Photo by Stacie Joy
At East Village Tattoo, celebrating its first anniversary today at 207 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B...
Saturday, March 29, 2025
At the closing party for Lori McLean's jewelry shop
Photos by Stacie Joy
Last Saturday, Lori McLean held a closing party at her eponymous jewelry shop at 207 Avenue A, between 12th Street and 13th Street.
As we reported, McLean decided to retire from running a storefront after two decades.
After a summer hiatus, she will continue doing custom work for clients. (Check her website for details.)
EVG's Stacie Joy stopped by for the shop's farewell...
McLean had two East Village storefronts, first on 11th Street then 207 Avenue A.
"My landlord is great and really saved us during the COVID shutdown," she said of No. 207, which will be available to rent in May.
A week left for 'Before the Clean-Up' at new East Village gallery Smilers
Flyer via @smilersnyc
You have a week left to catch the latest exhibit at Smilers, a small basement gallery that debuted in Janaury on Sixth Street.
"Before the Clean-Up" features photography by Nick Waplington and Lizzi Bougatsos as they documented the 1990s NYC underground club scene...
The show, which opened on March 6, runs through next Saturday. Hours: noon to 6 p.m., Thursday to Saturday.
The gallery, launched by Mark Beasley and Laura Tighe, is at 431 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. (The address was also home to William Wegman's studio.)
Also: Our old EVG friend James Maher has launched a new video series about photography books and shows in conjunction with Miwa Susuda of Dashwood Books and Session Press. His first interview is with Nick Waplington. Watch that here.
Noted
Photos by William Klayer
This morning on First Avenue and Ninth Street... OK, who stole the lug nuts?
Saturday's opening shot
Friday, March 28, 2025
Tainted love
"Liquorice" is the latest single from Freak Slug... on the recently released deluxe LP I Blow Out Big Candles (But with a Cherry on Top).
You can catch Manchester's finest at the Bowery Ballroom this coming Wednesday. Find tickets here.
A moment with East Village artist Scooter LaForge
Photo by Stacie Joy
We caught up with East Village-based artist-designer Scooter LaForge yesterday.
He is enjoying a moment in "The White Lotus" season three spotlight.
Fans of the HBO series, which people enjoy discussing and dissecting far too much (all in on the monkey theory, btw!), likely spotted two of LaForge's T-shirt designs that Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), who suspiciously became friends way too fast, wore as party dresses during the full moon party episode that aired March 16.
His upcycled design collection is available at Patricia Field's newish boutique on the LES or online.
LaForge talked about his art and designs with NBC 4's Ashley Bellman the other day. Watch that here.
Welcoming back another East Village sidewalk
Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy
The scaffolding/sidewalk bridge is coming down around PS 64/Earth School on Avenue B between Fourth Street and Sixth Street.
The construction crew says, "80% of the structure is coming down, and there is still work being done on a small part."
It will be nice to see the building again. It seems like that sidewalk bridge went up when Mayor LaGuardia was in office.
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Thursday's parting shots
March 27
On St. Mark's Place, sidewalk emerges after lengthy construction stint
Photo by Jacob Ford
On the NE corner of St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue, workers have pushed the barricades closer to the new 9-story building ... allowing use of the sidewalk again for the first time in five-plus years.
Pre-leasing is underway for the boutique office building, which includes 7,700 square feet of retail space.
The return of the sidewalk might mean the end of this from the sidewalk bridge and construction zone era.
An impromptu goodbye party as Sabor A Mexico closes on 1st Avenue
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
After 15 years at 160 First Ave., Sabor A Mexico has shut its doors.
The nook of a restaurant closed on Monday.
On Tuesday evening, I found (from left) owner Maria Escamilla, her brother, chef Enebidio Escamilla,
and staffer Antonia Escamilla inside the space...
They welcomed me in to take some photos, discuss the decision to close, and drink some strong house-special passion fruit margaritas.
Like other small business owners, Maria cited rising costs as the driving factor behind the closure.
"The economy, rent, supplies. I couldn't afford to pay my employees anymore, and I wanted to quit while I was ahead," Maria said. "The cost of ordering food was going up."
She does not owe back rent and decided to leave the storefront between Ninth Street and 10th Street before she dug herself into a deeper hole.
Maria will take a few weeks off to plan her next move, but she says her current focus is on shutting down the shop.
"Thank you to all the guests, our customers, and the support we received. The business was a way to give my kids an education," said Maria, who has two adult daughters, a son, and several grandchildren. "The restaurant also helped employ other people and provided for them. My friends, family, and clients, this means a lot."
Originally from Guerrero, in southern Mexico, Maria moved to the United States in 1988.
"This was my dream, my restaurant, my cuisine," she said. "I learned my style of cooking from my momma. This keeps the tradition going."
As I eyed my still-half-full margarita, people stopped by to thank the family.
An impromptu party broke out, with Maria giving everyone souvenirs from the place.
Last days for Current Coffee and Sunday C&C Eatery at the Bowery Market
Ownership will look for a new, larger space after its run here.
Here was the closing announcement on Instagram...
It was a lively spot with an upbeat vibe and a year-round summery feel — not bad for a corner of the Bowery and Great Jones.
Meanwhile, the plant-based Sunday C&C Eatery is ending its two-year stint at the Bowery Market on Sunday. Owner Christian Torres said he is seeking a full-size restaurant space for his Latin American cuisine. (The Instagram post announcing the closure is no longer online. Eater had an item about it here.)
We contacted the Bowery Market to see about new vendors in the works for the open-air space that debuted in 2016.
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Wednesday's parting shots
Photos by Steven
Today, on the 10th anniversary of the deadly Second Avenue explosion, Nixon Figueroa visited the corner where his son Nicholas died on March 26, 2015.
Nicholas, who was 23, was having a late lunch with a friend at Sushi Park, 121 Second Ave., when an explosion rocked the building. The blast killed Nicholas and Sushi Park employee Moises Locón, 27, and injured more than 20 others.
On this 10th anniversary, Nixon was surprised that no one was there. He wondered if a ceremony had been planned and he simply hadn’t been informed. There wasn’t one.
The grieving father said he felt as if he had died that day, too.
Previously on EV Grieve:
'A reminder of the tragedy that left many physically and emotionally wounded...'
First, the victims. Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón died on March 26, 2015. Figueroa, 23, who had recently graduated from SUNY Buffalo State, was at Sushi Park, 121 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, and the site of the fatal blast, dining with a co-worker. Locón, 27, worked at Sushi Park.
However, Obus said he gave the defendants a break on their prison time because they were older and "did not intend to blow up the building."
"It's not enough. It’s a joke," Nixon Figueroa, father of Nicholas, told reporters afterward. "What kind of justice did you give us? You didn't give us no justice. It's a slap in my son’s face."
The explosion injured over 20 others and leveled three buildings — 19, 121 and 123 Second Ave. A condominium complex at 45 E. Seventh St. (above) sits on two of these three lots. A third lot remains vacant.
Here's some background about what has happened to date with those people who were convicted for their roles in the explosion.
In November 2019, a jury found landlord Maria Hrynenko, who took over ownership of the buildings after her husband, Michael, died in 2004, contractor Dilber Kukic, and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and related offenses for their role in the explosion.
Prosecutors said that Hrynenko, driven by greed, and her cohorts rigged an illegal system to funnel gas from 119 Second Ave. to 121 Second Ave. to save money.
In January 2020, they were each sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. Hrynenko remained out on bail for two more years as she waited for an appeal of the case.
During the sentencing, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus told the courtroom, "What the defendants did, in a matter of speaking, was roll the dice with the lives of many people. The results, as we know, are catastrophic."
However, Obus said he gave the defendants a break on their prison time because they were older and "did not intend to blow up the building."
"It's not enough. It’s a joke," Nixon Figueroa, father of Nicholas, told reporters afterward. "What kind of justice did you give us? You didn't give us no justice. It's a slap in my son’s face."
According to public records, Hrynenko, 65, was released from prison in October 2023 after serving 20 months. She was eligible for parole in November 2025. Her conditional release date was November 2029, and the maximum date is November 2033. It's not known at this moment why she was released early. Records show that she is under post-release supervision through April 2026.
Kukic, 49, served at the Wallkill Correctional Facility after sentencing in early 2020. He was released on parole last month. Ioannidis, 68, remains in custody at the Adirondack Correctional Facility in Essex County, N.Y. He is also eligible for parole in September.
Michael A. Hrynenko, Jr., Maria's son and a key figure in the gas explosion investigation, died on Aug. 25, 2017. He was 31, according to an obituary posted on the Pizzi Funeral Home website. The cause of death was never disclosed.
RIP Janne Schaefers
Information via the EVG inbox...
It is with profound sadness that the East Fifth Street Block Association announces the death of Janne Schaefers.
Janne was the central force of the East Fifth Street Block Association for many years. Her association with the BA began with the trees that now line East Fifth Street between First Avenue and The Bowery, for which she is solely responsible. She was also the driving force behind all substantive efforts by the block association.
She spent countless hours at Community Board State Liquor Authority Committee meetings advocating for residents on and around East Fifth Street. She organized community protests that resulted in major agreements with large businesses, garnering substantial commitments to the quality of life for East Fifth Streeters and the elderly residents of The Greene Residence. She was also involved in the protest and eventual closing of Sin Sin, an intensely disruptive rogue bar (and location of a murder) located on the southwest corner of Fifth Street and Second Avenue.
Janne was a fighter. She worked hard for our block, the trees, and the quality of life she expected for herself and her neighbors. If you knew her, we sure hope you were on her right side. If you weren't, well, you weren't the only one!
As Spring approaches and the budding canopy of trees blesses East Fifth Street for another year, take a moment to enjoy them and give thanks to the tough old gal who brought them to us.
Williamsburg hit Titi's bringing the empanadas to 7th Street
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Titi's, a family-owned restaurant in Williamsburg specializing in empanadas, is opening an outpost at 130 E. Seventh St. just west of Avenue A this spring.
I talked with co-owners (from left) Nate Ramm and Jesus Villalobos inside the space the other day...
Villalobos, whose family also runs the Venezuelan restaurant Cachapas y Mas, which has locations in Ridgewood and Inwood, says they will serve empanadas, cachapas, Cuban sandwiches, and coffee. There will be 18 varieties of empanadas, largely Venezuelan, although some fusion offerings are in the works.
There will be two, maybe more, vegan options, plus vegetarian choices, and Villalobos tells me that about half the menu is gluten-free.
"I like the neighborhood — it's a good place for our demographic," Villalobos says. "There are people willing to try different ethnic foods and are adventurous."
He also pointed out his immediate neighbors. "There is a Latin/Caribbean corner here with Miss Lily's, Yuca Bar and 787 Coffee," he says. "It's a good fit for us."
Plans are for Titi's to be up and running the first week of May.
Titi's topped The Infatuation's recent "Best Empanadas in NYC" list. (This Eater feature has more on Villalobos and his family.)
While I was there, Villalobos was working on a donation to Trinity's Services and Food for the Homeless and EVLovesNYC.
"We embrace community and want to be a part of the community," Villalobos says.
This retail space was most recently the Instant Noodle Factory.
Moving on: The construction trailer has left Tompkins Square Park
Photos and reporting yesterday by Stacie Joy
Late Monday night (10:30, a source said!), workers removed the construction trailer from Tompkins Square Park, marking another step toward a construction-free area around the field house.
The trailer arrived on May 5, 2023, as renovations were ramping up. It was plopped down a few convenient feet from the well-used ping-pong table.
An NYC Parks official told us earlier this month that the field house upgrades were complete, and the Park staff was conducting final inspections.
There is still no word on when the area might reopen. The official said they are still working on scheduling a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the upgraded facility.
The reconstruction of the field house included a complete renovation of the building's interior and exterior, upgrading all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Accessibility improvements feature reconfigured layouts, new entryways, ADA-compliant ramps, and renovated restrooms and maintenance areas.
The mayor's office funded the $5.6 million renovations, which were much needed because the field house rarely had heat or hot water, and the restrooms could have been used in the first film in the "Saw" franchise.
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Tuesday's parting shot
Photo on 1st Avenue today by Steven
Today marks the 114th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
As in the past 20-plus years, volunteers have participated in the chalking project (organized by Street Pictures), writing the names and ages of the victims, mostly young women, in front of the buildings where they lived on the Lower East Side.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which occurred on March 25, 1911, in New York City, remains one of the deadliest industrial disasters in U.S. history. The tragedy claimed the lives of 146 garment workers. Management locked the doors to the stairwells and exits to prevent unauthorized breaks. The trapped workers either perished in the flames or by jumping from the factory windows.
Located at the northwest corner of Greene Street and Washington Place, just east of Washington Square Park, the Triangle Waist Company became a symbol of the urgent need for workplace safety reforms.
For more details on the fire and its lasting impact, visit the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition website.
At the annual fundraiser for the Sixth Street Community Center
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The Sixth Street Community Center held its Annual Fundraiser Dinner on Sunday night. Proceeds go to support the Food Distribution Program, which has provided free access to farm-fresh produce to thousands of food-insecure families on the Lower East Side since April 2020.
I stopped by as the staff was prepping the four-course meal created by Chef Frumpy Grain.
According to an Instagram post, the Center raised nearly $7,000.
Learn more about the programs at the Sixth Street Community Center here.
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