Workers were spotted packing up Gelarto late yesterday afternoon on the northwest corner of Avenue A and Ninth Street (thanks to Steven for the photos)...
The desert shop's management announced via Facebook on May 15 that they'd be closing up in the weeks ahead. Here's part of the message:
It has been a great time for all of us at GELARTO NYC for the past 2 years, but all good things come to an end and that includes our time in the East Village.
We have made many friends and have many lovely and loyal customers on Avenue A, but have reluctantly decided to relocate. We will of course let everyone know as soon as we have our new address, but until then please note you can continue to purchase our gelato at Kings’ and Balducci’s stores (among others) in NY and NJ.
Gelarto, the first U.S. outpost of this Italian brand, opened in June 2017 with Vespa-inspired stools and a painting of the Mona Lisa holding an ice cream cone.
Landlord Icon Realty has had this listing (145 Avenue A) online for weeks now. Per the listing, the asking rent for the 600 square feet is $13,500.
With Gelarto's departure, four of the five businesses that opened in Icon Realty's renovated retail spaces along 441-445 E. Ninth St. (aka 145 Avenue A) have now closed in recent months.
Cafe Pick Me Up moved out away from the corner in May 2015 after 20 years in business. They were housed at 145 and 147 Avenue A, and had two different landlords — Icon on the left, Steve Croman on the right. Café manager Rossella Palazzo told DNAinfo in March 2015 that a rent hike from No. 145 landlord Icon Realty was the reason for the closure.
Updated 8:30 a.m.
Vinny & O shared this interior shot from this morning...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Rent hike forcing Cafe Pick Me Up into its smaller space next door on Avenue A
27 comments:
Icon realty, destroyer of neighborhoods, strikes again. And to what purpose? Do they just enjoy seeing "for rent" signs on their buildings?
Asking $13,500 for 600 square feet?! Yeah, dream on. Maybe drug dealers can set up retail there; that's who can afford it!
And we lost a perfectly lovely coffee shop that preceded.
Amazing that these ice cream businesses stick it out for the whole winter, only to pack up right before peak season. Why now?
Speaking of Icon, I learned recently that they own the never ending scaffolded building on 2nd Ave. between 3rd and 4th streets.
Here's a question: what is the address in the EV of the longest lasting scaffold? 6 Ave. B?
Let's change EV to EB-East Blightsville.
Anyone entertaining the idea of renting a space in an Icon building has got to do their homework. You will not succeed and end up in debt with your dreams crushed. Say that's would be a great name for the next business here "Crushed Dreams". bespoke crushed ice served in a cow hoof, try our best seller Turmeric $ Sumac.
Not only did we lose Cafe Pick Me Up, which was such a great place to sit at one of the outdoor tables for a meal or coffee any time of day, but we also lost the 9/11 memorial mural, which has been complete painted over in black. When I saw them moving out yesterday, I immediately noticed the newly painted over 9/11 mural. Remember when the owner promised to preserve it? So much for promises.
The second thing I notched was that they were leaving right before the peak summer season hits. You would think they would stick it out through the summer, or have realized much sooner that the EV is not Touristville, or that we have way too may desert places already. As Brian already said, why now? Apparently because they have found a better, cheaper location, and realized their location mistake too late.
Let’s hope they don’t think they will have more luck on the Bowery. Either Hudson Yards or the Brookfield Place food mall downtown is more their speed. Plenty of tourists and families with kids, and fewer rats and Big Belly thrash eaters overflowing with garbage.
Oh well, at least they can't say they weren't warned about how bad the combination of this landlord and location would be for them Cafe Pick Me Up had loyal customers, but the very sight of this whitewashed cutesy gelato tourist magnet ended any hope that those old cafe customers would want to try, much less become loyal customers.
So Icon gets a big tax break for keeping these spaces blighted.
Get rid of it already!
That nice white storefront will be tagged into oblivion by this weekend. Now that almost all all these stores are empty, maybe they can combine them and rent it to CVS.
> longest lasting scaffold?
CHARAS / old PS64? 13 years.
Short term, long term, it's all profit to Icon so renter beware.
They had some freezer issues here, or something, but after twice getting rubbery gelato I never went back.
David Ouimet did attempt to refurbish the mural in September 2017.
He was almost done when Icon installed the new trash bins underneath it.
Anyway, it was tagged multiple times.
Icon and their ilk are a bunch of scumbags but they are not the ones solely at fault. A huge portion of the blame can be laid at the feet of the city and its policies. With property taxes, water and sewer charges and constant ticketing by city agencies most mom and pop building owners who in the past were also business owners in the spaces in their buildings are forced to sell to the big companies who then do what they want. As much as everybody clamors for leaving buildings in their old state the zoning of the East Village as historical has added more burdens upon mom and pop owners for additional permitting to get any work done in their buildings. Most opt to say screw it and sell. I am one of the few mom and pop owners left in the East Village and am also seriously considering selling. I can guarantee you once the rest of us are gone the big boys will lobby to get zoning changed and the rest of the Village will become glass 15-20 story buildings in exchange for campaign contributions. DeBlasio is an even bigger scumbag than Icon and most people in the Village voted for him so you reap what you sow.
This is not surprising. I pass this corner on a daily basis. It was a virtual desert during the past two winters, even during the spring and fall. There was even a long period of not being open at all from health violations that were given by the NYC DOH. Since we know Icon Reality has no shame or common decency, they should offer month to month leases with flexible terms if the owner wishes to exit due to the lack of business. Prospective retailers/restauranters need to do their homework before moving into our neighborhood. They need to see who actually resides here, who can afford it, talk with other business owners, and when and where the most foot traffic is. Gelato does feels like more of a sesonal food anyways. And this space was far too large. Another issue with larger rent is due. Perhaps it would have weathered better in a much smaller location on a busier avenue or even a shopping mall? Nonetheless, it is unfortunate because this is our new normal. Open for a few months or a year or two, if you are lucky, and BAM, gone like a passing ship in the dark of night. I truly don't know how anyone can sustain any venture in today's economic climate without enormous monetary resources to withdraw from and/or financial and familial support. Otherwise, one is bound to drop the ball and is left with nothing from a lack of balance and opportunity to excel when the odds are stacked up against someone. In any event, I wish Gelarto the best. Their product was delicious and their staff was friendly as well. Good luck!
@9:20am: Thank you for that perspective, which makes it sound like the big careless landlords (like Icon, etc.) either don't get the harassment the smaller landlords do, or that they just consider all of it a cost of doing business.
I can see why any business owner would want to hang it up (and cash out), but I hope that this neighborhood doesn't totally go down the "demographic cleansing" hole. I've lived here a long time, and honestly I liked it a lot better 35 years ago.
that one commenter is very confused about the zoning.. anyhow, Cafe Pick Me Up gone and so sad when Limbo closed....
Do you know why they don't offer retailers who are about to close a month to month lease? Because the first thing a potential renter would do is to talk to the existing tenant, who would tell them all about the lousy landlord, the lack of business in the area, and all the issues they have had with the space. Then the store would never get rented. When the space is empty, the landlord can spin you a tale about what a great area this is, and look at all the walking traffic, and how there is so much potential business for the right tenant. and what a great landlord they are, and how you would be so lucky to get the space, and how many other people are dying to get their hands on it. This way, there is no one to debunk all their lies.
@11:36am: I see what you're saying, but IMO anyone who's looking to rent from these big-deal landlords (like Icon, Croman or similar) needs to KNOW what sort of landlord they'd be doing business with, BEFORE they sign anything.
And if you want a good landlord, there are some companies who can be crossed off the list right away, if you are actually doing your due diligence!
And there is no substitute for doing your OWN assessment of foot traffic, etc. I would *never* take the word of a landlord, landlord's representative, or broker re: foot traffic and other such things. There's a lot of incentive for them to "big it up" - and as a renter, you have too much to lose if you get taken in by exaggerated claims.
The "right" tenant is the cautious one who's doing their own research on all fronts, and can determine if the variables seem to be in their favor. (Example: don't open your frogurt shop in December, etc.)
And with all the available retail spaces for rent, there should not be any urgency on the part of a potential renter! It's not like there's going to be a shortage of space anytime soon.
They opened the store to brand their product. It's at Kings and Balducci's. That's why they risked the rent. They wanted to get on the shelves of food chains. In the long run it was probably worth the loss.
Given the history of this corner and how difficult it seems to keep it rented, I wonder how anyone can or will sign the lease knowing it will cost 14k a month, which doesn't include other costs such as utilites, operations, product, and wages. No. In order to be successful, a chain must sign on the dotted line in order to stay, even then nothing is promised. Icon reality are scumbags. They lack ethics and principles. Why not just pad lock the doors and not rent to anyone. Keep it an empty space like the other storefronts in this hood and collect tax incentives. Bastards.
Shitty renovations from Icon closed Gelarto. They were doomed the minute they signed the lease.
Icon also continues to harass residential rent stabilized tenants in that building as well.
Letisha James where are you? These criminals are supposed to be under the watch of the AG office according to a 2017 settlement.
Icon sucks, but so did the manager of this place who came out and confronted me once when I was taking a photo of a DOH closure notice on the front door. He said I was not allowed to take a photo of the door and that he had images of me on the security camera. Not sure what the hell that was supposed to mean, but I told him I had been a fan of the place up until that point. Also, I was out on the sidewalk and had every right to take a photo of the door. I complained to the main company but I never went back after that. Just didn't feel comfortable.
Before pinning it all on the evil landlord, this icecream shop never really made too much of an effort. Closed for half the week, limited opening hours at the second half, early night shut down. This works great in Europe, but not here in pigsville.
Boy. The comments on here are nothing short of entertaining So many passionate points of view.
Hi Anonymous 2:24 I agree that all the blame shouldn't go to Icon all the time. But in this case Gelarto had ceiling collapses, constant construction dust, electrical issues and sewage back ups that destroyed their freezers and equipment. All courtesy of Icon Realty Management and faulty renovations. They were doomed from the beginning.
Also, Regarding the 911 Mural; I live across the street and would see graffiti (artists) vandals jump on those garbage bins and tag it. In the middle of the day, right in front of people.
No. Ask the owner of the Stage who got booted out by Icon and their maybe-legal and aggressive tactics and rent increases. We didn't loose the Stage or Pick me up to city fines.
But a lot of the businesses we love were driven out after Icon et al bought the buildings under them. It's not about planning, it's about rapacious greed and caring about maximum profits and nothing else.
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