From Katinka to a back entrance on 9th Street

If you're unfamiliar with the north side of Ninth Street east of Second Avenue, you might not notice that anything is amiss outside 303 E. Ninth St. 

But longtime neighbors will.

Katinka, the well-liked, closet-sized shop at 303 E. Ninth St. just east of Second Avenue, closed in the summer of 2024 after 45 years in the East Village. 

In recent months, the landlord has demolished the small storefront. 

The former shop space now appears to function as a back entrance for building staff and a staging area for resident trash — a dispiriting end for one of the neighborhood's most distinctive retail spaces. (Construction photos by William Klayer.)

The permits at the Department of Buildings list the removal of a small structure between No. 303 and 305 and "restore to previous existing conditions."

Opened in 1979 by partners Jane Williams and Billy Lyles, Katinka specialized in hand-made clothing and textiles imported from India, including shirts, vests, quilts, and rugs. 

Over the decades, the shop became a destination for people seeking something personal, thoughtful, and unlike anything else around.

Williams and Lyles announced in the summer of 2024 that they were retiring. 

For many longtime residents, Katinka wasn't just a store — it was part of the fabric of the block. Its disappearance leaves behind a utilitarian void that feels especially stark given what once occupied the space.

Photo from August 2024 by Stacie Joy 

Thanks also to Jason Solarek and Steven for sharing photos of the construction.

Original 16 Handles outpost closes ahead of move to new 2nd Avenue home

Photos by Steven

The 16 Handles outpost at 153 Second Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street has closed ahead of a move a few blocks south.

Door signage for patrons notes that 16H will reopen in a few months in a new Second Avenue home. (Plenty of storefronts to choose from between Third Street and St. Mark's Place.)

According to the sign, they were unable to reach a renewal agreement with the new landlord here...

This was the very first 16 Handles location, a business with more than 40 now, including in South Carolina, Texas, Illinois and Arizona. (The company founder passed away in 2024 at age 44.) 

This arrival also ushered in a divisive FroYo era — Pinkberry, Flurt, YogoMonster, Daydream, Twister and, obviously, Funkiberry — a time that tested friendships, loyalties, and the limits of tartness.

Signage alert: Visit Sicily NYC on 7th Street

An Italian bakery called Visit Sicily NYC is up next at 86 E. Seventh St., just west of First Avenue. 

Here's how the business describes itself: 

"A true slice of Sicily in New York. We serve fresh Sicilian pastries, artisan bread, pasta, panini, espresso, and imported Italian products, all made with authentic ingredients and tradition. More than a bakery or grocery, we are a place to taste, shop, and feel Sicily like home."

If you're on Instagram, you can follow Visit Sicily NYC here. 

The bakery is an outgrowth of Casa Calia, which sells Sicilian products online. 

No. 86 was previously Yubu, which offered a variety of Korean snacks and beverages. They closed in November after nearly four years in business. 

H/T Danielle!

$1 slice Pizza Hub up next at 59 First Ave.

Pizza Hub (type that in a search engine and you'll get Pizza Hut) is the latest slice shop to give 59 First Ave. a go. 

Halal Bites Pizza arrived in the fall of 2024 here between Third Street and Fourth Street... it later morphed into Basilico Pizzeria, which went dark last month. 

New owners are here now. Like its predecessors, the Hub — pinching Basilico Pizzeria's signage for the time being — offers inexpensive slices.

Here, the basic model starts at $1... with an 18-inch cheese pie going for $8.

And your $1 slice...

After some deliberation, our dining companion offered a careful assessment: "It's not bad." This was followed by a quieter clarification: "But it's not good." 

Still, at $1, it's a better deal than the slice places that have stealthily nudged prices up to $1.50.

Taverna East Village has been closed now for 13 months

Photo from last Wednesday 

From the "whatever happened to..." files — Taverna East Village. 

Taverna has been closed since at least early December 2024 at 228 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. 

According to a patron at the time, the Greek restaurant was closed without any notice to the public until a sign later arrived noting the closure due to a "required Con Edison" inspection. 

Meanwhile, the restaurant's website still notes: "We are currently closed due to a Kitchen Renovation project. We are working very hard to reopen as soon as possible." 

That's a helluva kitchen renovation.

The rolldown gates have remained down since then... except a time last May when they were open. Google still lists the restaurant as "temporarily closed." They did not respond to an Instagram message seeking comment on Taverna's status. 

The outpost of Astoria's favorite Taverna Kyclades opened in the fall of 2013. However, ownership changed hands, and the name change to Taverna East Village was made public in June 2024.

Sunday's parting shot

Phoito by Derek Berg 

Today in deliveries on St Mark's Place (just past First Avenue)...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo last night outside Sophie's, 507 E. Fifth St.)

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• An update on Evelyn, the East Village restaurant worker arrested by ICE agents on Christmas Eve (Jan. 5)

• Vigil planned for Renee Nicole Good at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery (Jan. 9) 

• Punjabi Grocery and Deli is back, serving on 1st Street (Jan. 8) … Punjabi Grocery and Deli hasn't been open in weeks, and people are starting to worry (Jan. 5) 

• Bowery Electric space to reopen as the Bowery Palace; Jesse Malin up first in new theater (Jan. 8) 

• Veselka looks to add full liquor license at longtime East Village home (Jan. 6) 

• The classic Japanese restaurant Beron Beron has closed on 1st Avenue (Jan. 5) 

• Sole focus: At the opening night of 'Feet Pics' at Ruby/Dakota on 2nd Street (Jan. 10) 

• Activity at a historic 2nd Avenue address (Jan. 7) 

• Ahead of its opening, Lazy Bulldog brings Turkish coffee to this 6th Street stoop (Jan. 7) 

• '50 Years of PUNK' this January (Jan. 6)

• CBGB audio doc gets another spin on WBAI (Jan. 4) 

• Reading the signs: An art show opens at Psychic Readings on 5th Street (Jan. 4) 

• The Parks Department will be mulch obliged if you bring your Christmas tree to Tompkins this weekend (Jan. 9) ... At Mulchapalooza 2026 (Jan. 10) 

• What will be the 12th establishment in 12 years for 334 Bowery? (Jan 6) 

• First signs of retail (Sephora) life at 1 St. Mark's Place (Jan. 6) 

• After raids, fines and silence, is Green Line finally done on Avenue B? (Jan. 8) 

• The retail space at 95 2nd Ave. is for rent (Jan. 5) 

 .... and the liquor store on the NE corner of Avenue A and Fourth Street went under new ownership earlier last year... the temp signage for Avenue A Liquor & Wine arrived on Friday (thanks, William Klayer, for the photo). It's no Fine Wines & Champagne's!

OK, this is the first EVG newsletter plug of 2026

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And thank you, as always, to everyone who has signed up so far.

At Mulchapalooza 2026

Photos by Stacie Joy

MulchFest 2026 returned to Tompkins Square Park today, kicking off what is arguably the event of the early winter social calendar. 

Neighbors arrived with last season's Christmas trees, left with fresh mulch, and lingered long enough to catch up, people-watch and debate the finer points of tree disposal. 

Day 1 scenes, as captured below...

Parks will be back at it tomorrow (Sunday) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ...

Sole focus: At the opening night of 'Feet Pics' at Ruby/Dakota on 2nd Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

Here are scenes from the crowded opening last night of "Feet Pics," a group exhibition at Ruby/Dakota on Second Street featuring only feet (or "footworks," as the gallery puts it).

"Feet Pics" is on view through Feb. 14. Gallery hours are Thursday–Saturday, 1–6 p.m., or by appointment. 

Ruby/Dakota is at 155 E. Second St., just east of Avenue A.

Back to last night... artists include Monica Loya ...

... and Kiki Joyce...

And (below right) is gallery owner Hannah Studnick...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sam Keller (@sam_big_gulp)

Feeling the 'Need'

 

The fiery Irish quartet Sprints play the Bowery Ballroom on Feb. 5 (not yet sold out). 

The band's sophomore album, All That Is Over, came out back in the fall. The video here is for "Need."

The Parks Department will be mulch obliged if you bring your Christmas tree to Tompkins this weekend

Photo from Sunday 

FYI: MulchFest 2026 (aka Chipping Weekend) runs tomorrow and Sunday (Jan. 10–11) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Tompkins Square Park is one of the official chipping sites, which means city crews will happily turn your discarded Christmas tree into a bag of fresh mulch for you to take home — perfect for gardens, tree beds and other responsible, plant-related uses.

Vigil planned for Renee Nicole Good at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery

There's a small memorial for Renee Nicole Good on the 10th Street outside St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery at Second Avenue. 

Good, a 37-year-old mother of three originally from Colorado, was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday. 

Church officials are inviting neighbors to leave a prayer or flower in her memory — and in memory of others currently in ICE detention — on the 10th Street fence. 

"A vigil for lament and hope" will take place on Monday at 7 p.m. at St. Mark's Church. The event is being sponsored by Middle Church, Trinity Lower East Side and Judson Memorial Church.

Trump administration officials described Good as a domestic terrorist who attempted to ram federal agents with her car. Local and state officials disputed federal authorities' narrative of events, calling the shooting unjustified. Her ex-husband said she was a devoted Christian and that he had never known her to participate in any protest. 

Top photo via @stmarksbowery

Noted

This turned up overnight on the back side of the Tompkins Square Park field house, according to several EVG readers. (And yes, it says what you think it says.) 

The response from neighbors ranged from annoyed to disgusted — not least because the field house only reopened last April after an 18-month revamp. 

The reconstruction of the field house that serves the park included a complete renovation of the building's interior and exterior, upgrading all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Accessibility improvements feature reconfigured layouts, new entryways, ADA-compliant ramps, and renovated restrooms and maintenance areas. The mayor's office funded the $5.6 million renovations. 

Updated: 

Parks was on the tag pretty quickly, power-washing it off the wall...

Photos via @voxvixen

Punjabi Grocery and Deli Is back, serving on 1st Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Good news for Punjabi faithful: Punjabi Grocery and Deli is back open. 

After a multi-week closure, Punjabi reopened yesterday at 114 E. First St., just west of Avenue A. 

We stopped by between customers to find Surinder at his usual perch... 

Punjabi's homemade cuisine is known for its large portions of inexpensive, delicious vegetarian dishes. (Cash only, as always.)

And that was back in view yesterday...

As previously noted, the gate had been down in recent weeks, with no signage for patrons — and no updates on the shop's Instagram — prompting some neighborhood concern. 

The closure was due to a plumbing issue, and the two restrooms inside were renovated. 

Punjabi's hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.