Shampoo Avenue B making the move down the block

[EVG file photo from like the winter]

After sitting empty for nearly seven years, 14 Avenue B has a new tenant.

Shampoo Avenue B has signed a lease for the space here between East Houston and East Second Street, as the Commercial Observer reported yesterday.

The salon will be moving from their current home at 42 Avenue B. Owner-operator Joel St. Yves told us that, depending on the construction inside the new storefront, they're hoping to move by the middle of next month.

He said that the new space will double the amount of the chairs in their current home. St. Yves also said they are adding two barbers "for cuts and shaves" to the salon's roster.

There's a long recent history at 14 Avenue B. This had been a popular space for new bar concepts that scared the crap out of the neighbors.

However, CB3 nixed various bar concepts here through the years, including the infamous Italian restaurant "with an occasional D.J." and the brewpub that borrowed the Prime Meats menu. The last actual tenant here was the loathsome Butterfly bar/club/expensive drink dispenser, which closed in 2007.

After failing to attract a bar, 14 Avenue B is for rent. Again.

There's a long recent history at 14 Avenue B.... This has been a popular space for new bar concepts, most recently "Epic City Pub, the first gay pub in the East Village." CB3 has nixed various other concepts here between East Second Street and Houston, including a 3,000-square-foot bar/restaurant "with an occasional D.J." and the brewpub that borrowed the Prime Meats menu...

[2008]

Anyway! A new listing arrived at RKF yesterday:

COMMENTS
Dense residential neighborhood
Visible from Houston Street
Space can be easily vented
Interior features rustic brick walls
Selling Lower Level may be possible
Previous tenant had a Liquor License
Tenant Allowance available to finish Basement

No mention of rent. The last tenant here was the loathsome Butterfly, which closed in 2007.

Reminders tonight: Meeting to discuss incoming East Village bars

As noted back on Monday, there's an East Village community meeting tonight ... of particular interest to residents of the southern stretch of Avenue B and the side streets. (Read that post here.)

The meeting, sponsored by the East 4th Street A & B Block Association, will be held from 6:30-7:30 in the community room at 535 E. Fifth St.

Of particular interest is 14 Avenue B, where folks behind Urge hope to open a new bar.

'Urgent community meeting' to discuss bar opening at 14 Avenue B

Flyers went up yesterday with notice of a community meeting on Sunday night ... of particular interest to residents of the southern stretch of Avenue B and the side streets.

First item of business:

• "We need to mobilize for the last step to stop a new nightclub from opening at 14 Avenue B."

That would be the so-called Epic City Pub, from the folks who owned Urge on Second Avenue. (Read more about this here.)

Lost track of this one. The full Community Board 3 denied this application last September for a variety of reasons, including that there are at least 12 full on‐premise liquor licenses within 500 feet of this location. (Find the meeting notes here via a PDF.) The bar is currently seeking a license directly from the State Liquor Authority. (There was a petition earlier.)

Other items to discuss on Sunday night:

There are also applications in the works for 173 E. Second St., currently home to the Klean & Kleaner laundromat ... and possible new location for The Living Room. This was on the March CB3/SLA docket, but the applicant withdrew.

Plus, there's an unknown applicant aiming to take over the former JujoMukti Tea Lounge at 211 E. Fourth St.

The meeting, sponsored by the East 4th Street A & B Block Association, will be held from 6:30-7:30 in the community room at 535 E. Fifth St.

[H/t to Ray LeMoine for the photo]

On Avenue B, Epic City Pub will be 'the first gay pub in the East Village'

[14 Avenue B from last summer]

As previously mentioned ... The Urge Lounge, the gay bar/club that closed at the end of 2012 at 31-33 Second Ave., is moving to 14 Avenue B between Houston and East Second Street...

And the Urge folks have just shared a few details about the new space via Twitter...

We are moving to 14 Avenue B and our new name will be Epic City Pub,the first gay pub in the East Village. Date TBA

— Urge Lounge (@LoungeUrge) January 16, 2013

What changes or new things would you like to see do at our new location to be: 14 Avenue B @ East 2nd Street in the East Village.

— Urge Lounge (@LoungeUrge) January 16, 2013

No opening date just yet...

East Village Brewery & Beer Shop apologizes for borrowing Prime Meats' menu

On Monday, EV Grieve reader T.E.V.B. noticed that the menu on display outside 14 Avenue B, home of the aspiring East Village Brewery & Beer Shop, was identical to that of Brooklyn's Prime Meats.

And Eater then did a side-by-side comparison. Yep, exact copies!

So we contacted the Brewers for an explanation. Here's what they had to say:

The menu on display was only intended to be an aspirational reference, approximating our aims pending community approval. We are NOT affiliated with Prime Meats, however their business is one that we admire and their program – along with others’ – often come up during development conversations. We apologize if anyone perceives that this was misleading or that our food program will be a replica.

The final program will be the product of the several months of development that still await us pending proper approvals. We look forward to sharing more with the community as our business develops.

Again, thank you for contacting us. We hope that everything goes smoothly and look forward to bringing our business to this community.

Best,
East Village Brewery & Beer Shop

In the meantime, someone removed the menu from the front door at 14 Avenue B.

New East Village Brewery hopes to win you over with a stolen menu

On Monday, we reported that something called the East Village Brewery and Beer Shop hopes to take over the space at 14 Avenue B. We even ran photos of the menu the budding brewers taped to the front door.

Well! As several readers noted in the comments, the menu was exactly the same as two-star Brooklyn restaurant Prime Meats.

Indeed, Eater did the detective work today, and put the menus in a side-by-side comparison.

Exact matches.

The brewmasters were on Monday night's CB3/SLA agenda, but the committee postponed the vote because "the secret investors were not present, they couldn't identify where they were going to get the stuff to build the brewery and they had no brewmaster."

Plus, they don't have a menu, apparently.

Off to a fine start!