MATCH OF THE DAY

Joe Danon

January 14, 2021

President @thematchgroup, manufacturer of advertising matches for over 35 years

WHY DO YOU LIKE AND COLLECT MATCHES?

I have been collecting matches since childhood! Picking favorites out of the hundreds of millions of matches that I’ve produced over the decades would be like choosing a favorite between my two sons!

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ONES AND WHY?

The matches that I have a personal connection to are the ones that I picked up from the bars and restaurants that I frequented in my youth while living in Greenwich Village during the mid 80s to the early 90s. Matchbooks from my favorite East Village hangouts like Sugar Reef on 2nd Ave, Yaffa Cafe on St. Mark's Place, Benny’s Burritos in both the West & East Village, Telephone Bar & Grill on 2nd Ave, the Sidewalk Cafe and The Pyramid Club both were located on Ave A.

WHEN AND HOW DO YOU LIKE TO ENJOY YOUR MATCHES?

I enjoy viewing my matches collected from my favorite restaurants and clubs that I hung out in my youth on a special framed series of rows of strips of wood that enables me to occasionally swap them out with new ones. A day doesn’t pass when I don’t pause for the opportunity to enjoy the memories that each of these matches remind me of!