A new plan for the former Housewatch space on Avenue B

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Back on Feb. 23, we noted that a for-lease sign had appeared at 50 Avenue B, between Third Street and Fourth Street, following the quiet closure of Housewatch earlier this year after nearly 18 months in business. 

The bi-level space has been many different things over the years, including Joey Bats Café, Gama Lounge, Lovecraft, Affaire Bistro and Lounge, and China 1. 

At the time last month, we also heard there might already be a new suitor for the address. Fast-forward to tonight: a proposal for a nightclub at 50 Avenue B appears on the CB3 SLA committee docket. The proposed operator is Abby Ehmann, who also owns two other Avenue B establishments — Lucky Bar and the sober Hekate Café & Elixir Lounge. 

We caught up with her outside the space and asked about her plans. 

What are you planning here? How will it differ from your other places?

I see the space, which will be called B Scene, as an extension of both my current businesses. Those rooms are small, which limits my ability to accommodate larger events, such as birthday celebrations, baby showers, live music and dancing. 

What would you say to neighbors who are concerned about a nightclub opening on lower Avenue B? (See the signs of opposition that arrived on the gate late last week.) 

To my neighbors, I say, first, that I am sorry for their problems with previous tenants. I've lived in the East Village for almost 40 years and know some businesses have proven problematic. 

If you speak to my Lucky and Hekate neighbors, I believe you will hear that I've never been a nuisance, followed the regulations in place, and contributed significantly to the culture of the neighborhood. 

The word "nightclub" obviously strikes fear in people's hearts. I will say that the "nightclub" is underground, with a regular bar above it, where music will be at a conversational level, and will absorb any noise from the basement. There won't be lines down the sidewalk because guests will have access through the upstairs bar. I'm not sure how else to reassure them. 

As a 66-year-old woman and a longtime resident, I'm alarmingly different from other potential business owners. I'm not a nightlife consortium or a recent arrival, dependent upon TikTok to bring in business. 

My staff thus far consists of a full-time manager who lives on 14th between A and B, a head bartender who lives on Houston and Avenue B, and a sound guy who lives on East Seventh, all of them residents who are well over 40 and have lived here for over 25 years. You cannot possibly find a team that is more mature and experienced OR more local.

Find info on tonight's meeting, which starts at 6:30, here. The Zoom link is at this link.