[UPDATED] For-lease sign arrives at longtime home of Two Boots Pizza on Avenue A — surprising owner, staff

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

For-lease signs went up today outside Two Boots Pizza on Avenue A and Third Street — catching owner Phil Hartman and staff by surprise.

Hartman said they did not see the sign being installed. 

The timing is less than ideal: Hartman is hosting a private after-party at the pizzeria tonight tied to long-awaited screenings of his 1986 film "No Picnic" opening at the Film Forum.

As previously reported, the longtime home of Two Boots — at 42 Avenue A — was recently listed for rent for the first time in decades amid ongoing lease negotiations. 

Hartman has said he's "cautiously optimistic" about staying in the space, though the listing — and now the arrival of signage — adds a new layer of urgency to the situation. 

Two Boots has been on Avenue A since the 1980s. Hartman previously told us he'd find a home elsewhere in the East Village if necessary. He has no plans to leave the neighborhood he loves. 

Whatever comes next, tonight belongs to Hartman.

Updated 4:18 p.m. 

A tipster told us the sign has been removed... and we confirmed.

While Hartman said he had a cordial relationship with the landlord, he was upset when he learned the for-lease banner had been put up without his knowledge. 

"I will get them to take it down," he told us.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Two Boots' longtime Avenue A home listed for the first time in 30 years as lease talks continue 

• Checking in with Phil Hartman on Two Boots' future on Avenue A — and the East Village