Leslie Herson

Leslie Herson
Born	(1942-11-02) 2 November 1942 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	16 August 2008(2008-08-16) (aged 65)
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, artist
Years active	1966–2009
Known for	Founder of Love Saves The Day vintage boutique in New York City

Leslie Herson (November 2, 1942 – August 16, 2008) was an American entrepreneur and artist, best recognized for establishing the iconic vintage boutique Love Saves The Day (LSD) in New York City's East Village. Active from 1966 until 2009, this store was among the first to appreciate the commercial appeal of Kitsch items well before the rise of flea markets.

Personal life

Originally named Leslie Bambi Fishman, she was born in Brooklyn and earned a fine arts degree from New York University. During the early 1970s, she managed a vintage shop in Hawaii before launching her own store driven by a deep enthusiasm for vintage apparel and antiques. Although she initially aimed to create original clothing designs, she ultimately concentrated on retailing secondhand garments. Her first husband was filmmaker Norman Kamerling. In 1977, she met Richard "Ritchie" Herson through a response to her apartment rental advertisement; they later married. Leslie had an elder sister named Sandy, and her parents were Hana and Jesse.

Love Saves The Day

In 1966, Herson opened Love Saves the Day at 77 E. 7th Street, choosing a name that referenced the drug LSD and mirrored her hippie ethos. The title also took inspiration from the Beatles’ track "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." The store relocated in 1983 to the corner of Second Avenue and E. 7th Street, where it remained operational until 2009. Its reputation grew significantly after being featured in the 1984 movie Desperately Seeking Susan, starring Madonna and Rosanna Arquette, which enhanced its appeal among artists and set designers sourcing vintage items for film and theater productions.

An autograph wall inside the shop displayed signatures from notable personalities such as Marc Jacobs, Joey Ramone, Alice Cooper, Björk, Kelly Osbourne, Tim Burton, Drea de Matteo, and Debbie Harry. Under the management of Martin Ruginis—who was responsible for crafting its vibrant exterior and eye-catching window presentations—the store frequently appeared on television. Notably, in 1996 MTV VJ Kennedy broadcasted Alternative Nation live from this location.

When faced with steep rent hikes threatening closure in 2005, Herson successfully negotiated a lease renewal for three more years. Rent had surged from approximately $100 per month at inception to $11,000 monthly by that time, reflecting escalating real estate prices in Manhattan’s East Village.

Store closing and death

Leslie Herson passed away on August 16, 2008, in Carversville, Pennsylvania, aged 65. Her husband Richard—who considered the store an artistic "canvas" for Leslie—felt unable to continue managing the East Village shop, leading to its closure in January 2009. The couple maintained residences both in the East Village and in Carversville countryside, also running a second Love Saves the Day location in New Hope, Pennsylvania, which Richard continued overseeing as of 2015. Some of Leslie’s bold window displays generated controversy in New Hope.

On March 26, 2015, a fire destroyed the building that housed Love Saves the Day. This loss deeply affected many locals since the site had long been an important countercultural landmark in the East Village. After shutting down, the premises briefly operated as a restaurant but were vacant at the time of the blaze.