A bodega, even a pretend one, would not cut it in NYC without a cat. So when English artist Lucy Sparrow started her epic 9 month, 16 hours a day saga to create in felt an entire convenience store, all the hand-sown soup cans, sausages and cigarettes in the world would not have authenticated this essential New York institution like a felt feline. And Blackie was just like the real deal.  There was not a rodent to be seen – well, except for a felt mouse hiding in a felt bucket (next to the felt spillage and the felt mop ). What a feat for felt!

You had to see this bodega to believe it. A felt ATM machine dispensed felt money, a felt mincing machine ground felt burger meat above the felt meat fridge, there were felt facial tissues, felt frozen peas and felt champagne ( French of course ) which was unfortunately sold out. In fact the entire store with all 8,000 pieces was well on it’s way to selling out. Instead of the two to three hundred visitors expected each day, there were two to three thousand. People streamed from the Whitney around the corner to line up in the sun, some fainting in the heat, others stumbling into the shop hoping to buy a real bottle of water. In the end a city hot dog stand had to set up on the sidewalk outside to accommodate the unfelted needs of the crowd.

A self titled feltist, Lucy believes that art should be accessible for everyone. For just $30 or $40 you can pick up a felt chocolate bar or a felt can of Spam and so begin your own art collection. You could even pay with a felted cheque, as an enthusiast apparently did. For me it was the entire concept that was hilarious rather than the need to take something home. Which was where I was headed. After all that feeling, it was a coffee that I really felt like…