Water Witch Mercantile hasn't been open this year

The specialty food shop at 115 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue has been dark of late. According to a resident who lives nearby, Water Witch Mercantile hasn't been open yet in 2017.

There aren't any signs posted on the shop or its social media properties noting a temporary closure... (Yelp reports that the shop is closed.)



The shop opened in early November, and sold $14 specialty sandwiches like the Confit of Bluefin Tuna from Montauk, cured meats, artisanal cheeses and drip coffee, among other items. Water Witch was said to be a collaboration with the previous tenant, Box Kite Coffee, which also abruptly closed early last August.

Water Witch Mercantile opening in the Box Kite space on St. Mark's Place

An EVG reader shared the above photo from last night around 11:15 ... showing employees making final preparations to open Water Witch Mercantile at 115 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. (We hear that they are opening today.)

Here's more about Water Witch via their Facebook page: "We are your neighborhood provisions shop with specialty sandwiches, leavened breads, cured meats, artisanal cheeses, and craft beers." (The Water Witch Instagram account mentions growlers of beer for sale and a late-night menu. That menu is not online just yet.)

Coffee is a centerpiece here too (Updated: no espresso, just drip) ... just like its predecessor, Box Kite Coffee, which abruptly closed in early August. After a rather pointed goodbye note ("Taste is the most important aspect of coffee and we were the only game in town") on the chalkboard sign inside the front door, ownership announced a reopening several days later.

In any event, Box Kite has been reimagined as Water Witch with the market/expanded food offering. (A recent Craigslist ad for staff called this a "new specialty food store in partnership with Box Kite Coffee.")

Box Kite Coffee now looks to be reopening on St. Mark's Place

On Monday, the above chalkboard sign appeared inside the now-closed Box Kite Coffee at 115 St. Mark's Place... a bit of a bridge-burning farewell...

"Time to quit drinking coffee, the sublime tastes of our myriad roasters cannot be made by Every Man or Woman or any 'Joe Coffee' on the block. Our 'More Stars Less Bucks' gift to NYC paid back in [hearts] many times over, but not in the old do-re-mi. Taste is the most important aspect of coffee and we were the only game in town."

However, an EVG commenter noted that the chalkboard sign has a new message... a help-wanted ad for an experienced manager "to reopen" ...

Box Kite Coffee says goodbye, kind of

Box Kite Coffee closed after service on July 31.

To date, we haven't seen any kind of official statement about the closure here at 115 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue... (One former barista told Sprudge that "The location of the shop was never quite able to sustain the super premium coffee experience that it was set up to provide...")

That sentiment is echoed on a sidewalk chalkboard sign now set up inside the shop for passersby...



It reads:

"Time to quit drinking coffee, the sublime tastes of our myriad roasters cannot be made by Every Man or Woman or any 'Joe Coffee' on the block. Our 'More Stars Less Bucks' gift to NYC paid back in [hearts] many times over, but not in the old do-re-mi. Taste is the most important aspect of coffee and we were the only game in town."

Box Kite opened in December 2013. The UWS location of Box Kite remains open.

Box Kite Coffee has closed on St. Mark's Place

Box Kite Coffee has closed at 115 St. Mark's Place. The cafe between Avenue A and First Avenue shut down after business on Sunday.

Per an EVG reader, who first told us the news:

Pretty big for coffee enthusiasts in the neighborhood. Box Kite has closed! Went the day before for their brunch. Am pretty friendly with the baristas but I don't think they knew it was coming either. Texted one of them the next morning when I was greeted with locked doors and not a soul inside.

A sign on the door — showing a dead unicorn with stitches on its stomach — directs people to the Upper West Side location...



There's more from coffee publication Sprudge, who has this from an unnamed employee:

The location of the shop was never quite able to sustain the super premium coffee experience that it was set up to provide, and the other aspects of the business – the food and alcohol sales – never pulled their weight… The owner [Matt Prete] was always very up front with everyone that it was losing money and that he would be willing to tolerate it as long as it was fun and as long as we could get it reasonably closer to breaking even.

Sprudge also has a comment via Facebook from founder and former owner Cora Lambert.

"While the news wasn’t altogether shocking (and part of the reason I’m no longer part of the project), I’m truly sorry for all the employees that lost their jobs and for all of the customers that went out of their way to give us their business. This was my first stab at owning something, and a great lesson on making better choices about who I will get into business with again."

Chefs Justin Slojkowski and Dave Gulino hosted a critically-acclaimed nightly chef's counter dinner in the space for part of 2014.

Box Kite opened at the end of 2013.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Box Kite Coffee opening at former Tuck Shop space on St. Mark's Place?

Box Kite Coffee softly opens on St. Mark's Place

[Photo by @CCarella]
‏
Box Kite Coffee is in soft-open mode at 115 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The cafe is from Cora Lambert and Erik Becker, who had been operating a pop-up at TriBeCa wine bar Maslow 6.

Liz Clayton at Sprudge.com got the first look on Saturday.

A few details from that post:

The coffee bar is small (though not for New York), with the only seats at the front windows (which will open up to the street in fair weather) and alongside the counter. Lambert says she was inspired by diner counters, and hopes the space will naturally encourage more bar interaction. “We’ve got some sick soda fountain stools that aren’t here yet,” she promises.

Box Kite will also have a limited beer and wine list as well as an offering of food and pastries.

Anyway, you can see for yourself now...

Hi Friends! We are not officially open but our door is open and we are giving away espresso today. Come by and say hello.
— Box Kite NYC (@BoxKiteCoffee) December 23, 2013

The Tuck Shop closed its location here on July 7.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Box Kite Coffee opening at former Tuck Shop space on St. Mark's Place?

Box Kite Coffee opening at former Tuck Shop space on St. Mark's Place?

The Tuck Shop closed its location on St. Mark's Place near Avenue A on July 7. According to the sign on the door, the shop closed for a variety of reasons, including "Gentrification ... Rent is too damn high!, Laziness/ennui, Albany/Bloomberg and Gluten-free people."

Word here is that the storefront will become home to Box Kite Coffee, a shop operated by barista Cora Lambert.

Paperwork filed ahead of last night's CB3/SLA committee meeting shows a change in ownership at 115 St. Mark's Place.



A recent issue of Imbibe magazine had an item about Box Kite Coffee opening in NYC...



We haven't heard official confirmation of this... and there's no other word on a possible opening date.