For the last 25 years, Romanian immigrant Ovidiu Colea has churned out Statue of Liberty models from his Long Island City factory that are ultimately sold at souvenir stands. Narratively has a video profile of his workshop?one of few left in the U.S.?which is staffed by 18 other immigrants, all pouring melted green plastic into molds and whittling down the robed figurines in a poignant (if somewhat unspoken) connection between new New Yorkers past and present. Despite pressure to relocate elsewhere or outsource for cost reasons, Colea is intent on staying. He knows he is lucky: "If I didn't own the building, I couldn't stay in the business." [Narratively]
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