Harlem Shuffle: Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

One night in June of 1959, Ray Carney becomes involved in a heist thanks to his cousin, Freddie. A furniture salesman who also sells refurbished goods, Carney is running errands in New York City. He loads three radios into his truck and makes his way to Radio Row—an area of the city featuring numerous electronics storefronts. Carney enters a store belonging to a man named Aronowitz, one of the only White men to not only acknowledge him, but also treat him with respect as a Black man. Carney usually comes to Aronowitz for repairs, but today he is hoping the man will take the radios, which he has been unable to sell, off his hands.

Although the shop is called Aronowitz & Sons, the older man has no family. Decades ago, many immigrant families took advantage of the electronics boom to set up shops of their own, trying to ascend the socioeconomic ladder. Carney, who has a business degree, thinks of advising Aronowitz to change the name, but decides against it. Having come to pick up a broken TV, Carney offers to sell the radios to Aronowitz, thinking he can scrap them for parts. Aronowitz says he will try to facilitate a sale with another buyer and asks after Carney’s family. Carney’s wife (Elizabeth) is expecting their second child. Carney follows Aronowitz into the back to pick up his repaired TV.

Carney’s cousin Freddie brought him the TV to resell, swearing it was in good condition. Carney feels guilty for not trusting Freddie, even though the TV was, in fact, broken. Fixed now, it sits near four new Sears TVs which fell off a truck, according to Aronowitz. Knowing that TVs sell quickly, Carney makes a deal with Aronowitz for two of them. Returning to Harlem, he visits a recently deceased woman’s apartment to see if she owned anything worth buying and reselling. The woman’s daughter, Ruby Brown, recognizes Carney from high school. Walking through the apartment, Carney reflects that people treat him like the junkman, but he knows a good find when he sees it.

The dead woman’s sofa and armchair are in factory condition. Carney is able to guess where she purchased them because there are so few furniture dealers in Harlem. Both Carney’s parents are dead. He recalls high school, when younger kids picked on his clothes and his smell. One boy named Oliver was relentless until Carney hit him. Later, he heard that his own father (Big Mike) had scammed Oliver’s father. Carney resolved not to resort to violence again, deciding where he was from was less important than where he wanted to go. He and Ruby reminisce, and she brings up Carney’s father but does not mention his criminal reputation. Carney takes the sofa, promising to return for the armchair.

Carney’s shop had been a furniture store before he took over the lease. The previous tenants’ businesses had failed miserably, but Carney retains his optimism. His employee, Rusty, has had a recent boost in confidence thanks to his new conked hairstyle. When Carney returns, Rusty reports that there have been no customers. They move the new sofa onto the sales floor, into the gently used section, which is growing. After walking the showroom, Carney runs numbers in his office. Many customers are late on their payments, and Carney decides to finally do away with installment plans. He does not like sending collectors after people, as his father worked similar jobs. Carney knows his wife, Elizabeth, will support his decision.

Near closing, a young couple stops in the store. The woman is heavily pregnant, resting on a sofa. Carney introduces himself and gives them a sales pitch, but the young husband admits his wife only needed a rest. Carney chats and shows them around regardless. He remembers his and Elizabeth’s newlywed days and the faith she has in his ambitions. Pitching another sofa to the couple, Carney feels like an actor delivering lines. The couple ends up putting a small deposit on a sectional sofa, despite Carney’s intention to cease installment plans. Carney feels good about lending the young couple a hand, reflecting that he “may be broke, but [he] ain’t crooked.”