Downtown Yarns reopens today

Photos by Stacie Joy

Downtown Yarns reopens for business today at 45 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street  ... two weeks after a fire destroyed Essex Card Shop next door at 47 Avenue A on Jan. 10.

While the fire mostly spared owner Leti Ruiz's small shop, she spent these past two weeks airing out Downtown Yarns... thanks in part to industrial air scrubbers that the building's landlord provided... 

Downtown Yarns is open from noon to 7 p.m. All yarn is 10-percent off through Feb. 1. You can follow the shop's Instagram account for updates.

As EVG contributor Stacie Joy first reported, a 13-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree arson. Officials and other sources said that the teen was seen leaving Essex Card Shop minutes before management smelled smoke. Investigators were able to pull photos/videos from the store surveillance camera. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Downtown Yarns hopes to reopen in a week

Downtown Yarns hopes to reopen in a week

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Late Monday afternoon, Leti Ruiz stood on the east side of Avenue A below Third Street, anxiously watching the FDNY battle the two-alarm blaze that started inside Essex Card Shop across the street.

Downtown Yarns, housed in a sliver of a storefront, is next door to the south of the Card Shop, where thick smoke was billowing skyward. 

She thought that the fire would destroy the homey shop she's owned for three-plus years. 

Miraculously, Downtown Yarns — like Exit9, the Card Shop's neighbor to the north — escaped any significant damage. As previously noted, the stout cement ceiling and brick walls in the storefronts of the 13-floor Ageloff Towers served as a firebreak and prevented further damage to the building and adjacent businesses.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by yesterday as a rep from Servpro, which provides fire and water cleanup, finished his space assessment. Thankfully, there wasn't any harm caused by water.

He said that it would take about a week to thoroughly remove the smoke odor so Ruiz could reopen. Right now, Ruiz is using Febreeze, which she doesn't like, baking soda, and the industrial air scrubbers that the building has supplied.

Ruiz is grateful for the outpouring of support, including homemade signs of encouragement that students at the Neighborhood School around the corner placed on her storefront. 

In a further show of support, she noted that "so many people stopped by offering to buy the stinky yarn, but I don't want to sell smelly yarn to them."

You can follow Downtown Yarns on Instagram here for reopening information.

For further reading on EVG: 

• Exit9 reopens on Avenue A after fire next door

• Assessing the fire damage at Essex Card Shop

New owner in the works for Downtown Yarns

Rita Bobry, who opened Downtown Yarns 17 years ago at 45 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street, is retiring.

And Leti Ruiz, an employee, is looking to take over the business.

Ruiz launched a crowdfunding campaign yesterday:

I am very happy and honored to have been considered to carry on this very special place Rita has created.

When I first came to Downtown Yarns I didn’t know anything about knitting but I remember being drawn to the vibrant colors and textures, the subtle scent of the wool and the perfect samples on display. I knew immediately how special Downtown Yarns was and that I wanted to be a part of it. I took class after class, acquiring skills and knowledge, eventually joining the sales team, and then part-time staff, then teacher, now potential owner.

Downtown Yarns has been more than a store for me and so many others, it is a vital community space where intergenerational learning happens, where new skills are developed, and where community networking is initiated.

Preserving this special hub in a rapidly gentrifying New York City neighborhood is important not only for those who have been here for years but also to new community members and visitors, offering a welcoming home to curious crafters, makers, and learners.

Ruiz has already met half of her goal in the first 24 hours.


[Ruiz as seen in the GoFundMe video]


[Photo of Rita Bobry by Gudrun Georges]

H/T EVG reader gaminette!

Previously on EV Grieve:
A spin through Downtown Yarns on Avenue A

A spin through Downtown Yarns on Avenue A

East Village-based photographer Gudrun Georges recently highlighted one of her favorite shops in the neighborhood — Downtown Yarns, 45 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street.

From Gudrun's photo site:

Rita Bobry, the owner who studied art and loves to work with colors, opened this gem of a store 17 years ago ...

The store has a finely edited collection of yarns, many of them local and sustainable, as well as all of the necessary supplies for the needle crafts.

The store offers a whole range of classes from beginner classes to advanced sweater design workshops. The super friendly staff is always happy to help.

There is Rita who besides being an expert knitter always comes up with the most stunning window displays.

You can find more of Gudrun's photos from Downtown Yarns here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Favorite East Village places: Ink on A