Dorm-style studio for five guys is back on Craigslist

Hey, one of our favorite Craigslist, uh, listings is back!:

$500 / 500ft² - Apt to share with 4 guys (East Village)
Roommate needed to share my studio apt. for just $500 a month plus a $500 refundable deposit. I'll pay all the utility bills!
This is a 1-room studio apt. that is set up dormitory style with loft beds and curtain dividers.
The space is perfect for someone who won't be spending all their time in the apt. and who won't be bringing in much stuff.

No smokers please. I have a tiny dog and a big cat. The space is available immediately.

At least this time the ad isn't in all caps, like last June.

Previously on EV Grieve:
We'll always have Craigslist: 'Seeking third roommate that doesn't suck'

h/t @serenaspeaks

[Photo is not of the actual studio]

Good-looking people (we assume) wanted to show East Village apartments

A reader sends along this ad from Craigslist:

Property Management, in the East Village, seeks ENERGETIC, UPBEAT, FRIENDLY personality, to meet & greet our potential tenants. Must be honest, hardworking, & reliable. Will be responsible for advertising with brokers & on Craigslist, showing apartments, and helping us screen new tenants. When not out with tenants you will be assisting with day to day tasks around the office: answering phones, filing, dispatching maintenance crew, etc. Real Estate experience a plus!!! Please respond with resume in the body of your email & recent photo. Resume's with Photo's will be given priority. Full-time, Part-time, & Students Welcome!!!!

Meanwhile, kind of related:
The Wall Street Journal has a piece today on a San Diego company that "aims to fill high-end empty houses with occupants who play the part of happy homeowners, in a bid to remove the price-depressing stigma of vacancy." The article features a woman who does this. She got the job via Craigslist. "When a real-estate agent phones, Ms. Clavin says, 'I live here' -- because technically, I do,' and provides a broker's number before the caller inquires further. She must keep the house spotless between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. She usually gets only five minutes to light the candles, flip on music and disappear before a showing. If she has more time, she'll bake cookies to scent the home." How much longer before we see such a company sprout up here?

Craigslist apartment scammer is on the loose again

[From March: NYPD photo of the suspect, aka David Horowitz and Michael Bryant]

You may recall a post back in March, in which police were looking for a man who they say conned 10 women out of more than $20,000 with fake Craigslist ads for East Village apartments.

Apparently he's still up to his old apartment-scamming tricks.

Someone left this comment on the post last week:

I was just scammed by this individual. He did the exact same thing. I was shown the apt with keys and everything. I went to move in yesterday and found two other individuals already living in the studio who said they had rented it from the same guy. He took two payments from me of $2,200. He also showed the studio to the couple that are currently staying there.

This man works with a woman and also took two payments of $2,200. I went online and googled East Village Craigslist rental scams and the picture of this man came up and recognized him immediately as this is who I met that subleased this studio to me and the other renters.

I went to the Police yesterday [Sept. 5] and told them the story and have a meeting with a detective tomorrow. The other renter is coming with me and said she went to the police today and was told that this man was arrested a few months ago and got out and is now doing the same scam again using a different alias. The police officer also mentioned that this was a big case and there are some 36 accounts against this man.

The apartment in question this time is at 178 Ludlow St. CBS New York broadcast the story last night. There's some surveillance video too, though it's not the greatest quality. You can watch the video and report here.

As always: Anyone with information that could help in the investigation may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Andy Warhol-owned townhouse used to swindle apartment hunters in the East Village

Craigslist ad of the day: "This is for the OFFICIAL Michael Jackson Dancing Tribute Video"

Via Craigslist:

LOOKING FOR A CAR WITH DRIVER - URGENT (East Village)

Hi,
We need a car with good speakers and a driver for it for tomorrow, sunday august 23rd. This is for the OFFICIAL Michael Jackson Dancing Tribute Video, we will need you to come at 5 different locations in manhattan between 10am to 6pm and just pump up the volume of "Beat It" There will be hundreds of dancers and if you want, you can be part of the video! it will be seen all over the world.
The compensation is 100$ for the day.
please contact us soon this is urgent!!

Busy Bee Bike Shop is NOT going out of business

[January 2012]

A tipster sent us the following Craigslist listing last night...



Per the ad: "We at busy bee bike shop are closing down due to the lease going up, so we are giving away free used bicycles."

However. The ad is a FAKE. Per a listing today:

BUSY BEE BIKES (East Village)
THERE ARE NO FREE BICYCLES BEING DISTRIBUTED AT ANY TIME. WE ARE NOT GOING OUT OF BUSINESS. WE HAVE BICYCLE RENTALS AND BIKES FOR SALE.

No word at the moment who was responsible for the fake Craigslist listing.

EVG Etc.: 'Mom-and-Pop Storefronts' in focus; LGBTQ icons in Stuy Town; Jim Jarmusch at Metrograph

[Photo on St. Mark's Place by Derek Berg]

• Study: The number of affordable apartments spurred by a partial rezoning of the East Village and Lower East Side in 2008 fell short of the city’s projections, creating only 55 percent of the below-market-rate apartments estimated (Curbed)

• Democratic lawmakers are racing to renew the state’s rent laws before they expire on June 15 (City & State)

• A feature on the latest project from EV residents James and Karla Murray — “Capturing the Faces and Voices of Mom-and-Pop Storefronts” (amNY)

• Preview of the Lower East Side Film Festival (B+B)

• Neighbors are coming together to help pay for emergency oral surgery on Oreo, the cat who hangs out in the 6th & B Community Garden (Official site)

• East Village merchants among those interviewed in a piece on how small businesses are surviving today (WWD)

• "Wig," the documentary on the rise of Wigstock, which started in the East Village, premieres on HBO on June 18 (Official site)

• The recently opened Black Emperor on 2nd Avenue near 12th Street has good bar food (Gothamist... previously on EVG)

• Portraits of LGBTQ icons arrive in Stuy Town (Town & Village)

Jim Jarmusch retrospect underway down on Ludlow Street (Metrograph)

• The White Horse Tavern's transformation into a "first-class gastro pub" (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

• The U.S.'s first poster museum opens this month in Chelsea (Hyperallergic)

• Catching up with CJ Ramone (LA Weekly)

And last night, an EVG reader who lives on Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue found an abandoned Sirrus men’s bicycle. Here are details via a Craigslist ad:

Found this bike laying on street next to a parked car on 3rd Street...

Unlocked but with a u-lock hanging on handle bar. There are some rather distinctive features that probably only the owner would be aware of, so shoot me a message to identify. I’m not looking for a reward — just want to get it to its rightful owner and it seems fancy (I’m bike ignorant).

So, if you’re missing a bike and can tell me a couple things that would narrow it to being yours (or you have a pic of it!), I’m more than happy to give it to you as my apartment is tiny and it’s now taking up my entire living room!!

You may contact the bike good samaritan via the Craigslist ad.

We'll always have Craigslist: Parting the curtains at Buffalo Exchange

Like most things too good to be true on Craigslist, this NC-17 ad is a probably fake, but...

Buffalo exchange - m4w (East Village)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2010-06-09, 6:25PM EDT

We were across the aisle from each other in the dressing room. After a few minutes I realized my curtain was cracked and you could see all of me. First I was embarrassed and then I noticed that you had opened your curtain so I could see you too. I wanted nothing more than to sneak into your dressing room and eat your pussy until you came again and again. I can't get that beautiful image of you out of my head!

You were wearing a skirt and black/gray backpack and. Sadly, I missed you when you left. I would love to see you again! xoxo

Well... that's so sweet. I hope this has a happy ending. Maybe this can become another Subway Girl of His Dreams. Hmmm.... The Buffalo Exchange Dressing Room Woman of My Dreams With Whom I'd Like to Perform Oral Sex On... OK, this needs some work...

You can own the shuttered Avenue A diner Odessa, now for sale on Craigslist

Odessa has been closed for nearly 11 months at 119 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

Last July, longtime manager Dennis Vassilatos said that Odessa, which dates to the 1960s, was shutting down after a prolonged slump in business due to the pandemic.

However, closer to the last day, co-owner Steve Helios told Gothamist that Odessa was only closing temporarily, that the space would be renovated. (The building's landlord is Odessa partner Mike Skulikidis.) Few people bought this story, though. 

And for these last 11 months, Odessa has sat frozen in disco-fries time, without any noticeable activity inside.

However, an EVG reader (thanks, Bobby!) noticed that the diner was recently put up for sale on Craigslist... 

Per the ad:

Odessa Diner for Sale — Large Diner/Restaurant is a neighborhood staple for 44 years. Bustling business is located on a very busy street across from Tompkins Square Park and draws crowds with 24/7 service. It comprises over 2,000 SF on the ground level and 2,000 SF in the basement. Most of the business is walk-in with a significant possibility for growth by creating a large take-out business. Great casual and quick dining options for a densely populated area. Significant growth & expansion opportunities. 

Alternatively, it can easily be converted to other dining concepts with full bar. The location is ideal. Seats 100 in the restaurant and 9 at the counter. Kitchen is fully equipped and in excellent condition. Full basement with walk-in boxes and freezers. Full liquor license. Full breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night menu. New lease will be given to buyer. The owner requires that buyers provide Proof of funds. First time offered. Great opportunity.

Asking price: $400,000.

Who's in?

Former Le Souk space 'needs a real restaurant operator'

Save for a few mysterious parties, Le Souk has been dead and gone now five years this October. (The State Liquor Authority terminated Le Souk's liquor license in October 2009.)

Since then, the space has been empty (much to the delight of neighbors) ... and on and off the market several times. We spotted a listing for the space at 47 Avenue B between East Fourth Street and East Third Street back in July 2011. The asking price then was $25K.

For rent signs arrived along this Avenue B corridor earlier in the summer. And now the listing has arrived on Craigslist. Let's check it out (Bolding via EVG):

This is a restaurant space that has an atrium in the back, the ansil/flute are in place. there is 6,627 square feet on two floors that could be divided for the right tenant. The asking rent is $331,350 per annum and $27,612.50 per month. This place needs a real restaurant operator. there was a liquor license at one time the new tenant would have to apply for a new one. Tenant will pay their proportionate share of real estate taxes as well as their own utilities which will include water, gas and electric. ownership would be willing to split up this site.

The photos at Craigslist are worth flipping through to admire the ancient ruins of Le Souk. Let's carbon date that disco ball.

Meanwhile, the former Max space at 51 Avenue B also remains on the market. Asking rent is $10,000 a month. This space has been vacant for 20 months.

Previously

Where is Eloise?

Seems to be a rash of missing pets in the East Village in the last week or so... here's the story of Eloise, a 16-pound Border Terrier ...



The owner writes in that his dog Eloise was taken yesterday morning at 5 a.m. from in front of the Olympic Grocery at 13th Street and First Avenue ... He had gone in for a quick moment and left Eloise out front. He placed a "missing dog" ad on Craigslist and the Voice.

He received a response from the Craigslist ad around yesterday afternoon. The e-mailer included a detailed description of the person who may have Eloise. This is what she wrote:

I am certain I saw your dog today!

A man was walking her down 1st or 2nd avenue around 11th street. My dog wanted to say hi to her and he told me he found her tied up outside a store. He thought she'd been abandoned. She was scared, but physically ok.

He was clearly not in his right mind (it was noon and he said he'd just woken up and was up stealing dogs at 5 am). He said he'd called the number on the tag - 311, but no one picked up. He was trying to let the dog find her way home. He was a tall white man with dark hair and a large tattoo of a bird on the inside of one of his forearms. I would say he was in his 40s or 50s (but I'm not good at telling peoples ages).

He said if he couldn't find the owner, he wanted to keep her. I tried to convince him to call 311 again because they'd have record of her owner and he said he would. I want to stress that this man was clearly not in his right mind but I do not think he would hurt the dog, he really seemed to like her and wanted to come up with a name for her if he couldn't find the
owner.

Here's more information...

Report: Cops bust Craigslist apartment scammer

In the Post today, there's an NYPD Daily Blotter item about a woman trying to lease a man an apartment on East Sixth Street that was already occupied.

The victim responded to an ad on Craigslist and arranged with Emma Hunt, 25, to lease the pad on East Sixth Street, between First and Second Avenues, for $3,250, court papers claim.

The victim forked over the money and was given a set of keys that didn’t work, cops said.

Hunt was arrested Oct. 19 and charged with grand larceny.

Michael White now hiring at Nicoletta

Yesterday, we took a look at the incoming Michael White pizzeria on Second Avenue at 10th Street ...

Anyway, a reader sent us a link to a Craigslist ad ... apparently, if you're interested, they're hiring front-of-the-house positions... Per Craigslist: "Focused on pizza and Italian cuisine, we are seeking staff to share in our love of food, passion for service, and desire to develop a new brand offering the highest levels of quality, hospitality and professionalism."

Bonus ad except for host/hostess: "Able to multitask while remaining calm and hospitable."

Craigslist headline of the day: "to the two little shit twerp crooks last night at jimmy's no.43"

On Craigslist...

this is your bartender speaking.
i really, truly believe you stole my jacket. because someone did. and you left abruptly before finishing a beer of which you first complained about the price then borrowed money to buy. you also made a quip about not being easily identified at a crime scene.

i don't care about either of you, but please leave my jacket at the bar sometime soon. unless you threw it in a city trash can on the corner once you realized no one would leave anything valuble in an unattended jacket.

who knows, maybe you fucks are wearing my pressed powder & eyeliner. jokes on you tomorrow at school - that shits waterproof and i'm willing to bet college boys don't know how to properly wash their face.

there are two possible endings to this story - i see my jacket again, or you're smart enough not to walk back into the bar and hope i don't recognize your shitty prepubescent patchy facial hair on the street.

kisses!

Creepy Craigslist ad seeks '4 sexy hot bartending robots'

A reader pointed our attention to this Craigslist ad...

looking 4 sexy hot bartending robots (Lower East Side)
Popular LES soul jazz bar/tavern is looking for asexual stage performing robots, models r3710 thru r3710-2.0, to entertain curious onlookers on a brightly lit stage, with witty repartee' and story telling, while fetching & mixing alcoholic beverages, at their command. Most current drivers for brightest, friendliest, openiest, sexiest robot communication skills that 99.99999% of humans have been genetically program to find appealing, by what ever God they believe in, if any, required. Race, Creed, Sexual Orientation, Age, Sex, Robot or Bar Code status UNIMPORTANT.

All tips are pooled and divided evenly. Restocking will be required. Obscure, but legit, constitutionally protected, soul sucking ritual, will be performed, involving chicken feet and body fluids (you don't want to know) to determine your level of MOJO. (please include return address for soul or return cannot be guaranteed) A picture of your robot self, lock of robot hair and/or robot fingernail clippings, with resume, will be required for ritual or there is a small but still significant chance you will become a face eating, end times, zombie robot. If interested please reply.

Perhaps someone's idea of a joke, though it's not really funny. (Of course, robot humor is tough to pull off...) Probably fake? Or, perhaps, it's real...?

The apartment where the golden rule 'is that no one else can tell anyone else to be quiet'

[Via @TimHerrera]

An East Village apartment-for-rent listing via Craigslist has been making the rounds of late. (The ad is no longer live.)

Esquire wrote about it last week in a post titled Is This the Worst NYC Apartment Listing You've Ever Seen?

Sounds promising!

Apparently the ad is for real... here are some excerpts...

"We are all in our late 20's - early 30's here in NYC to live it up, take advantage of the sweet neighborhood, and have as much fun as possible while still managing to make it to work on time!"

"We all play in bands, love live music, and entertain guests on a regular basis along with the occasional open jam session at random hours of the night."

"If you are the type of person whose main source of entertainment is sitting at home, watching Netflix on your laptop, this apartment is definitely not for you.

"The neighborhood is loud, people in the building make a ton of noise, once in while, you may even want to pop in some ear-plugs... but we love it here!! There is a drum-kit in the common room along with guitars & amplifiers, where we jam out on a regular basis, create art, and engage in stimulating conversations with other tenants in the building. If this is something you would enjoy, please join us!"

The rent is $1,325.

And the room measures 11 x 6.

Anyway, Esquire spoke with the person who takes out the for rent ad. His name is Haffro.

And here's part of the Q-and-A between Esquire and Haffro:

How big is that place? It seems pretty small from the description.

It's a four-bedroom. Actually, a three-bedroom apartment, but I moved into the utility closet. It's a pretty big closet, 6 x 5. I live in there, and I just rent out the rooms. The biggest bedroom is 12 x 11, the middle is 12 x 10, the smallest is 11 x 6. They're all fully furnished, so when people come in, I don't have them bring their own shit. The ideal roommate would be someone moving in, coming to NYC with a suitcase and a backpack. The entire place costs $3800.

What reactions have you gotten to the Craigslist ad?

We don't really get that many responses. I probably get five or six each time I repost it. You can repost it every 48 hours. When I do get a response, I have another response I cut and paste in there, and the main thing is, I'm like, "All right, I just want you to know, in our apartment I think of it like a living, breathing art space. We have one golden rule, and the one rule is that no one else can tell anyone else to be quiet."

After being told that some people think it sounds like the worst living situation ever, Haffro responds:

If you don't like live music, what do you like? What're you gonna watch, Netflix? It pisses me off. We're trying to create a creative environment; people can bring their guitars, smoke weed. It's a very progressive building. Some people will walk by and say, "I saw the door open, I heard some music, I thought I'd stop in." I mean, you know the East Village, you know the idea. It used to be very punk rock. It's not like that now, kind of boutique a little bit, fancy cocktail bars. For me, I just live at dive bars, just mop bucket, disgusting-smelling bars. Those are the places I like...

H/T @FashionByHe

Deleted Craigslist ad of the day: "This location is similar to east village, lots of artists and musicians and city people that are willing to spend!"

Spotted on Craigslist. Unfortunately, the ad has been removed...But not before ....

lucrative resteraunt on orchard st lower east side w/ achol license!! (Lower East Side) $7000

this restaurant is about 2100sq ft and has everything that you need to start making money on this busy high foot traffic location of lower east side!! 5 mins walk to the F, J, M, Z trains on Essex station 1 stop into williamsburg brooklyn. back yard seatings are available!! fryer, hood, prep are (in basement), built in fridge and ice machines ready and usable!!. there is definitely money to be made in this restaurant and absolutely great location!! This location is similar to east village, lots of artists and musicians and city people that are willing to spend! Wine and Beer License 100% transferable to new owner!!!! please note that no alcohol licenses are given out in this area anymore, so just the alcohol license alone is worth a lot of money!! and it is included in key money $15,000. You have to see it to believe it!! Lease is negotiable, asking rent is 7000/month. Everything is negotiable!

Feel free to guess the location.

Meanwhile! Holiday lights on Orchard Street...from last November.

We'll always have Craigslist: 'Seeking third roommate that doesn't suck'

There is a listing on Craigslist with the heading "$1750 Seeking third roommate that doesn't suck (East Village)"

What constitutes a roommate who sucks? In this case, the people who placed the ad — "two cool guys from Michigan who went to school at the University of Michigan" — explain what went wrong with the third roommate, a woman who has agreed to move out.

And to the ad:

Here are some of the things we experienced in our first three months with her. Stop reading if you seriously might do one of the things listed below. Otherwise, take humor in our past suffering.

1) You own a non-spaded dog that gets dog period juice (that's right, I called it that) all over the apartment, and then you decide not to tell us about it until we find it is an epidemic of disgustingnesss. It was cleaned up by a maid.

2) You pull stuff out of the garbage and attempt to reuse it. In this case, the prior roommate removed a water bottle container that had been used to store urine during an emergency situation. Yes, our roommate drank from a plastic water-bottle filled with piss for seven days that she pulled out of the garbage. Fireworks followed. More can be told in person.

3) You attempt to fix a freezer frozen completely shut with a hammer. I can't make this shit up.

4) You let us know the day before rent is due that rent+utilities exceeds your budget during your first month living with us.

5) You regularly and randomly start crying during any serious conversation.

Oddly enough, we started regularly and randomly crying while reading this ad...

Noted

An EVG reader sends along this Craigslist ad for an apartment available for rent (the address isn't listed) ... the reader thinks these might be the three most random restaurants mentioned together in a Craigslist ad ...

Conveniently located just a block from the F train and steps from some of the city's best restaurants and nightlife including Black Iron Burger, Katz's Deli, and L'arte del Gelato

L'arte del Gelato is based in the Chelsea Market with carts at Lincoln Center and the High Line during the summer.

East Village resident wants 'female hipster' to moon him for 3 seconds

Courtesy of Gawker, we learned about the existence of this real or fake Craigslist ad...

Mooned by female hipster
I know, I know. Strangest fetish ever. But I can't successfully talk myself out of it, so I'm hoping to craigslist it into enactment.

What I'm hoping (but not exactly expecting) to find is an attractive-ish female who is either a hipster or who possesses the wardrobe and willingness to fake it, who will consent to moon me for a fee.

I am able to host this encounter at my place in the East Village or willing to travel virtually anywhere else you'd prefer. Chaperones are perfectly welcome. The entire transaction would consist of me handing you cash in advance followed by you mooning me for approximately three seconds. The entire encounter needn't last more than five minutes, awkward introductions included. No photography, no commercial aspect, no contact whatsoever.

Your chance to live in a cabin on the Lower East Side

Oh, sorry — thats's a Cabin Caravan. So this Craigslist ad is making the rounds:

Small unusual cabin caravan in Manhattan's lower east side situated on a forested edge of a private lot with 24/7 security. Large windows and a skylight ensure an open and airy feel in the minimally furnished interior outfitted with a full sized bed, desk, lamp and kettle for making tea or coffee. Linens and blankets will be provided.

Appealing places, cheap and otherwise, within walking distance for dining and entertainment and several small parks within easy access to public transportation. A bicycle and a lock are included with the cabin if you prefer travel above ground.

The cabin has no running water or toilet, there is a toilet on the property steps away.
Previous guests have used a convenient 24 hour gym to shower.

Single occupancy or couple preferred, perfect for someone quiet, clean, independent, no pets.

All the windows shut and lock and there are curtains so you are not exposed, there is a heater, the space is small and warms easily, there are plenty of extra blankets if necessary.

$900 for the entire month, can be prorated.

Here's what it allegedly looks like...

Whether this is all real, well, you never know with Craigslist. Still, we're feeling a bout of cabin fever coming on...