Crossing 'Delancey'

 

Um, Jennifer?, your new favorite "trans slut rock" duo (Eli Scarpati and Fig Regan), releases its debut record, Um Comma Jennifer Question Mark, today. 

The video here for the insanely catchy "Delancey" includes cameos from Tompkins Square Park.

Tonight's record release show at Night Club 101 on Avenue A is sold out. Um, Jennifer? will also play the Mercury Lounge on May 25. 

Flowery prose alert: Wisteria watch '25

Just checking in on the world-famous wisteria — thriving, blooming, and showing off this spring outside 35 Stuyvesant St. at 10th Street...

Neighbor Harold Appel checked in with this through-the-screen view...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• This photogenic East Village wisteria now has its own jigsaw puzzle

Black Seed Bagels is closing its East Village location (but don't count out a return some day)

After 10-plus years at 176 First Ave., Black Seed Bagels will close up shop here between 10th Street and 11th Street after the business day on Sunday, May 4. 

As co-owner Matt Kliegman explained in a phone call with EVG yesterday, the lease was up, and the company no longer needed such a large space. The First Avenue shop is twice the size of the brand's other storefronts outside the commissary in Bushwick. 

When it opened in October 2015, the space served as Black Seed's commissary for five years, where they prepared their salads and spreads and operated the catering office. In 2020, they relocated that part of the business to a Bushwich location with more functional space.

"If you open businesses like this, you have to be comfortable closing them at some point. Kind of the nature of the beast, but it's always a bummer," said Kliegman, who attended NYU and later lived in the East Village for 13 years. 

He reported that all of the East Village staff will be retained and employed at Black Seed's nine other locations throughout the city, including the latest outpost set to open next month in Long Island City.

Black Seed, which specializes in hand-rolled, hand-boiled, and wood-fired bagels, took over the storefront from DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffè, which had been in operation for 110 years until December 2014. The economy, age and health reportedly compelled the four DeRobertis siblings to sell the building.

Kliegman and the Black Seed team got to know the DeRobertis family and even attended the opening of their new bakery in Clifton, N.J. 

"The vibes were good," said Kliegman, who is a history buff and prefers older buildings with character for his businesses. (By the way, the iconic DeRobertis neon sign is preserved on the residential roof deck of 176 First Ave.) 

An EVG reader who tipped us off to the closing called this "a real loss." The reader, a longtime EV resident, continued: "Black Seed was a place to grab a good sandwich and a seat. They played decent '90s music as well. A real go-to for me and many others." 

The original Black Seed on Elizabeth Street remains open for business. And in talking with Kliegman, don't rule out an EV return someday. 

"I love the area. And you know, I wouldn't be surprised if at some point we just find a smaller format store in maybe a different part of the neighborhood," Kliegman said. "It's a neighborhood that has welcomed us into their arms. There's a great school across the street with terrific teachers and parents ... but we'll be back. I feel pretty good about that."

Misoya closes Sunday on 2nd Avenue

The East Village outpost of Misoya shuts down after service on Sunday, ownership announced in an Instagram post. (Thanks to the EVG reader for the initial tip.)

No word as to why the seemingly homey and popular miso ramen shop, which opened in the fall of 2011, is closing at at 129 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. (We reached out for comment.) 

The West Village location at 535 Hudson St., which opened a few years back, remains in service.

 

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Thursday's parting shot

Crossing Second Avenue at Second Street this evening...

New photo book explores the punk heart of Tompkins Square Park

Photos and Q&A by Stacie Joy 

On any given weekend during the free punk shows in Tompkins Square Park, you likely spotted photographer and artist Andreas Troeger — camera in hand — capturing a scene that is as raw as it is resilient. 

His new photo book, "Our Fucking Park," is an unfiltered portrait series that documents the energy, emotion, and edge of the East Village punk and hardcore shows from 2019 to 2024. 

During a recent interview in Tompkins Square Park, the longtime neighborhood resident discussed the park, the people, and the East Village ethos that fuels his creative work. 

How did the idea of the "Our Fucking Park' book come about? What drew you to capture punk shows in Tompkins as the subject? 

I've always been drawn to extremes — life, love, music, art. Anything less does't hold my attention. 

The punk shows at Tompkins Square Park represent one of the last remaining raw and unfiltered spaces for expression in NYC. It's live punk in its purest form, still defiant, still free. That energy needed to be documented — a living chapter of East Village history shaped by activists, outsiders and relentless spirit.

You both live and work in the East Village. How has that informed and affected your artistic choices? 

I've been living in the EV for 32 years — fighting with landlords over ridiculous issues and surviving 9/11, the financial crisis in 2008-2009, and staying alive during Covid-19, losing lifelong friends and collaborators. Overall, the local community has been very inspiring. 

I tailor my artistic expressions to local issues, as they serve as inspiration for my work. I arrived in the EV as a special student at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in Film and Television Production where I had the chance to work with some visionary artists. 

One of my earliest collaborations was with Nam June Paik, known as the father of video art. His experimental approach influenced how I started thinking about images. Around the same time, I connected with political activists Paul Garrin and Chris Flash, whose forward-thinking ideas pushed my understanding of art's role in activism.

I also began working with Iara Lee, a filmmaker focused on environmental and social issues, whose passion for meaningful stories helped shape my own work in documentary film. I later began developing video projects with avant-garde performance artist Rachel Cohen (RaCoCo). That partnership not only led to a series of experimental video pieces but also to the editing of my first book in the Anti Biography series. 

I continued exploring the space between movement and visual storytelling. After 2000, I started working with the artist Olek on several fine-art videos. These pieces were shown in galleries around the world and eventually led to a commission from the Goethe-Institute. They asked me to create a three-part video series about Alexander Kluge, the German filmmaker, thinker, and writer. That project brought together many of the themes that continue to be in my work — art, politics, memory, and identity. 

What's next for you? Any interesting projects on the horizon? 

I'm teaming up with RaCoCo Productions again to shoot their new avant-garde dance piece Assembly #2 — a mix of video art and photography. At the same time, I'm still documenting the raw energy of the Tompkins Square music scene. Next up: collages and large-format prints pulled from those moments. Street meets studio. Movement meets memory.

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Copies of the book are available locally at Exit9, 51 Avenue A (Troeger with owner Charles Branstool) and Village Works, 12 St. Mark's Place. (The books are also on Amazon. A family-friendly version is also available.)

Chris Flash will have them available on The Shadow table at the first Shows in Tompkins Square Park this Saturday afternoon. Updated: The April 26 concert has been canceled due to the expected rain. The book will be at upcoming shows.

This is when the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop will debut in the East Village next month

Photos by Stacie Joy

The Whole Foods Market Daily Shop is now on the calendar for its grand opening at 409 E. 14th St. — May 14 at 8 a.m. 

The smaller-format store (10,000 square feet!) will offer more grab-and-go items and the usual WF merchandise.

The StuyTown location will include a Juice & Java venue, offering coffee, tea, juices, smoothies, sandwiches and various desserts.

Whole Foods Market's first Daily Shop location opened last September on the Upper East Side. Another one opens in Hell's Kitchen on June 4.

This space between Avenue A and First Avenue was an Associated Supermarket until December 2019. 

You can revisit an earlier EVG post about all this... and here's the media alert that Whole Foods sent out about the grand opening (in case you're interested in learning about the free tote bags).

Another former East Village 7-Eleven hits the rental market

Five months after closing on the SE corner of Avenue A and 11th Street, the former 7-Eleven has arrived on the rental market. 

The broker's signage mentions that the space is avaiable for restaurant or retail use. The online listing states that "all uses considered" for the 2,800-square-foot space.

The 7-Eleven closed after 11 years. The owner told EVG's Stacie Joy that rampant theft was the cause for the closure.

The corner space was previously Bar on A, and the mystery 11th Street side was Angels & Kings, Pete Wentz's former emo hang. 

Meanwhile, the former 7-Eleven on the Bowery remains on the rental market. 

And what are the other two former East Village 7-Elevens now? 

The space at 37 St. Mark's Place is Reiwatakiya, which sells lifestyle and beauty products from Japan and Korea. And at 239 E. 14th St., the old 7-Eleven is in use by the Upright Citizens Brigade to teach comedy classes — because nothing teaches timing like a place that used to be open 24/7! 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The Avenue A 7-Eleven is now closed. The reason why may not surprise you. 

• Angels & Kings closed; did anyone notice?

Wednesday's parting shot

A day ender from Tompkins Square Park...

A look inside the former Fireboat House in East River Park as it faces an uncertain future

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Sitting barren along a tree-less stretch of under-renovation East River Park below the Williamsburg Bridge, the former Fireboat House — most recently home to the Lower East Side Ecology Center — now stands silent and abandoned. 

Built in 1941 for Marine Company 66, the two-story Moderne-style building replaced an earlier fireboat station that had operated off Grand Street since the 19th century.

Inside, it sits in quiet disarray — scattered papers, peeling paint and the faint echo of a place once full of purpose.

It will be the last National Register-eligible structure left in East River Park following the demolition of the Track House and Tennis Center as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project. 

According to an ESCR spokesperson, the Fireboat House is still undergoing a federal review known as the Section 106 process, which is required to ensure that historic buildings or sites are not negatively impacted by construction projects. 

Currently, city agencies — including the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Design and Construction, and the Parks Department — are reviewing feedback received from groups involved in the process. Once those responses are finalized, they'll be shared with everyone involved, the spokesperson said via email. (The LES Ecology Center will be housed further south in East River Park.)

Although its future use remains uncertain, there is hope that this resilient structure might be spared.

Unapologetic Foods has moved on from 82 2nd Ave. for its kebab house concept

A for lease sign arrived at 82 Second Ave. on Monday. 

This is newsy for what isn't going to be opening here: The space was to be the home of Kebabwala, an Indian kebab house from the Unapologetic Foods team. 

Apparently after all these years (news of this dates to 2021), founders Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya decided to move on. 

An Unapologetic rep told us: "It was going to take us another two years to get a gas line there since the building does not have a commercial gas line installed."

The rep said they currently don't have any other EV storefronts in mind for the kebab concept.

No. 82, located between Fourth Street and Fifth Street, has been vacant for at least 10 years and previously housed restaurants, including 7 Spices and Reyna Exotic Turkish Cuisine. (Now we know why the space has sat empty.)

Meanwhile, work continues at 107 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street where Unapologetic Foods is opening an outpost of its popular Adda Indian Canteen. (They were up for a liquor license last July.)

The great Huertas closed here in August 2023 after 10 years in service. The building had a new landlord, and chef Jonah Miller said he could not agree to "suitable terms" for a new lease. 

Reps for Paulie Gee's Slice Shop looked at this space in late 2023, although those plans did not move forward. 

Unapologetic Foods also operates the fried-chicken outpost, Rowdy Rooster, at 149 First Ave. at Ninth Street, and the Filipino restaurant Naks, 201 First Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

Signage alert: The Hood Spot Convenience on Avenue D

Photo by Stacie Joy

Signage recently arrived for The Hood Spot Convenience at 63 Avenue D between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

The space has seen a string of similar businesses in recent years, including Spoils & Oils Convenience Corp., Super Vape Convenience Corp. and CresCent Deli & Coffee Candy Store. 

Meanwhile, on the SW corner of Avenue D and Fifth Street, the 13-story mixed-used development for the lot that once housed the Uncle Johnny grocery (RIP February 2022) is stalled. We haven't seen any activity here for the past two years. However, there are approved permits for the work, dating back to last summer.

Tuesday's parting shot

Thnaks to EVG reader Jim Mullins for this sunset shot from Stuy Town...

Check out the updates coming to the Key Food on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Some big changes are coming to the Key Food on Avenue A. 

A high-level Key Foods source outlined what shoppers can expect in the coming weeks as the store spruces things up, from checkout to cold cuts. 

First up: the checkout lanes. Starting in early May, Key Food will be removing one of the self-checkout lanes and bringing back a good old-fashioned staffed register. 

"Hearing the feedback from customers and management, we wanted to improve the checkout experience," the source said. "We felt that another standard lane would help reduce some of the backup we've seen at the staffed registers."

At the same time, the store is replacing two of its older self-checkout stations with new fixtures.

Then, in mid-May, the rest of the aging self-checkout terminals are getting the boot. The current 11 self-checkouts will be reduced to seven, all of which are newly installed and arranged in a single pass-through lane. The new stations won’t just look sleeker — they'll come equipped with upgraded technology designed to speed up the process and enhance security. 

In addition to the checkout upgrades, Key Food is making changes in and around the deli department. A small standalone refrigerator dedicated to sushi — an EVG customer favorite! — will be added by the end of May. 

The store will also reorganize ("reset") the deli area to better support its grab-and-go options. Cheese and prepackaged Italian cold cuts will move to the current dairy section.

"We're very excited about the updates and hope you and our customers like the changes," the source said.

Signage alert: Revival Dog Training on 7th Street

Photos by Steven

You may have noticed the new signage outside 92 E. Seventh St. in recent weeks...

Earlier this spring, the Houston-based Revival Dog Training announced that it was taking over the former School for Dogs space, located between First Avenue and Avenue A.

In Janaury, Annie Grossman had no choice but to shutter School for the Dogs, the business she started in her East Village living room in 2011, with little to no warning to her longtime patrons and staff. She said a potential sale to another local pet services operation fell through at the last minute, leaving her and the business in financial ruin. (You can read our interview with Grossman here.) 

Here's part of an Instagram post from Revival: 

We are acquiring the very popular and nationally recognized School For The Dogs' Manhattan location, which closed in January. We plan to honor the SFTD legacy through our own programs and brand, and continue to serve dogs and their people in the East Village community, just as they did for many years. We are thankful to have the help of SFTD owner, Annie Grossman, during our transition. 

They plan to open on May 12.

Openings: Sky High Club on Avenue C

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Sunday (4/20!) marked the grand opening of Sky High Club, the first licensed cannabis outlet on Avenue C. 

Owner David Powell (above) holds a justice-impacted CAURD license for the space at 129 Avenue C, located between Eighth Street and Ninth Street. 

The grand opening was to include Jadakiss and Styles P serving as guest budtenders later in the evening.

Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. You can follow the shop on Instagram for updates.

Monday's parting birthday wishes

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HBD (4/21) Iggy Pop... onetime resident of Avenue B...

Flood gate demo offers glimpse of future protection along the East River

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

A group of city officials and local leaders recently gathered along South Street under the FDR — between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges — for a first-hand look at the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project's future in action. 

Representatives from ESCR, the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC), and Community Board 3 were on hand as a temporary hydraulic switch was used to raise one of the new deployable flip-up barriers designed to protect Lower Manhattan from storm surges and rising sea levels.

This stretch of the East River is one of several key points along the ESCR zone, part of the first phase of "The Big U," the years-in-the-making $1.45 billion effort to build layered flood protection along Manhattan's vulnerable coastlines. 

The larger Big U project will eventually cover several miles, from Asser Levy Playground down around Battery Park City, blending protective infrastructure with new, raised park space. 

The demonstration site, situated just off the East River Esplanade, currently features exposed rebar where a permanent, protected panel box will be installed in the future. 

Once completed, the system will allow the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to deploy the gates quickly — within an hour — when severe weather threatens. The DEP will oversee gate operations, with a specially trained team dedicated to monitoring and managing deployments. 

The video below provides the best view of the gates in action.

 

Last fall, the city marked the completion of the first phase between 15th Street and Asser Levy Playground. Upgrades included a revamped Murphy Brothers Playground. 

Construction along the ESCR corridor is expected to be complete by 2026.