Call it a schmear campaign!
The owner of popular Boerum Hill bagel and lox joint Shelsky’s is creating a buzz in the neighborhood and on social media with sidewalk signs that poke fun at President Trump and his bungling administration — the latest of which is “Thanks to customer feedback, we no longer sell Ivanka brand lox, whitefish, or herring,” in reference to Nordstrom dropping the First Daughter’s clothing line.
“I see people all day walking past the sign, stopping to take a photo and giving me the thumbs up from outside,” said Peter Shelsky, co-owner of the Jewish deli on Court Street. “I’ve been getting more Instagram hits than I’ve ever gotten on any of my photos.”
The deli don says more people have been coming inside since he started writing snarky sandwich boards.
He changes the signs each week, drawing comedic inspiration from the administration’s so-called “alternative facts,” with past slogans including, “Brooklyn’s place for bacon, ham, lobster, and shrimp #alternativefacts,” and “100 percent of this weekend’s profits are going to the victims and families of Bowling Green.”
Passersby say they appreciate a free laugh in these tumultuous times.
“It’s funny,” said Park Sloper Zach Zohlman. “I enjoy a little whimsy in a dark time.”
Normally it’s a bad idea to mix business and politics, Shelsky acknowledges, but he says he feels morally obliged to mock the commander in chief in any way he can.
“I don’t see this as making this sort of statement about politics,” he said. “It’s just making a statement about what’s right, and a simple way I can do that is with comedy on the signs.”
