Wednesday, June 11, 2025
From around the blogosphere: The history of 106 Avenue C
A few days ago, Daytonian in Manhattan posted about the landmarked building, which has served as a library, bank, nursing home, and private residences in its over 120-year history. Read the post here. (We did a post on it here in 2012.)
H/T Daniel Root!
About the East Village Music Festival, taking place on June 22 at La Plaza Cultural
Grady Tesch has called the East Village home for more than a decade, drawn in by its creative pulse and offbeat charm.
Last year, he had the idea for an event that could celebrate all that the East Village has to offer. That thought turned into action — with the help of friend and jazz/soul drummer Kobi Abcede.
The result is the East Village Music Festival, a community celebration set for Sunday, June 22, from noon to 7 p.m. at La Plaza Cultural, the community garden on the SW corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street. Music aside, the event will also feature local food vendors.
Here, Tesch discusses more about the event and what residents can expect. (Q&A edited for length and clarity.)
What inspired you to create the East Village Music Festival?
I've lived in the East Village for 13 years now and have a deep love for this wonderful neighborhood. The idea popped into my head late last year. I thought, Wouldn't it be so much fun to create an event that celebrates the creative, fun and weird energy of the East Village?
My good friend, Kobi Abcede, who is also one of the most sought-after jazz and soul drummers in New York, agreed to co-organize with me, and we got to work making this vision a reality.
How did you choose La Plaza Cultural as the location for the event?
La Plaza Cultural is a space that we feel embodies the vibrancy of East Village, from its beautiful amphitheater to the cute turtles enjoying the sun in the pond. Many of the people I started asking said I had to have the event at La Plaza Cultural.
What can attendees expect throughout the day?
We'll have live music starting from noon to 7 p.m. Each artist will bring a unique sound, ranging from folk to funk, soul, indie pop, and the genreless. There'll be music for everyone!
Julian Klepper, the former owner of Wild Birds, will be emceeing, DJing and hosting throughout the day. There will be food vendors and numerous opportunities to socialize with friends. We are hosting this event to celebrate the community, and everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy the festivities.
How did you curate the lineup of performers, and what makes Pinc Louds a standout for this event?
Kobi and I have so many favorite bands in New York that it was hard to choose, but we ended up reaching out to the artists who we felt embody the diverse energy of the East Village. And, intentionally, three of the bands we chose are East Village-based.
We also didn't want to limit the festival to a single type of music, so we made sure to include artists from various genres. Pinc Louds was our first call to get on the bill, and to us, they are the quintessential East Village artist. Their journey of bringing joy to the people of EV during the pandemic, when they performed concerts in Tompkins Square Park, is one that I lived through and witnessed firsthand, showcasing their own commitment to bringing the joy of music to people, no matter what.
We're really honored to have them headline the festival.
Is this a one-time celebration, or do you want to make it an annual tradition?
We are 100% hoping to make this an annual tradition!
What’s one moment you're most looking forward to on the day of the festival?
I can't wait to see La Plaza Cultural light up with the faces of all the amazing people of the East Village. That's the moment I'm most excited for and the reason we're doing this.
------
The lineup:
1 p.m. — Youth in a Roman Field
1:55 p.m. — Syl DuBenion
3 p.m. — The Quashie Collective
4:05 — p.m. — Olivia K & The Parkers
5:10 p.m. — Momentum
6:15 p.m. — Pinc Louds
A suggested donation of $20 helps support the artists and cover production costs.
You can find updates via Instagram.
Sip + Co. to close Sunday on 9th Street
Sunday is the cafe's last day in business after a little more than a year here between Avenue A and First Avenue, per notices for patrons. No reason was cited for the closure.
The cafe, which serves a variety of sandwiches, pastries, and coffee drinks, also offers evening events, including a book club, live jazz, and art events.
This is the cafe's second location; the first opened on West 58th Street in 2021.
Founder Chin Keung Mong is also behind Hard to Explain, the sake and wine bar on 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, and The Pastry Box on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Duane Reade is not sleeping on this Rite Aid closing-soon situation
Photo by Stacie Joy
The Duane Reade/Walgreens on the corner of Avenue B and Second Street is not being passive about the pending closure of the East Village Rite Aid.
Signage is up welcoming Rite Aid pharmacy customers from the First Avenue and Fifth Street outpost, even though that business may be open untill later next month. (An official closing date hasn't been set.)
Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy (again) in May, citing years of financial struggles and a rapidly changing retail pharmacy market. All of the company's New York locations either have closed or will soon.
In previous posts about Rite Aid, EVG readers suggested ideas for local, independent pharmacies to consider:
• Abacus Pharmacy, 168 Second Ave.
• Avalon Chemist, 7 Second Ave.
• Avenue C Pharmacy, 178 Avenue C
• Block Drug Store, 101 Second Ave.
• East Village Prescription Center, 41 Avenue A
• Equal Care Pharmacy, 753 E. Fifth St. (specializing in hepatitis and post-heart/kidney/liver transplant drug therapy)
• Loisaida Drug & Surgicals, 273 E. Third St.
• Medilane Drugs, 227 Avenue B
• New York City Pharmacy, 206 First Ave.
• Whitney Chemists, 50 University Place
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Keys to the city: The Sing for Hope piano has arrived in Tompkins Square Park
Photos by Steven
The 2025 Sing for Hope pianos are out in the wild... including in Tompkins Square Park.
Background!
Sing for Hope is an NYC-based nonprofit founded in 2006 by opera singers Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora. The two vocalists established Sing for Hope as a resource for New York artists who want to use their art to give back to their community, and the program fosters interaction between artists and communities and makes the arts accessible to the public.The Sing for Hope Pianos project brings (one-per-key) artist-painted pianos for three weeks in June each year since 2011 to parks, street corners, subways, and other outdoor public spaces of the five boroughs of New York City.
Artist Kate Fauvell created the designs on the Tompkins piano, titled "Human Kind." Read more about it here.
The piano, one of 15 in the five boroughs, will be here through June 29.
After their public residency, the pianos will find permanent homes in schools, hospitals and community-based organizations throughout the city.
Also, as far as we can recall, this is the first piano for Tompkins since 2018.
RIP Billy Jones
Photo via @billysrecordsalon
Members of the local music community were shocked and saddened by the news of Billy Jones' passing on Saturday. The indie music impresario was known for running Baby's All Right in Williamsburg and, more recently, Night Club 101 on Avenue A.
According to Pitchfork, he died from an aggressive brain cancer. He was 45.
Jones had been a regular in the local music scene, booking shows at several now-closed EV spaces, including Sin-é on St. Mark's Place and Elvis Guesthouse on Avenue A, as well as Pianos on Ludlow Street.
In 2013, he and Zachary Mexico opened Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, which "helped revive the city's indie scene," per Pitchfork.
More recent collaborations included Funny Bar on Essex Street and Night Club 101, which debuted at the end of the year in the former Pyramid space on Avenue A.
He was also known for his work as a DJ with The Lot Radio and running his vinyl emporium, Billy's Record Salon, in Brooklyn. A friend to many, Jones left an imprint on every scene he touched.
As a tribute at Brooklyn Vegan noted yesterday:
It's hard to underestimate the impact Billy had on the NYC music scene of the last 20 years. His taste was impeccable and the clubs he ran became places you hung out even if you weren't there for the band... More than anything, Billy was a friend and also a very rare bird in the music industry: a genuinely nice person who would always greet you with a smile and hug.
The tributes on social media included...
The Merchant's House Museum remains open during exterior restoration work
Despite appearances, the Museum is open for business per usual here between the Bowery and Lafayette.
Visitors can enter the rear garden through the gate located in Manual Plaza, just next door to the east.
Here's more about the work at the landmarked building dating to 1832: "This $3.6 million capital project includes a full restoration of the marble stoop, weatherproofing, and repairs to the brick. Work is expected to take 12 months."
As we've been reporting in recent years, concerns have been raised about the future of the Merchant's House Museum, with a new development being approved next door to the west.
Does this restoration change anything with that project? (Spoiler — no.)
[I]n spite of this critical restoration work, the Merchant's House is still at risk from development next door. It is disheartening that after spending $3.6 million, the City may still allow the development next door to move forward, destroying all the work that is currently taking place and wasting taxpayer dollars.
Find visitor info here.
Signage alert: Crêpes le Bon on Avenue A
Aside from the signature dish, the awning promises sandwiches, waffles and desserts. We haven't found a website or any social media presence for the business yet.
Nearby creperies include Honey Crêpes at 400 E. 13th St. east of First Avenue and Village Crêperie at 445 E. Ninth St. near Avenue A.
Crêpes le Bon takes over the space from a smoke shop.
Monday, June 9, 2025
East Village tenants call for nonprofit ownership amid years of housing instability
East 5th Street, west of 2nd Avenue, where several buildings are in foreclosure
The call to action follows years of alleged hazardous conditions, including illegal construction, lead dust exposure, and multiple foreclosures.
The residents, part of the Tenants Taking Control Coalition (TTC) — a group that first formed as the Toledano Tenants' Coalition in 2015 when the buildings were purchased by the infamous landlord Raphael Toledano, then in his mid-20s — say they've had enough instability and want a long-term solution.
Madison Realty Capital (MRC) initially financed Toledano's acquisition of the buildings through a securitized loan from Signature Bank. (At the time, experienced real estate professionals raised concerns about Toledano's heavy reliance on debt.)
Toledano's notorious tactics, which included widespread tenant harassment and construction abuse, led to a lifetime ban in January 2022 from the New York real estate industry. In its findings, the Attorney General also stated that Madison Realty Capital "aided and abetted tenant harassment" and "knew landlord Toledano was engaging in fraud and harassment."
Eventually, the buildings entered foreclosure, and ownership passed to MRC — the same firm that had initially funded Toledano.
As The Real Deal reported in March:
Madison got pulled in by association. [NY AG Letitia] James sued the firm for lending Toledano $124 million on an East Village portfolio with the understanding the landlord would aggressively and illegally deregulate units. Madison eventually settled, admitting no wrongdoing. But in 2021, it ended up with that East Village collateral —15 buildings half-gutted by Toledano's half-baked deregulation plan. Madison paid $153 million for the deal in a credit bid after Toledano liquidated the assets.
But for tenants, the change brought little relief. In 2021, they say, MRC initiated construction aimed at combining smaller, rent-stabilized units into large, high-rent "Frankenstein" apartments, some reportedly listed for $9,000 or more. The work was disruptive and often dangerous, they allege, contributing to deteriorating living conditions across the buildings.
When Signature Bank failed in 2023, the federal government intervened to prevent widespread fallout, establishing a joint venture to oversee the affected loans. That venture, composed of four entities, is managed by Community Stabilization Partners, with the Community Preservation Corporation serving as the managing partner.
Earlier this year, after trying to bring the Signature loans back to good standing, Community Stabilization Partners took a subset of sponsors described as "unresponsive and uncooperative" to court, as The Real Deal reported on March 11, including Madison Square Realty.
Now, TTC members are demanding two things: that the Community Preservation Corporation meet directly with tenants about ongoing problems in the buildings and that the properties be sold to a nonprofit preservation buyer committed to long-term housing stability.
Adding to the urgency, the New York Post recently reported that MRC has not made a mortgage payment since January 2024 — despite managing more than $23 billion in assets, including the new high rise on 14th Street and Avenue C.
For tenants, this raises concerns that MRC is angling for more favorable loan terms than those originally extended to Toledano, echoing the very cycle that led to years of instability in the first place. (The Post reports this is part of a broader trend of landlords stopping making mortgage payments and ultimately making rent-stabilized units even more scarce in NYC.)
For TTC members, the message is clear: after a decade of disinvestment and displacement, the time has come for meaningful, community-centered change.
"For many tenants of the 15 East Village buildings, this has been home for decades," Kathy Berry, a long-time tenant of 325 E. 12th St. and member of the Tenants Taking Control Coalition, said in a release distributed by the Cooper Square Committee. "Over the years, we have dealt with slow response to do repairs, sloppy repairs, and harassment (no cooking gas for 14 months). Basically, we want safe and clean buildings. Tenants want a preservation buyer to purchase the buildings rather than another private equity firm."
Jodie Leidecker, an organizer with Cooper Square Committee, said in a statement: "After everything Madison Realty Capital has put these tenants through, it's sad to think they could be rewarded with the terms they prefer on these buildings while CPC does nothing to help tenants. That would be like all Madison's wishes come true at the tenants' expense. The tenants, however, are rightly standing up and demanding a voice in the process. I wouldn't bet against these tenants."
The 15 former Toledano East Village buildings involved in foreclosure are:
• 27 St Mark's Place
• 66 E. Seventh St.
• 514 E. 12th St
• 223 E. Fifth St.
• 229 E. Fifth St.
• 231 E. Fifth St.
• 233 E. Fifth St.
• 235 E. Fifth St.
• 228 E. Sixth St.
• 253 E. 10th St.
• 323-325 E. 12th St.
• 327 E. 12th St.
• 329 E. 12th St.
• 334 E. Ninth St.
• 510 E. 12th St.
There is a single foreclosure action for all the former Toledano buildings: SIG RCRS D MF 2023 VENTURE LLC v. EVP 27 ST MARKS PL LLC et al.
Gerald Lebovits, a judge of the New York Supreme Court 1st Judicial District, is assigned to this case,
The defendants have until June 23 to respond.
A belated farewell to a familiar fixture of St. Mark’s Place
The vendors disappeared earlier this year. (Photo below by Steven from 2020.)
We haven't seen the vendors since late February or early March here in the spaces outside the current tenant, Poetica Coffee.
A reliable source informs us that the newish landlord plans to demolish the structure that housed these vendors.
In a sale announced last July, Ryco Capital purchased the three buildings at 127-129 Second Ave. and 36 St. Mark's Place from Jonis Realty (which is run by Citi Urban Management, also owned by the Helegua family) for $29 million.
For decades, until 2020, the corner housed Gem Spa, the candy shop-newsstand. The wall was lined with payphones in the 1970s and 1980s... (and well-known for New York Dolls photo shoots)...
Ray Patel bought Gem Spa in 1986, and he eventually removed a wall, replaced it with glass, and began selling goods such as T-shirts and hats outside. The adjacent kiosk was said to have arrived about the same time. (Photo below from 2019 by Stacie Joy.)
Buying something here was a bit of a rite of passage — mostly touristy, the kind of stop longtime residents might scoff at or avoid altogether. But in a sudden downpour or after a few drinks, it was often where you found yourself. And you knew that you could get the $20 asking price in half by starting to walk away.
You can still find sidewalk hats and scarves from the kiosks that remain on the southeast corner of St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue (as well as outside Funky Town mid-block).
Still, for those who remember the cluttered charm of that southwest corner, its absence leaves the block feeling just a little less alive — and familiar. 
New chapter in healing: Spear PT to open in former dispensary space on 14th Street
There are currently 60-plus locations of the business in the Tri-State area.
This space was previously Columbia Care, Manhattan's first medicinal marijuana dispensary. (Who misses the Super Saving Store?)
Sunday, June 8, 2025
Sunday's parting shot
Photo by Jose Garcia
Dirt Cobain and Outersource refreshed their U Get Me So High mural on St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue today... the mural first arrived here in January 2018.
A free music showcase at Baker Falls on Monday night
On the bill from 7-10 p.m.: local artists lovetempo, The Jack Moves and Rebounder. (Check out Rebounder's new video, filmed partly on Canal Street, here.)
DJ Alisa Ali, who curates "NY Slice" weekdays at noon on 90.7 FM, is the host.
The "NY Slice" showcase is free with an RSVP via Eventbrite.
Aside from seeing some local acts, it's a chance to check out Baker Falls, the venue that relocated to 192 Allen St. between Stanton and Rivington and opened earlier this year.
Week in Grieview
• City issues RFP for affordable housing development on 5th Street (Monday)
• The hidden charms of a soon-to-sell loft building and the former home of Sixth Street Specials (Thursday)
• Cleanup planned for E-bike hub on 11th Street following spike in complaints (Tuesday)
• The Astor Place Greenmarket will not be returning (Wednesday)
• EV Rite Aid remains open for now (Wednesday)
• A band to know: Bec Lauder & the Noise (Friday)
• Talking Heads celebrate 50 years with 'Killer' new video (Thursday)
• The history of 2 East Village backhouses (Tuesday)
• Off the wall: Longtime 'Alphabet City' mural erased (Wednesday)
• New broker for Avenue A storefront that has been vacant for nearly 11 years (Tuesday)
• Signage alert: Eim Khao Mun Kai on 2nd Avenue (Monday)
• Macy's Fireworks returning to the East Side, rightful home of all things spectacular (Thursday)
• The hollyhocks on the former St Emeric's property (Wednesday)
• Sweep the leg, Johnny! Take in a screening of 'The Karate Kid' at First Park (Sunday)
• 88 Coffee debuts at the Bowery Market (Monday)
• Openings: Lil Sweet Treat on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)
• Openings and closing on these 2 blocks of 1st Avenue (Monday)
And get the Week in Grieview emailed to you every Sunday by signing up (for free) here.
For some reason there is now a weekly EV Grieve newsletter
Back during Substack's heyday in 2020, we actually created an account… but we didn't do much more than that.
Anyway, you can now sign up for a free weekly EVG newsletter here. For now, it's just a rundown with all the links and headlines from the past week. (Basically, it's the same thing as the Week in Grieview feature, but emailed straight to you.)
We may eventually add a few (free) extras, and there are plenty of bells and whistles we could explore once we gain a better understanding of the platform.
On that note — yes, we know there were a few gaffes in the first edition. We're working on it. Speaking of gaffes, there are TWO EVG accounts. Use EV Grieve's Newsletter. (We will deactivate the other one after exporting the email subscriptions.)
Hopefully, it'll be a convenient way to keep up with EVG. Thanks, as always, for reading.
Today (Sunday!) in Tompkins Square Park: WastexFest 5
• Blackout Shoppers — 2-2:25
• Complete Fucker — 2:35-3
• Angry Corpses — 3:10-3:40
• YDI — 3:50-4:20
• Urban Waste — 4:30-5:10
• Fang — 5:20-6
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Join author Ada Calhoun for an East Village AMA this afternoon
Perhaps you can ask her about one of her books, including "St. Marks Is Dead" or her recently released (from February) first novel, "Crush."
Find the AMA link here.
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