Larry Falcon
Thrift shop owner
Michael T. Regan |
Larry Falcon often sits in a lawn chair outside his decaying thrift shop at 42nd and Chestnut streets, usually holding court with up to a dozen kids from the neighborhood. They're a small army of youths who carry and sort big, unexpected donations to the store, like a computer monitor from the '80s, a dusty olive-green exercise bike and an old wedding dress.
These kids know certain things about Falcon. They know that the silver container around his neck contains nitroglycerin pills, in case his heart stops — again. They know that if they don't have a ride to the nondenominational prayer service on Fridays, Falcon will pick them up. They also know that when things go wrong at home, in the neighborhood or at school, they can confide in Falcon more than they can confide in anyone else.
The third is the most telling. I noticed it this spring, when I overheard Falcon, 63, and Eda, a 12-year-old girl, in the front room. She was upset, talking about how she didn't want to go back home. Falcon patted her on the back and told her to hang at the shop. He arranged for her to stay with her grandmother that night and gave her a number at the Department of Human Services to call. She agreed, calmed down and went outside to join the other kids.
Months later, Falcon explained that Eda's mother was pimping her daughter for quick cash. After their conversation that Saturday morning, Eda picked up the phone and called DHS. Today, Falcon said, she is in a "good" foster home and still drops by about once a week to say hello.
"Her new mother has already adopted two of her foster children, and is thinking of adopting her," Falcon says. "That's big. That means she doesn't get government money for watching her. Eda deserves it. I hope it happens."
As I got to know Falcon, I didn't think that any of his various titles — community thrift shop owner, Vietnam War veteran, Episcopalian minister and neighborhood activist — truly fit. It was the nickname bestowed upon him by the neighborhood kids, "Papa," that seemed right.
He even looks the role. While Falcon is lean from hauling donations across the store, age is starting to take over. He wears glasses perched on his nose, and he lets his thin, white hair blow in the wind. He's a descendant of Creole, Cajun and American Indian ancestors, and his loose drawl has been clipped by his years of city living.
Falcon got the name Papa a few years after he opened his store in the mid-1980s. He was raised in Baton Rouge and was drafted to fight in Vietnam with the Army. He moved to Philadelphia once his tour was up to become a student at the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church. "Catholicism used my sins to keep me away from God, when in fact they brought me closer to Him," he explains.
He, his wife, Karen, and three kids Anika, Leila and Jason, now in their 20s, established themselves in the area and started weekly prayer services. He also organized the neighborhood against corporate forces, successfully fighting against a McDonald's that wanted to locate on 43rd and Market streets. (It was the well-publicized "McPenntification" case in which he accused the University of Pennsylvania of backing the fast-food joint's gentrification of West Philly.)
Penn denied involvement, but the battle earned Falcon the respect of the neighborhood. Kids started coming during the week, saying they wanted to help out at the thrift shop. Most were really pulling Papa aside to confide in him, a side effect he thinks is part of his spiritual and social mission.
Sarah, 13, said she comes to help out Falcon on days when her mother is in Family Court and there's no one to watch her. (Her father isn't around.)
Ty, now 13, once lived with Falcon and his family when her mother, a crack-cocaine addict, told him she didn't want her anymore. She's in a foster home now and, last year, asked Falcon to be her godfather.
Nikhil, 14, comes by just to stay off the streets of West Philly and spend his hours in a place he knows is safe. "He listens to us, and points us in the right direction," he recently said of Papa.
Two weeks ago, Mark, a local camp counselor who takes his troop to the store's weekly prayer service, offered Falcon a thank-you card on the last day of the camp. Inside, part of the message read: "May you always continue to walk the walk."
That common phrase is no longer a cliché when it comes to Falcon. He's my favorite Philadelphian for a simple reason: The guy gives a damn. He knows life on the streets and at home in West Philly is hard. He also knows it's hard to let the local government tear you from your family and place you in a foster home. For the kids whose situations aren't quite as severe as Eda's, Falcon is the balance between the two: He has about as much authority as a loving grandfather.
Sometimes that's all kids need.
Also In This Week's Cover Story Section
Candace Karch
Bob Koch
Andy Dyson
Art Bourgeau
Bob Griffin
Larry was a consistent, reliable presence to me and many others in our slice of West Philly. In a neighborhood where there weren't enough dads but plenty of dealers, Larry offered a healty alternative.
Larry helped me to develop a true sense of independence - the independence it took not to follow the crowd if I didn't like where they were going.
Larry helped me develop self-confidence - the self-confidence it takes to make tough decisions knowing they won't be popular.
Larry showed me dedication - In the time I've known him, he's fought drugs, apartheid, big business and more without giving up.
Larry helped install the the moral compass that guides me.
We can all make a difference and we all want to matter to somebody, but most of us don't do what it takes to make that happen. Larry . . . mission accomplished.
we were young and crazy ,my friends followed me because they were bored and two of them were runaways ,we started to bum money at malls or whatevere they were called at the time. We would stay at rest areas.and cook can foods ,peanut butter sanwish's ,i remember when we got to the Texas border at Texarkcansaw i told my friends that i would go on my own after that because it was my puppy love problem and didnt want to drag them along ...but they told me were in enough trouble already our parants are going to kills anyways so they drove (help me push the 56 chevy )w/me on to philly we had to stop when we ran out of money (we did that alot) some peaple were really mean to us for pan handleing in thier town ,the older folks at the rest area were very nice and would ask if we were hungry and gave us food and drinks some even help push our car or gave us some gas money and food for the road ,we would blow on a sea shell (theatre prop) to let everybody know dinner was was ready (at rest areas)when we got to baltimor marland ,we were pan handling for gas and we were greeted by some mean anglo folks and ran us out of town , a blackman said peaple are mean here you should leave befor you get hurt he gave us 6.00 $ and we slept in some shopping center parking lot ,the next night couldnt pay a toll fee and a police told us to go inside to sign a form .we thought that was the end of the road for us ,but the rude man inside said how do you expect to go anywhere w/out money ..and let us go ...we went to a town in Delaware where they plant tabaco and my friend said we could sleep in a chuch parking lot ,and at the AM we could ask the priest to pass the basket for stranded travlers ,,in the AM the we were awaken by a very upset pastor knocking on our window yelling get the hell out of my parking lot ,my friend told the pastor about our situation and he said get the hellout of here before everybody gets here for church ,,we had to push start the 56 chevy up hill and couldnt get it started .
Its a long story ,by the time we got to Philidelphia we were tired broke ,no money,we found my girlfriend ,and she was'nt to happy to see me with 3 other peaple ,so my friend Richard was upset with me because we were stranded in a strange city (West Philidelphia) the 56 Chevy wouldnt start and it was getting very cold (we were wearing Texas clothes ) .
Desperate as we were we went looking for a job ,we went to Love"s corner ice house and the manager hired my friend and myself on the spot .it was getting pretty bad at the spot where we left the car/home we contacted the parants of one of the girls and told them where we were and they sent money to fly her back .
We went looking for an apartment and we saw a man reading a book(we found out the book was Bible) and smoking a pipe ,we ask him if there was a place we could stay for now and that we could pay rent when we we got paid ,the man said something like my friends the Lord has sent you to me . I can help you ,he said the boys stay in this building and the girl stays across the street this is our Church .
We didnt trust him at first but ask if we could park our 56 Chevy in front of his building he said ,of course i understand you dont trust me but you are safe here ,this a pretty bad area ..we stayed in the car for a few days this nice man and his Church members brought hot coffee and food .
I told my friends that this man and his church members look trustworthy and that maybe we should go inside ,my friends said no but iwent inside and he gave me rules ,one was we pray before everymeal (thats when i was introduced to grits)i told the man how stupid i was for coming all the way over here and draged my friends with me . he told me that we all make mistakes and that God forgives . We finally convinced my friends to come inside and he helped us send my friends girlfriend back to San Antonio ,Texas .
The man said you guys need some warm clothes ,jackets ect. he took us to a thrift store on market st called the Toviah thrift shop .his name was Larry Falcon we felt no fear anymore ,i remember he told me once your saved by the Lord you will not fear evil anymore (that really worked ) ...he really help me open up my mind .i told him we members of a theatre group in Texas ,we help him with the youth there in west philly i tried to help him witha play about santa not coming to town ....
he said a lot of children never got anything for xmas and many thought that they were bad ,,i ran out of time and really got homesick i missed my Mexican food . when i got paid from the store i was working i bought a plane ticket home ..
Larry Falcon told me where ever you go or where ever you end up do something good for the Lord spread the word ..i went home my friend richard stayed behind .I told my parants about my experience ,they werent to happy about that ...
I went back to my Theatre group The Chicano Arts theatre ..and it just wasnt the same any more they very political and my buddy was back in philly ,My friend came back several months later and i told him that i didnt want any part of the theatre group any and that we should start our on theater ,we wanted to do more comedy for the barrio kids(w/out funding) and we did i got a bunch of shop lifters at the Jiffy mart i manage and told them that i would report them to the police and thier parants if they didnt show up for theatre rehersal ,it turned out to be a pretty good group .
but we needed a name myself and my friend decide to call ourselfs Thye Toviah street theatre ,Teatro Toviah, because we were giving something back to community ,we got pretty poppular in San Antonio ,TX and on our program booklets if we had money we would mention how we got our name ..we performed hundreds of times in the streets of S.A. TX and sorrnding cities also on universities and colleges and many schools and housing projects we did skits like the Charro at THe Employment Office ,THE CHICANO ANGLE,LOS BORRACHOS ,THE DOCTORS OFFICE ,THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING BILINGLE ,LA MALINCHE ,THE ULTIMATE TOUCH ,and some plays like THE FATHERLESS (A GANG PLAY) JOHNNY TENORIO,EL REGALO DE DIANA ,THE SPIRITS OF XMAS ,EL SPRAYO,LA ABUELA CHICANA ,LOS VENDIDOS and many many more that we made up when we got there.
My friend Richard went to become an RN and lives in Houston (we call him SAVAGE ) the other two girls we never heard from them again and my ex girlfriend ,well i never heard from her again she was my first love ,i guesse i never forget her ,
im the only person that kept the Toviah theatre going never really got any funding but then i never really asked ,but i did make a name for my self with the theatre folks (chicano theatre ) ive been to New York City ,Mexico,and Central America ,and many cities in Texas Speaking about the El Teatro Toviah .
Im disable now with liver cancer the doctors say ill be fine ,i am. just so glad to have found this article about Larry Falcon and the Toviah thrift Store ,I dont think anybody ever belived us about Philidelphia and the name Toviah my name is Larry Garcia SR