Signage alert: Crêpe Master on 7th Street

Signage recently arrived for Crêpe Master, which is expected to open soon (Google lists tomorrow) at 123 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

This will be the second outpost for the Japanese Harajuku-style gluten-free crêpe shop that launched several years back on 116th Street in Harlem. 

Per Manhattan Sideways: "Unlike French crêpes, the Japanese version is traditionally served in a cone — and a classic street food dish in populous cities throughout the country." 

The crêpes take over for cupcakes here... Butter Lane decamped from the storefront for space at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, N.J., during the summer.

Butter Lane leaves 7th Street for a new home in the American Dream Mall

Photos by Steven

Butter Lane has closed its East Village outpost here at 123 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The small bakery, which offered a variety of cupcakes, baking classes and catering, winded down operations this past weekend... ahead of a move to the American Dream Mall (located across from the Angry Bird Mini Golf ticket booth) in East Rutherford, N.J.

Butter Lane debuted here in late 2008 ... with new ownership taking over in 2014.

Becky's Bites moves on 7th Street

The Becky's Bites storefront has closed at 122 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. Proprietor Becky Rosenthal cleared out the space on Friday ahead of a short move across the street.

The online and catering portion of the business that specializes in cream cheese-based desserts is now sharing space with Butter Lane Bakery.

View this post on Instagram

We are excited to announce that Becky’s Bites NYC catering has moved to @butterlane 🧁🍭🍰🍫🍪 just across the way of our home on 7th street! All #NYC #catering + 📞 preorders will be available for delivery & pick up from 123 East 7th street M-F 9am to 5pm 🤩🤩🤩 Be on the lookout for exciting product collaborations + amazing Butter Lane cupcake products available on our catering menus later this month! #smallbusiness #supportingsmallbusinesses ✊🏻

A post shared by Becky's Dips (@beckysdips) on Feb 1, 2020 at 9:58am PST

Coincidentally (or not), the other business at 122 E. Seventh St., Desnuda, the 18-seat ceviche bar, closed on Jan. 15. Owners did not provide a reason for this closure. Their Brooklyn location remains open.

Public records show that 122 East 7th Street Associates has owned the building since 1985.

The 300-square-foot retail space that Becky's leased — starting in the summer of 2017 — has been on the rental market in recent weeks. No word on the asking rent.

Butter Lane Cupcakes is under new ownership on East 7th Street

[Photo of new owner Lisa Liu from news release]

From the EVG inbox...

Pam Nelson, Linda Lea and Maria Baugh are excited to announce the sale of Butter Lane to Lisa Liu, an experienced restaurant owner and entrepreneur. Lisa will take over the day-to-day operations of Butter Lane's flagship location in the East Village.

Pam, Linda and Maria retain ownership of the brand and look forward to expanding the wholesale business and launching more cupcake baking classes.

“We’re happy to remain a small-town bakery in a big city,” said founder and co-owner Pam Nelson. “We chose Lisa because she has the same sensibility and commitment to the neighborhood and community that we do."

Baugh told us that they will continue to own the Park Slope location.

Butter Lane opened at 123 E. Seventh St. in November 2008. They combined their classroom annex and bakery last summer. And Butter Lane never turned into a bar like some neighbors feared.

Former Butter Lane Cupcakes classroom on the market

Earlier in the summer, Butter Lane Cupcakes closed for a few days on East Seventh Street to revamp their space... mostly to combine their classroom annex with their retail operation.

Said Butter Lane co-owner Maria Baugh: "It's more authentic (and convenient) to have classes in the shop and people get a feel for what it's like to be in a real, working bakery."

Anyway, that annex space is now on the market... no word on asking rent. But it's a great block.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Butter Lane combines spaces on East Seventh Street

Butter Lane combines spaces on East Seventh Street

In early June, Butter Lane Cupcakes closed for a few days for some renovations... and in recent weeks, we noticed that the annex/classroom space next door was no longer in use...

So we asked Butter Lane co-owner Maria Baugh for an explanation.

"Late last year, we set up a classroom within our Park Slope shop and got great feedback. Our setup in the East Village was never ideal — we didn't have an oven in the classroom, etc, and we'd been thinking about combining classes and retail for a while."

So...

"Once we saw how successful it was in Park Slope we decided to use it as a model for the East Village. It's more authentic (and convenient) to have classes in the shop and people get a feel for what it's like to be in a real, working bakery."

Here's a shot of the combined space via the Butter Lane Facebook page...



They opened the annex in 2010.

[UPDATED] Reader report: DOH temporarily closes Butter Lane Cupcakes

Multiple readers have noted this morning that the DOH has temporarily closed Butter Lane Cupcakes on Seventh Street...

[Dave on 7th]

The new inspection report isn't online yet... there were 5 violation points in May; 25 during a Sept. 14 inspection... Meanwhile, BL fans are sad...

[UPDATED] 4:03 p.m. A reader just walked by and reports that Butter Lane in back open. No mention of the closure on their Twitter feed.

Celebrating Labor Day by standing in line to eat roast beef sandwiches, cupcakes

There was some kind of line today for Butter Lane Cupcakes on Seventh Street....



Meanwhile, EV Grieve Correspondent Blue Glass noted the crowd waiting here on First Avenue and Ninth Street for This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef... (In the background, the usual sidewalk shed denizens....)

Butter Lane closed until Thursday -- for a folding table and chair violation

Butter Lane, the popular cupcake emporium on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, will be closed for the next three days thanks to the city. Co-owner Maria Baugh told me it is "due to a permitting violation for having a folding table and chairs in front of the shop." A Butter Lane staffer will be posted outside during business hours to answer any questions and give out coupons. The shop reopens Thursday.

"Obviously we're not happy with the penalty, but we plan to make the most of the down time," Baugh says. "Since they can't get paid for their regular work, we're going to pay our staff to plant flowers and do other small clean up/fix up jobs on our block during the three days."

Butter Lane Cupcakes is expanding

On Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue... Butter Lane is taking over the vacant space next door... I asked Maria Baugh, one of the owners, for the details...



"We just took the space last week. We plan to use it for classes and events -- birthday parties, kids birthday parties, wedding showers, etc. Classes are very popular so we're expanding those. And we get a lot of requests to do parties -- now we finally have space."

Butter Lane turns 1 today

Wow, can't believe that it has been one year.

Seventh Street, 2:14 p.m., Oct. 10

Butter Lane gets the neon treatment

A new sign for Butter Lane Cupcakes on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. Makes it a little easier to spot coming from Avenue B.

Butter Lane will revisit liquor license application in the fall

As you may know, Butter Lane Cupcakes was looking to apply for a liquor license (beer and wine only). Maria Baugh, one of the shop's owners, discussed Butter Lane's intentions in an e-mail to me back in June. (For special events, promotions, wine pairings with cupcakes, etc.) Anyway, Butter Lane initially appeared on the CB3/SLA docket in June and July, but their name was later scratched.

I asked Maria for an update:

We are postponing the application until fall. We're expanding more quickly than we had anticipated in different areas -- wholesale and catering, for example -- and need to concentrate on those for the moment. But we will pursue in the fall.

Butter Lane owner: "We are not turning into a bar!"

Maria Baugh, one of the owners of Butter Lane Cupcakes, sent me an e-mail late yesterday afternoon about my post titled, "Is Butter Lane turning into a bar?"

Here's what she had to say:

Hi E.V. Grieve,

My name is Maria Baugh and I’m one of the owners of Butter Lane. I wanted to introduce myself and try to address your questions/concerns about Butter Lane’s application for a liquor license.

We’re applying for a liquor license because we would like to occasionally offer champagne mostly for events or special promotions. We are also exploring the idea of offering wine pairings with cupcakes. We are not turning into a bar!

Also, just so there’s no confusion, we’ve been open until 11 pm on weeknights and midnight on Friday and Saturday (10 pm on Sunday) since we opened in November. Our hours have not changed.

Our main objective is to offer great-tasting, high-quality cupcakes to residents of the East Village and beyond. We love the neighborhood and our many customers who are also our Butter Lane neighbors.

"Is Butter Lane turning into a bar?"

Upon hearing the news that Butter Lane Cupcakes is going for a beer and wine license... and that the store is now open to midnight...



...and there has been the recent appearance of a rather harmless looking bench, chair, table and umbrella...



... compelled a Seventh Street resident who lives nearby to ask a simple question via e-mail, "Is Butter Lane turning into a bar?"

On the liquor license docket: Butter Lane Cupcakes

Here's what's on tap for the next Community Board 3's SLA & DCA Licensing Committee meeting on June 15:




Of interest: Butter Lane is going for a liquor license. Beer and cupcakes anyone?