H/T Steven!
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Thursday's parting shot
The incoming Whole Foods Market Daily Shop shapes up in StuyTown
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The transformation of the former Associated continues at 409 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
Workers told us progress is "going quickly" and the "next stage" should begin soon. (We don't know exactly what the next stage might entail.)
As previously reported, Whole Foods Market is opening a smaller-format store, Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, in this space...
Last Fall, Beam Living shared the following email with StuyTown residents about what to expect:
This store will be one of the first locations of the new Whole Foods Market Daily Shop — a recently announced quick-shop concept from the grocer. Whole Foods Market StuyTown will provide a convenient option for grab-and-go meals and snacks, weekly essentials, and the wide range of fresh, seasonal produce that Whole Foods Market is known and loved for. This location will also feature Juice & Java, which provides coffee, tea, fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, sandwiches, soups, and desserts.
You can read this EVG post for more details.
NYC's first Whole Foods Market Daily Shop opened at 1175 Third Ave. on the UES last fall.
Associated closed here in December 2019. Joseph Falzon, the store's owner, previously said that a confluence of factors had cut business nearly in half. For starters, construction on 14th Street for the L train obscured the supermarket with a 12-foot fence for nearly two years.
Soda Club is moving from Avenue B to Avenue A
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Soda Club is moving from 155 Avenue B near 10th Street to 95 Avenue A at Sixth Street.
The Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded vegan wine and pasta bar will take over the space that Amor y Amargo occupied until it relocated to its original home next door several weeks ago.
Overthrow's Ravi DeRossi confirmed the move.
"It's a super busy restaurant," he said of Soda Club, "and we're turning away a lot of people in the small space that we currently have on Avenue B."
Construction at No. 95 will commence ASAP... with an anticipated mid-March ready date.
He said Overthrow will hold onto 155 Avenue B.
"We have a few ideas, but nothing solid yet," DeRossi said.
Soda Club debuted on Avenue B in the spring of 2021.
The T Mobile shop that always looked closed on 14th Street and 1st Avenue has closed
Photos by Steven
Door signage points patrons to the location several blocks to the west on 14th Street...
This wraps up 10 years at this spot... arriving in April 2015. The previous tenant, Pizza Bagel Cafe, abruptly shuttered in November 2014.
Anyway, T Mobile often looked closed. We sometimes thought they didn't want to look too inviting for anyone to wander in. This has long been a troubled corridor, with many people staggering around like some kind of zombie apocalypse.
Some Downtown Funk and Junk coming to 9th Street
Reporting by Stacie Joy
A vintage clothing-jewelry story is coming to 333 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
We don't know much about the new venture, Downtown Funk and Junk, but it sounds promising.
This storefront was previously Yosei Nails.
The new shop will be adjacent to vintage veterans Spark Pretty.
The storefront to the west, the former Pride Smokes, is currently on the rental market.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Wednesday's parting shot
The gallery is at 313 Bowery between First Street and Second Street.
Fake O returns with a side of mayo at Katz's
It turns out this was for a Hellman's mayonnaise Super Bowl ad that reunited Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal as characters from 1989's When Harry Met Sally, eating some too-puny-for-Katz's sandwiches.
ICYMI the ad, which was in heavy rotation today... Sydney Sweeney also makes an appearance...
The spot will officially debut during Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 between the Commanders and Bills*.
* — yes, we know
The building that houses East Village institution John's of 12th Street is for sale
Image via LoopNet
The five-story building at 302 E. 12th St., which includes the 117-year-old classic restaurant John's of 12th Street, is now on the sales market.
Before delving into the details, the listing at Cushman & Wakefield notes that John's signed a 10-year lease extension in May 2022.
To the listing:
The building features 8 residential units and 1 ground-floor retail unit. The residential units consist of 5 fair market and 3 rent-stabilized apartments, with 2 units per floor. Of these, all 5 fair market units, along with rent-stabilized Unit 2, are 2-bedroom, 1-bath units, while rent-stabilized Units 6 and 8 are large 1-bedroom, 1-bath units. The rear second-floor unit boasts a large private terrace.
Recently, 7 of the 8 residential units, including all 5 fair market units and rent stabilized units 2 and 8, have undergone complete gut renovations, leaving the Property with no deferred maintenance.
Owned by the same family for 40 years before its acquisition by an international investment group, the Property has since undergone a full renovation, completing the business plan and creating a turn-key, stabilized trophy investment opportunity for investors.There are also 1,333 square feet of additional air rights available. The asking price is $9.25 million.
Nick Sitnycky, who became a co-owner of John's with Mike Alpert in 1973, sold the classic red-sauce joint in 2016 to a long-time restaurant customer.
Sitnysky, who grew up on Avenue B, owned the building until 2018. Public records show the property changing hands to an LLC with a Midtown address for $7.75 million.
Pink Olive is returning to the East Village
Image from 2023 via Instagram
In August 2023, Grace Kang closed Pink Olive, her gift and stationery boutique on Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, after 16 years in business.
She continued operating her outposts in the West Village and Cold Spring, N.Y.
This week, Kang announced her return to the storefront at 439 E. Ninth St., where she first launched the business in 2007.
Here's the message via Instagram:
After closing our beloved East Village store 18 months ago, I'm thrilled to announce… we're heading back to the East Village! EV was where it all began 18 years ago, and it holds such a special place in my heart. It's where I grew professionally as an entrepreneur, connected with some of the loveliest people who remain dear friends to this day, and everything in between. Everything I've been through has brought me full circle, back to where it all began, and I couldn’t be more grateful. This 2.0 version will be prettier, sparklier, and better than ever! Stay tuned for updates as this special journey unfolds.The eastern storefront at No. 439 had remained vacant after her departure.
You can read our Q&A with Kang from 2017 right here.
H/T Bayou!
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Films we want to see: 'Peter Hujar's Day'
The synopsis:
A film adaptation of the book, "Peter Hujar's Day," by Linda Rosenkrantz starring Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall. It invites audiences into a single day in 1974 with groundbreaking queer photographer Peter Hujar. Set entirely in one room, the film re-creates the conversation between Hujar and Rosenkrantz, recorded on audio tape nearly fifty years ago and later published as a book. Through their freewheeling, intimate exchange, Hujar shares vivid stories of his interactions with literary and cultural icons like William Burroughs, Candy Darling, Susan Sontag and Allen Ginsberg, while also reflecting on the rhythms of everyday life in 1970s New York.
To the blurbs!
• "Whishaw and Hall play 1970s New York artists in a gorgeous monologue of a movie that becomes one you want to live inside." — IndieWire
• "Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall Take an Illuminating Snapshot of a Queer Artist in Ira Sachs’ Gorgeous Character Study." — The Hollywood Reporter
• "Ben Whishaw Plays the Noted New York Photographer in Ira Sachs’ Magical 1974 Time Capsule of a Movie." — Variety
• "Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall Are Breathtaking in Ira Sachs' Experimental Drama." — Collider
No word about a distribution deal or release date yet.
Hujar lived and worked above the Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater (today, the Village East by Angelika) on Second Avenue at 12th Street. Read more about the space where Jackie Curtis and David Wojnarowicz lived before and after Hujar right here.
I highly recommend the book, "Peter Hujar's Day," which is a transcript of a conversation between Hujar and Rosenkrantz. Per the description: "Rosenkrantz asked Hujar to write down everything he did one day on Dec. 18, 1974."
Bought a copy at Mast on Fifth Street and Avenue A several years back.
Hujar died from AIDS-related pneumonia on Nov. 26, 1987. He was 53.
The former P.S. 64/Charas/El Bohio Community Center has a new project name
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Meet the Creative Community Collective — aka C3.
The former P.S. 64/Charas/El Bohio Community Center on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C has a new project name.
That was the big reveal during last Thursday night's public informational session at the Grand Street Settlement on Pitt Street, which attracted nearly 125 local residents who wanted an update on the long-dormant East Village property.
C3 is more than a restoration project — it's a commitment to preserving the spirit of collaboration, creativity, and community service that has defined former P.S. 64 for over a century. The goal is to shape the building into a multi-use arts, educational, and community hub that remains publicly accessible while serving both the Lower East Side and the broader needs of New York City and beyond.During this pre-construction phase, C3 serves as the platform through which we engage the community, invite feedback, and chart a path forward together.
There was a recap of the updates from the October public meeting with representatives from Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Denham Wolf Real Estate, representing the landlord, said to be a private foundation. (This post has more about the reported owner.)
There was an update on the structural surveys and exterior condition reports: The building is stable, though with some loose masonry. A partial vacate order remains in place.
Denham Wolf's Jessica Stander spoke about the interior work, the year-round security team, lighting, safety measures, and removing dead — and living — animals living or trapped inside.
"We are now pigeon-free with a safe and stable site," she said.
Meanwhile, the timeframe hasn't changed, per Denham Wolf's Paul Wolf, who discussed money for renovations and capital
expenses. The project will cost over $100 million and take four to six years to complete.
Afterward, Francis said he was pleased with the meeting (which was much less contentious than in October).
"Overall, it was a strong night. The community members asked thoughtful questions, which signals
sustained deep interest — fantastic news. I'm also very pleased with the
positive reactions to the project name, as it helps make it feel more 'real,'" he said. "There's clear momentum with fundraising opportunities; several
attendees approached me afterward, offering to make introductions. I'm excited to dive into fundraising aggressively because this is such
a compelling opportunity. Once we extend awareness beyond the
community, I'm confident we'll generate even more support."
You can keep tabs on the C3 website for updates.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Tuesday's opening shots
Photos by Cecil Scheib
A view to the west this morning, where the rising sun reflected off the windows...
Monday, January 27, 2025
L.A. Fire Relief shows continue at Berlin, the Bowery Electric and Heaven Can Wait
The New York music scene is coming together to raise funds for the fallout caused by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Each night's ticket proceeds will go directly to mutual aid efforts providing resources, support, and relief to those affected by the fires. In addition to live music, there will be DJ sets, tattoos, raffles, and more. Any ticket purchased will be honored at all venues day of show, capacity allowing.Shows continue tomorrow and Wednesday night at...
Today in skywriting
Thanks to Ms. Wildflower and Mark H. for the photos...
D.A. Bragg announces sentencing of shooter in gang-related murder on 3rd Street and Avenue D
Photos from May 2022 by Stacie Joy
A man who reportedly gunned down a rival gang member in May 2022 has been sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison.
On Friday, Manhattan D.A. Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced the sentencing of 20-year-old Zymir Humphrey for murdering 21-year-old Brandon Atkinson on May 15, 2022, on Third Street and Avenue D. That shooting set in motion a series of retaliatory deadly shootings.
According to court documents and statements, the case involved members of rival local gangs, Up the Hill and Down the Hill.
Per the DA's office:
In May of 2022, an associate of Up the Hill was the victim of a robbery and Humphrey, who was a member of Up the Hill, believed that the rival gang was responsible. Atkinson, although an associate of Down the Hill, was not part of the robbery.
As admitted in the defendant's guilty plea, on May 15, 2022, at approximately 11:15 p.m., Atkinson was at a deli near East Third Street and Avenue D. Humphrey traveled to the area, which was believed to be territory belonging to the rival gang, and shot Atkinson in the back of the head. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.U.S. Marshals arrested Humphrey in West Virginia in July 2022 and extradited him back to NYC. This past November, he pleaded guilty in New York Supreme Court to one count of Murder in the Second Degree.
"Zymir Humphrey shot and killed Brandon Atkinson in a cruel and vicious act of gun violence," Bragg said in a statement. "Senseless cycles of retribution continue to fuel gun violence that destabilizes our communities and, far too often, results in the deaths of young New Yorkers. As Manhattan district attorney, tackling gun violence remains my top priority."
Atkinson's death was part of a sprawling gang feud that also saw two local residents murdered in the Bronx. According to published reports, LES resident Nikki Huang, 23, allegedly had her purse stolen by a member of the Down the Hill gang. Huang, who was said to have friends in the Up the Hill gang, told them about the snatching.
As the Post reported, the payback started with Atkinson's death.
Later that night, two Up the Hill members were shot and wounded on Pike Street. Huang and a friend from middle school, Jesse Parrilla, 22, were also kidnapped and executed that night near the Pelham Split Rock Golf Course in the Bronx.
Parrilla, a former college basketball player who lived with his mother on 12th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, was said to be an innocent bystander. According to press reports, he simply gave a longtime friend a ride.
Three suspects have been charged for the murders of Huang and Parrilla. Those cases remain active. A fourth suspect remains at large.
Before the sentencing on Friday, Humphrey offered an apology. "I would like to apologize to Nikki Huang's family because, in all reality, she didn't have anything to do with [any] of this. Jesse's family also," the Daily News reported.
While being led out of the courtroom, Humphrey told someone in attendance to "smoke that weed," per press accounts.
----------
A memorial for Brandon Atkinson on the corner of Third Street and Avenue D from May 2022
Previously on EV Grieve:
• After deadly shooting, fearful residents speak out about the drug activity on Avenue D & 3rd Street
Madonna endorses Baz Luhrmann's new East Village bar Monsieur on 4th Street
The bar is reportedly owned and operated by the acclaimed Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann ("The Great Gatsby," "Elvis" and "Moulin Rouge!"), his Academy Award-winning production designer wife, Catherine Martin, and Golden Age Hospitality (The Nines, Le Dive, Acme, and Deux Chats).
In its first week, Madonna endorsed the establishment in an Instagram carousel featuring Luhrmann, Akeem Morris, Jeremy O. Harris, and others. Per the post: "When you're feeling down, go to Monsieur."
Vogue had a sneak preview of Monsieur in an online post on Jan. 16:
When touring the space — formerly gay club The Boiler Room — Luhrmann spied a stained glass window. It was a lightbulb moment. He and Martin were in the throes of visual research for their upcoming film, Joan of Arc, visiting castles in Cologne and studying suits of armor. What if the bar took the form of a gothic medieval lair meets rock-and-roll club?And so, the fictional namesake proprietor of Monsieur was born: a man of the Middle Ages, who, like Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, mysteriously never ages as he moves through the centuries adopting various personas until he becomes a nightlife impresario. "This was given to Monsieur when he first started out in a foreign country to remind him that he was a bellhop," Luhrmann says, pointing at a bellhop figurine. "Even though he tells people vaguely that he’s from royalty, he knows that he was a bellhop."Next, Martin got to work to distill that sprawling vision into a series of rooms. She sourced Jacobean revival chairs from Chairish and 1stDibs. She found modern-day tapestry makers. She even discovered a sculptor named Cardboard Dad on Instagram and commissioned him to make a cardboard suit of armor, which she then put in an aquarium case. ("It was going to be a real aquarium with armor and jellyfish," says Luhrmann, who believes Monsieur also had a previous stint as a pirate. Martin gently pointed out the impracticality and suggested this as an alternative — "I love it darling, brilliant, but absolutely impossible to do," Luhrmann says she told him.)She crafted cabinets of curiosity and commissioned an artist to make a stained glass window where the aforementioned pet chimp Thibault reads The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Meanwhile, Neidich collected photographs by New York nightlife legend Dustin Pittman to hang on the walls. Then he developed the menu. It includes shrimp cocktail, jamon iberico, grilled cheese, and (fittingly) croquettes monsieur with osetra caviar.
Luhrmann's involvement with the new bar surprised a few residents we talked to after the Vogue piece came out. For the record, no one was particularly upset by this — just curious about what the clientele would be like and how scene-y it would be even though Luhrmann told Vogue "we're not naturally incl,ined towards hanging out with the establishment." (Still, Madonna arriving the other night in a black town car to a menu of croquettes monsieur with osetra caviar, served in a space dubbed a "medieval lair," doesn't exactly scream "neighborhood spot" for the locals.)
After 30-plus years as a dive-y neighborhood bar with a pool table and jukebox, The Boiler Room closed last April ahead of a move to a new space on Second Avenue. (Management said the building's landlord at No. 86 had them in a two-plus-year court battle over pandemic-related back rent payments.)
Golden Hospitality's Jon Neidich and Craig Atlas received Community Board 3's approval for a new liquor license for the address in January 2024. The questionnaire on the CB3 website includes a letter from Neidich describing the still-unnamed venue this way: "In terms of concept, we are looking to create a great neighborhood spot which welcomes guests of all orientations and genders, and like Boiler Room is welcoming to all."
There wasn't any mention of Luhrmann's involvement at this time.
Golden Age Hospitality is renovating Lucy's at 135 Avenue A for its next EV project. In a letter to the local block association, Neidich told them that their "involvement is solely premised on preserving an East Village institution: Lucy herself will very much still be a part of this project (and will still be behind the bar!). We will not be changing the concept or design of the space (we will be adding some soundproofing in the ceiling and an ADA bathroom)."
Schmackary’s coming back
Photo by Seth Treiman
Schmackary's is returning to the neighborhood.
Signage is up at 127 Fourth Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street for an outpost of the bakery offering a variety of cookies, brownies, etc.
The business was previously at 35 Cooper Square between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. After a July 2019 debut, they didn't reopen following the pandemic PAUSE of March 2020. (That Cooper Square space is now Librae Bakery.)
According to the brand's Instagram account, this outpost will open on Feb. 1. The company also has locations on West 45th Street and in Englewood, N.J.
No. 127 was last home to MiGarba, the Italian cafe that closed in December 2020 "due to New York [COVID] restrictions and unsustainable rent." A Glosslab was set to take the storefront, but the signage eventually disappeared.
Sunday, January 26, 2025
Week in Grieview
• A visit with Anne DeVita (Wednesday)
• Reports: 20-year-old East Village man dies in stabbing on the Lower East Side (Sunday)
• Cat power: Crowdfunding to keep Ollie's Place open on 9th Street (Monday)
• Taking a look at the all-new Baker Falls, now in soft-open mode on the Lower East Side (Wednesday)
• An afternoon with Ray (Thursday)
• The now-former Korean Street Foods space is for rent on Avenue A (Wednesday)
• A look at East Village boutique Pink Lion, a recent arrival on 9th Street (Thursday)
• From repairing to storing cars: A new era for the former Ludlow Garage (Friday)
• Tacombi is not reopening on 12th Street (Tuesday)
• Signage alert: Smashed on 3rd Avenue (Tuesday)
• Openings: Tiki Tiki on First Avenue (Tuesday)
... and if you've joined or migrated to BlueSky in the new year, you can find EVG there...
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Sunday Morning opens this... Sunday morning on Avenue B
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The cinnamon-roll specialists at Sunday Morning are set to debut tomorrow (Sunday!) morning at the cafe, 29 Avenue B, between Second Street and Third Street. (First reported here.)
Co-owners Armando Litiatco (below left) and Ahmet Kiranbay were testing a batch yesterday ...
They'll be offering eight varieties (menu here).
Per their website: "Our cinnamon rolls are made in the classic American style. A soft, pillowy, save-the-center-for-last kind of roll."
There are various coffee drinks available, too.
Hours tomorrow: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Afterward, the hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
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