.
They were both lured by the East Village eatery’s irresistible favorites, like fried Oreos and fried bananas.
“Kendall first came for the Oreos,” said Anthony, who was working the counter last Thursday night. “And then she came for the Oreos and beignets” on her return visit.
The first time, Kendall also brought along Hailey Baldwin, the wife of singer Justin Bieber. But she kept things pretty low-profile. On her second visit, she posed for a photo sitting atop Ray’s famed well-worn countertop.
Anthony said he didn’t know who the two women were. But, after they left, a group of girls rushed in excitedly and incredulously asked him, “Do you know who that just was?!”
Ray Alvarez a.k.a. Asghar Ghahraman, 86, the store’s owner, was napping in the back of the place during part of his usual overnight shift for either one or both of Kendall’s visits. But he was up when Kim came in, and enjoyed her visit.
Due to a boom in business after adding app-based deliveries, Ray — the undisputed “ironman of Avenue A” — can now employ two or even three people to help him on the overnight.
Anthony and Vanessa, who was also working there this past Thursday night, said that after Jenner and Kardashian dropped by the store, there was a surge of people wanting to order — or at least look at — the same foods the two Internet-famous celebs had chowed down, mostly fried Oreos and beignets.
“After Kendall came here,” Anthony said, “a lot of people came to touch the counter and have what she got.”
In recent years, no doubt partly due to the store’s increased online presence, Ray’s has become a go-to destination for other entertainers. The authentic old-school egg-cream joint also sports Instagram-friendly décor, including a cluttered collage of colorful signage, plus assorted newspaper clippings about Ray’s exploits and annual over-the-top birthday bashes.
“Kesha came by after the Grammys like at 2 a.m.,” Anthony recalled of the “TiK ToK” singer.
Added Vanessa, “Lindsay Lohan came in, ran in the back and gave Ray a hug and offered to pay for his vacation. But he never takes a day off.”
A towering basketball player with the Golden State Warriors even recently stopped by for a snack.
“He’s one of their tallest players,” Anthony said. “He had to bend down to get through the door.”
They weren’t sure who it was, but apparently it wasn’t Kevin Durant.
Hanging out by the counter last Thursday evening was another entertainer, pianist Jeremy Rosen, who tickles the ivories at nearby Caravan of Dreams vegan restaurant. Rosen lived in the East Village as a kid, yet only discovered Ray’s and its quirky charm a few years ago.
“I think when I grew up, my mother was sort of a snob,” he reflected. “She said, ‘Don’t go in there.’ After my mother died, I started coming here. But if my mother was alive, she would have loved this.”
