Bring on the bulls and the bears!
That was the cry on Wall Street – in Valhalla, Westchester County – where residents were excited by the prospects of the New York Stock Exchange moving half its Big Board trading operations to the suburbs.
Locals of the suburban street with the same name as the lower Manhattan financial center said their Wall Street would be a perfect place for NYSE’s second trading floor.
“Bring the stock market here. We got plenty of room on the block for them,” said John Varvaro, 88, who has lived on the much smaller version of Wall Street since 1957.
The NYSE said Wednesday it was considering opening a second trading floor somewhere in the region, with Westchester County one possibility, although no specifics sites were mentioned.
The quiet three-block Valhalla Wall Street boasts a large electronics factory at one end and feeds into a main thoroughfare at the other. It’s home to some elderly residents and some Westchester cops.
The suburban Wall Street sees far less pedestrian and vehicular traffic than its Manhattan counterpart, and locals said it could use a shot in the arm.
“There’s no excitement on this Wall Street. Nothing ever happens here,” said Frank Buffone, a 31-year-old deli owner. “You could pretty much say it’s dormant on the block.”
He added, “The only ups and downs here are the cars going down the street.”
His wife, Marianee, said having half the NYSE in Westchester “would be great because it would raise property values.
“The only big boom on the block is going to come from me,” said the pregnant Buffone.
One local said the two tennis courts near the factory would be a perfect place for brokers to get some exercise.
“At lunch, they could play tennis,” said Carmela Burra, 72.
But Burra said she’s never been keen on the investment game: “It’s just bad news.”
Varvaro said Wall Street north has its own stock-trading history.
In the late 1950s, New York Giants catcher Sal Yvars made the small road his home. After his retirement, he ran a small brokerage house.
A TALE OF TWO STREETS
1653 Founded 1845
Seven blocks Length Three blocks
Stock Exchange, Landmarks None
Trinity Church
Post founder Most Famous Ex-New York Giants catcher Sal Yvars
Alexander Hamilton Resident
Bulls and bears Favorite Animals Squirrels and skunks