Verizon Wireless takes over former Verizon Wireless storefront on 2nd Avenue

Back in April, the Verizon Wireless outlet on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place closed after nearly three years here.

After several months on the rental market... the for lease sign came down and renovations commenced ... and yesterday, signs went up in the window showing the new tenant — Verizon Wireless...



H/T Steven

Verizon Wireless closes for good on 2nd Avenue

The Verizon Wireless on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place has closed up shop, EVG correspondent Steven notes.

The storefront looks to be in the process of being cleaned out...



This Verizon outlet opened in September 2013, taking over the space from Cohen's Optical. This building seems to have a tough time holding on to retail tenants, such as DF Mavens and 7-Eleven. However, the owner of 99 Favor Taste is bringing Korean-style barbecue and Chinese hot pot to two of the empty storefronts on the St. Mark's side.

As for the Verizon, the space once housed in part the St Mark's Cinema... as seen here in "Moscow on the Hudson" with Robin Williams from 1984...



The cinema closed in 1985.

Owner of 99 Favor Taste bringing Korean-style barbecue and Chinese hot pot to St. Mark's Place

Those long-empty storefronts at 37 St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue will finally (probably!) be getting a new tenant.



The applicant seeking a beer-wine license for the location is Liju Lin, who has run the 99 Favor Taste restaurant in Sunset Park since 2011 ... and the Grand Street location since 2012.

Per the questionnaire (PDF) posted to the CB3 website, the St. Mark's spot will be 98 Favor Taste. The restaurants specialize in traditional Korean-style barbecue and Chinese hot pot meals. The hours will be noon to 2 a.m. daily.

Upon opening on Grand Street, the Voice gave 99 Favor an enthusiastic review... calling it "a feastly orgy: trays heaped with raw meats and fishes, feathery greens and fungi, boiling and bubbling pots, and popping and sizzling meats top every table. Diners crowd around, heads-down, slurping noodles and soup with chopsticks, only looking up to tend the meat, cooking at arm's distance away."

These storefronts have been vacant going on five years now. Timi's Gelateria Classica™ closed at the end of 2011 in one of the spaces… while Michael "Bao" Huynh's Baoguette Cafe shut down at summer's end in 2012.

The SLA meeting is April 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Timi's Gelateria Classica™ facing eviction on St. Mark's Place

[Updated] Baoguette Cafe still looks rather closed

Landlord Greed stickers on St. Mark's Place

Someone has placed Landlord Greed stickers on the long-empty storefronts at 37 St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue...





Some of the spaces have been without retail tenants since late 2011. Back in the fall, workers removed the for rent signs and papered the windows, given the impression that someone had leased the space. Guess not yet.

Thanks to EVG contributor Steven for the photos!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Timi's Gelateria Classica™ facing eviction on St. Mark's Place

[Updated] Baoguette Cafe still looks rather closed

A few more details about renting the former 7-Eleven space on St. Mark's Place

After nearly 4 years empty, 37 St. Mark's Place may be getting new retail tenants

After nearly 4 years empty, 37 St. Mark's Place may be getting new retail tenants

Workers have removed the for lease signs and put up paper on the windows at 37 St. Mark's Place … where several storefronts here in the corner building at Second Avenue have sat empty since late 2011.

Timi's Gelateria Classica™ closed at the end of 2011 in one of the spaces… while Michael "Bao" Huynh's Baoguette Cafe shut down at summer's end in 2012.

Still no takers for the former 7-Eleven space next door, though…



Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Reader report: The 7-Eleven on St. Mark's Place has closed (48 comments)

A few more details about renting the former 7-Eleven space on St. Mark's Place

Timi's Gelateria Classica™ facing eviction on St. Mark's Place

[Updated] Baoguette Cafe still looks rather closed

37 St. Mark's Place finally lands another tenant

[Yes, it's an older photo]

DF Mavens has a new upstairs neighbor on the northwest corner of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue...

Please say hello to Taiji's Body Work... the fifth Taiji location in the city...


[Yes, there's a typo]

Per the pamphlets (which also are marked Peng's Body Work), they offer Tui-na, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Reflexology and Hot Stone... among other specialties... (60 minutes = $45.)



The most recent upstairs tenant, 8-Bit and Up, the retro video shop, moved to East Third Street in the fall of 2013.

Miracles! The DF Mavens storefront finally — REVEALED

Well! After a seemingly really long time, the plywood came down yesterday on the northwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place... home one of these days to vegan ice cream shop DF Mavens ...



We first reported on their arrival back in October 2013. It's a bit of a mystery why this built-out has taken so long. The space was previously home to Eastside Bakery (.net?), which sold coffee and pastries and FroYo ... so it's not like workers were starting from nothing.

Anyway! Some day, the exterior will look like this...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Prepping for the arrival of DF Mavens on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place (29 comments)

37 St. Mark's Place is cleaner, still for rent

[Photo via EVG reader Patrick Reynolds]

We recently noticed workers cleaning up the empty retail spaces at 37 St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue. Workers even removed the "for lease" signs.

Perhaps there was a new retail tenant for the storefronts that previously housed a 7-Eleven, among other businesses.

Apparently a false alarm. The signs returned on Friday. The now spiffed-up space is still for lease.



The clean look didn't last long. Overnight Friday, someone left a tribute to LES Jewels outside the former 7-Eleven…



Meanwhile, work continues on the corner space… soon to be home to DF Mavens, a dairy-free ice cream shop…



Previously on EV Grieve:

[Updated] Reader report: The 7-Eleven on St. Mark's Place has closed (48 comments)

A few more details about renting the former 7-Eleven space on St. Mark's Place

Prepping for the arrival of DF Mavens on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

[Saturday morning]

On Friday, workers plywooded part of the storefront on the northwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place… where a retail outpost of DF Mavens has been in the works, as we reported back in October.

This was from the official news release on the opening:

“We’re very excited to open our first dedicated storefront and plant our flag in the vibrant East Village food scene,” states Malcolm Stogo, a world-renowned ice cream consultant and founder of DF Mavens. “Our new retail outpost will allow us to bring delicious, dairy-free ice cream to a greater segment of New Yorkers who want vegan-friendly dessert options … ”

And here are renderings of the space via Edelman Sultan Knox Wood / Architects LLP:

Working closely with fixture suppliers and lighting designers, we created a unified presentation of DF Mavens’ offerings that are visible and engaging from the street. Storefront elements form a social buffer between the street and the sales counters. A wood canopy projects out to provide shade, and continues into the store to define intimate seating areas against both facades. Passers-by will notice the bright and energetic sales area through the minimalist wood and glass storefront, where custom light fixtures and displays create a sculptural product presentation. The store experience combines classic, natural materials with a modernist sensibility, complimenting DF Mavens’ approach to quality and craft in their forward-thinking desserts.

No word on an official opening date yet. (They originally said Spring 2014.)

Eastside Bakery (.net?) closed down here in April 2013. And once upon a time, the space was home to the Gap in the late 1980s into the early 1990s.

A few more details about renting the former 7-Eleven space on St. Mark's Place

The "for lease" sign went up on the former 7-Eleven on St. Mark's Place last Thursday, as we first noted. At the time, the listing wasn't yet online.

Now it is.



Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of details (such as asking rent!) ... but we have a better idea how the Winick reps are marketing the space...

Some of the specifics:

•Incredible East Village retail opportunity with ventilation in place

•Tremendous visibility with 70’ of frontage AT GRADE and soaring ceiling heights

•One block from the new 400,000 SF office tower at 51 Astor Place

NEIGHBORS: Chipotle, DF Mavens Desserts (coming soon), Verizon, Pinkberry, Dallas BBQ, Otto’s Tacos

Looks as if the parcel includes what used to be Baoguette Cafe.

Anyone for reviving BAMN!, the garish automat that somehow managed to stay open for 2.5 years?

No? OK!

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Reader report: The 7-Eleven on St. Mark's Place has closed (48 comments)

There goes the 7-Eleven awning on St. Mark's Place (23 comments)

Looking again at St. Mark's and 2nd Ave., and more photos of the former St. Marks Cinema

You can now rent the former 7-Eleven space on St. Mark's Place

Looking again at St. Mark's and 2nd Ave., and more photos of the former St. Marks Cinema

8-Bit and Up, the retro video shop, recently moved away from the second floor of 37 St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue. (Read about the new 8-Bit space on East Third Street here.)

This prime corner space is now mostly without tenants… (save for the newish Verizon Wireless store).



The building won't be empty too much longer. As we first noted back on Oct. 17, a retail outpost of DF Mavens ("The finest dairy-free ice cream in the world. Made in NYC.") is taking the former Eastside Bakery (.net?) location. Winick has the listing with the available retail slots here.

Anyway! All this is all just an excuse to trot out these new-to-us photos of the corner … when it was home to a single-screen movie theater… eventually called the St. Marks Cinema … a movie theatre was in operation here roughly from 1916 to 1985, according to Cinema Treasures...



… this shot is dated 1936 ...



We've written about the theater before here. Maybe you drank beer here and got high once. And there was that time you may have seen "Return of the Jedi" here in 1983.

DF Mavens opening non-dairy ice cream outpost on St. Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue

That prime northwest corner space on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place has a new tenant — a retail outpost of DF Mavens... as their tagline says, "The finest dairy-free ice cream in the world. Made in NYC."



Their dairy-free desserts have been available in various retail outlets ... though we believe that this is their first dedicated NYC storefront.

Eastside Bakery (.net?) closed down here at the end of April. And once upon a time, the space was home to the Gap in the late 1980s into the early 1990s.

DF Mavens will be arriving in 2014, per the sign.

Updated 10/18
This came up in the comments: Lula's is back open on East Sixth Street as of Aug. 3.

What a 'prized position' will cost you on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Eastside Bakery (.net?) closed down at the end of April on the northwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place... making four empty storefronts here in this Theatre Condo complex.



The rent is "upon request." However, we do know of one interested party who kicked the tires on the space — 1,650 square feet upstairs, 3,000 square feet downstairs for prep, storage, etc.

The rent? $27,000 a month.

Per the tipter: "So, no. Enjoy your newest branch of Starbucks or Chase!"

As we recall, the Gap paid $33,000 for the space back in the late 1980s... though they had more square footage...

P.S.

Bonus photo with some Sir Shadow art on the for lease sign...

Your chance to 'claim your prized position' on St. Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue

On Wednesday, workers cleaned out the now-former Eastside Bakery (.net?) on the northwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place. There are now four empty storefronts here in this Theatre Condo complex.

Cohen's Fashion Optical moved out about two months ago... Michael "Bao" Huynh's Baoguette Cafe around on St. Mark's Place closed last fall... and Timi's Gelateria Classica™ closed in December 2011.

According to the listing at Walter & Samuels:



The listing puts the 1,600 square feet of retail at $400,000 per year – or some $33,000 a month. (This is what the Gap paid here back in the late 1980s.)

There's also a listing on the Winick site... noting four separate spaces, or perhaps, one big one... the marketing flyer says, "Claim your prized position."



As the listing notes: "Hot East Village retail opportunity located on bustling St. Marks Place."

The lone ground-floor tenant here is 7-Eleven, a seemingly popular place...