Village Works is moving to St. Mark's Place

EVG file photo

Village Works, the gallery, bookstore and artist space, has a new East Village home. 

Founder Joseph Sheridan had been looking for a new storefront after his lease at 90 E. Third St., just west of First Avenue, was set to expire — this after an unsustainable rent increase. 

Later this spring, Village Works will debut at 12 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

With the additional space, Sheridan will also be able to offer café service.

Here's more via an Instagram post yesterday: 

We found a new space and want to thank everyone for their support! This is what can happen when a forward-thinking landlord, a community and a small independent business work together to make sure storefronts continue to flourish in NYC. Small businesses keep our streets vibrant and safe and are the reflection of individual dreams, instead of corporate needs. 

Appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve our community, while continuing our dream of a space reflecting NYC culture on the best street ever for that, St. Mark's Place! Thank you so much and may everyone else never give up and fulfill their own visions for themselves and their community. 

The landmarked building was the first home of the German-American Shooting Society Clubhouse in the 1880s. 

More recently, St. Mark's Bookshop was here, moving around the corner to Third Avenue and Stuyvesant Street in 1994... and in the past few years, the space has been a variety of concepts, some more forgettable than others.

Meanwhile, Village Works continues to crowdfund to help make the move. 

St. Mark's Vegan Food Court debuts at 12 St. Mark's Place

[Image via Instagram]

At 12 St. Mark's Place, the 4-year-old Vspot has joined forces with three other establishments to debut the St. Mark's Vegan Food Court, now in soft-open mode here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Joining Vspot are Marty's V Burger, Cheff' Rootsie's veggie grub and Jam Pâstre. You can find the individual menus at this link.



Vspot has been the longest-tenured food-drinks venture at the address in recent years, where Hanjoo, Hirai Mong, Gama, San Marcos, Siren and @Cafe have come and gone.

The V-Spot coming soon to St. Mark's Place

Here are more details about the new restaurant opening at 12 St. Mark's Place.

The V-Spot, with a location in Park Slope, offers Latin vegan cuisine. Here's a description via their website:

For people who eat vegan or kosher, or both, it's not always easy to enjoy tasty Latin dishes, but a one-of-it's-kind restaurant in Park Slope is changing that. The V Spot is a vegan restaurant specializing in Latin cuisine that is Kosher certified under IKC Kosher. We serve delicious meatless and dairy-free dishes that use traditional Latin seasonings, like adobo & sazon made from scratch. Instead of meat, we use our homemade seitan, which is wheat-based, full of protein but doesn't contain any carbohydrates. Our menu is full of flavor, cholesterol-free & no animals were harmed in the making of your dish.

We also offer gluten-free options such as Kale Tostadas or our Quinoa Curried Kale. If you have a sweet tooth you can try one of our soy milkshakes, fresh vegetable juice, fruit smoothies & vegan desserts. ​Our empanadas are famous through out New York City & also available via FreshDirect's online delivery system. Our current flavors are Colombian style, Black Bean, Jamaican Jerk, Philly Cheese Style & Breakfast Scramble.

The V-Spot menu is here.

No word on an opening date, though they are hiring now... the signs arrived yesterday...



The address here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue was previously home to Hanjoo, which closed in February after nearly three years. No. 12 has also been home to a number of bars-restaurants in recent years, including Hirai Mong, Gama, San Marcos, Siren and @Cafe.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Organic omnivore, vegetarian or vegan restaurant wanted at 12 St. Mark's Place

Looks like No. 12 St. Mark's Place has a suitor

Last month, we spotted the above signs at 12 St. Mark's Place to entice any potential restaurateurs to give this space a try.

And it looks as if it worked: An applicant called Williamsburg Vegan Corp. is on the April CB3/SLA committee agenda for a full liquor license. At this point we don't know anything about the applicant (CB3 hasn't filed the questionnaire with more background just yet.)

Williamsburg Vegan Corp. was on the CB1 docket out in Brooklyn earlier this year for a space at 280 Bedford. (We'll see if any of our Brooklyn friends know more about this.)

Hanjoo, which opened here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue in October 2012, closed last month. Han Joo's owners have designs on a new space on East Sixth Street.

No. 12 has also been home to a number of bars-restaurants in recent years, including Hirai Mong, Gama, San Marcos, Siren and @Cafe.

Organic omnivore, vegetarian or vegan restaurant wanted at 12 St. Mark's Place

Hanjoo recently closed at 12 St. Mark's Place (the owners have designs on a new space on East Sixth Street).

Meanwhile, this sign appeared outside No. 12 to entice any potential restaurateurs who want to give this space a whirl…



Not sure if this is a legit request.

As noted previously, Hanjoo opened here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue in October 2012… and it seemed poised to stop the recent revolving door that included Hirai Mong, Gama, San Marcos, Siren and @Cafe. The address was also once home to the St. Mark's Bookshop.

Hang out this summer in a St. Mark's Place penthouse — hammocks included

In case that you are in the market for a "furnished summer penthouse rental" on St. Mark's Place. Then you're in luck! Here's a new listing via Streeteasy:

gorgeous loft in the heart of the east village ...massive open loft with windows on 4 sides, a gigantic fire place, hardwood floors and 14' ceilings. windowed kitchen and windowed bath, top floor of elevator building.

Hmm, no mention of those hammocks seen hanging in the pic above. Also, that fireplace might not be too useful if we are in for the oppressively hot summer that summer weather predictors are, um, predicting...



Anyway! The rent: $5,900. The penthouse is at 12 St. Mark's Place — in the former German-American Shooting Society Clubhouse. Back in the late 1880s, the building housed a saloon, bowling alley as well as a small shooting range in the basement.

Cue the long lines: Japadog opening first New York City location on St. Mark's Place

Here come the lines. Japadog, the crazy popular Vancouver-based artisanal hot dog stands, is opening its first brick-and-mortar (whatever) shop on 30 St. Mark's Place.

Oh my. This will get really delirious.

Jeremiah Moss first brought us the possibility of a Japadog invasion back in March 2010.

Per Jeremiah:

Knowing New York's current passion for (1) standing in line for trendy food, (2) all things Japanese, (3) adorable, artisanal sidewalk food vendors, and (4) cheap, white-trash food turned into semi-haute cuisine (burgers, cupcakes, bacon, pizza, et al.), I predict that Japadog will be immensely successful here.

He goes on.

[W]hen the now bigger, much more powerful Japadog announces plans for a three-story, outdoor, hot-dog and beer pleasure palace to be erected on a quiet street in "Nolita," the community will rally against them, successfully blocking construction.

Read the whole post here.

What will be the next bar-restaurant to take the 12 St. Mark's Place challenge?

The retail space at 12 St. Mark's Place has been a merry-go-round of bars and restaurants the last 15 years or so ... Most recently, it was home to Hirai Mong Fusion Restaurant, which the Marshal seized back in May ... it was Gama, the Korean bar and restaurant, which closed in December 2009 after a three-year run...

Prior to this, it was San Marcos, the Mexican eatery that served huge margaritas, Siren, a really lame club, and @Cafe, an Internet bar. In 1994, St. Mark's Bookshop moved around the corner to its currents home. (The historic building was first home of The German-American Shooting Society Clubhouse in the 1880s.)

Anyway! The ground-floor space is for rent for a bar/restaruant. And, according to the NYCRS site, it's the "first time available on the open market."

It's a huge space — 2,300 square feet with a 200-square-foot sidewalk cafe and 500-square-foot basement. And the price to be on "the Busiest Block In The East Village" ...? $25,000 per month, plus $300,000 key money.

Can anything but a chain afford that kind of rent?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Looking at 12 St. Mark's Place

PS

How 12 St. Mark's Place looked in 1893, via Daytonian in Manhattan, who has more on the history on the address.