CoCo Fresh Juice & Tea now open on St. Mark's Place; also, mascot alert

Oh, that CoCo Fresh Juice & Tea opened this week at 33 St. Mark's Place, last home to the short-lived Iris Cafe.

It's a Taiwan-based business with, well, that many stores worldwide (including several in NYC)...



Don't know much about the place... but they do have a photogenic mascot... (hope this thing is St. Mark's proof.)



This space was previously home to Rockit Scientist Records, which closed in the spring of 2012.

CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice coming soon to St. Mark's Place

Iris Cafe closed last month exactly one month after opening at 33 St. Mark's Place. At the time, a worker hauling out trash bags from the Taiwanese-style bakery said that they would be expanding their menu and reopening.

Meanwhile, signs have arrived announcing an outpost of CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, a Taiwan-based business with 800 stores worldwide, including several in NYC.

Per the CoCo website:

"Driven by a passion to serve drinks of the highest quality and incomparable variety to the urbanites of our new age, the founders set out to create a brand that was to become a symbol of flavor, sophistication and delicacy."

This space was previously home to Rockit Scientist Records, which closed in the spring of 2012.

Iris Cafe 'closed for remodeling' one month after opening on St. Mark's Place

On St. Mark's Place, the Iris Cafe opened in the former Rockit Scientist space (RIP) in the middle of last month ... However, in recent days, the Taiwanese-style bakery with a location in Flushing has been closed... a sign on the door notes that they are "closed for remodeling." A worker hauling out trash bags yesterday said that they would be expanding their menu and reopening.

Iris Bakery Cafe replacing Rockit Scientist Records on St. Mark's Place

The sign is up here now ... and as you can see, they are hiring... Not sure what kind of bakery this will be ... we heard in the fall that it will be a bubble tea shop... Or perhaps it will be one that sells bread. Or it will be more like Eastside Bakery.net a few storefronts away. Or a bakery that will become a bar after they receive a liquor license just to pair with their croissants.

Rockit Scientist owner John Kioussis decided not to renew his lease here, as Jeremiah Moss first reported.

Rockit Scientist Records to become a bubble tea shop on St. Mark's Place

John Kioussis, the owner of Rockit Scientist Records, which closed on St. Mark's Place in the spring, passed along word of the new tenant: A bubble tea shop. Uh-huh. Seems about right these days.

"Thank you NY real estate," he said on Facebook.

Jeremiah Moss first reported on Rockit's departure. Kioussis told Jeremiah, "my lease is ending and i don't want to renew at the current rate, i asked for a rent reduction and was turned down. While business wasn't great, it just isn't worth paying $8500 a month."