Shop and stroll on 9th Street this weekend

Today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday!), the merchants of Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue are celebrating the holiday weekend with a "shop and stroll" event on the block.

Per the EVG inbox: "Look for the balloons in front of the participating stores, and stop in to see what specials they are offering."

Sebastian Piras took the above photo last month of the Ninth Street merchants, who gathered on a local stoop for "A Great Day on 9th Street," a quasi recreation of the famous Art Kane photo "A Great Day in Harlem."

'A Great Day on 9th Street' this Sunday

Via the EVG inbox...

On Sunday (April 28), the merchants of East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue are gathering on a local stoop for "A Great Day on 9th Street," a quasi recreation of the famous Art Kane photo "A Great Day In Harlem."

Afterwards, stroll down both sides of the street and check out the various specials the stores are offering.

Come celebrate our community of small businesses.

#shopthe921

A 9th Street block event this weekend

Business owners along Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue are hosting a block event this weekend (Friday through Sunday) ... per the above flyer, patrons will receive a 10-percent discount ("or a special treat") at participating shops.

As of now, the businesses taking part are:

Meg
Dinosaur Hill
Cobblestones
Headdress
Elliot Mann
DL Cerney
Cloak & Dagger
Local Clothing
an.mé
9th St. Vintage
Heights Kenchi
Still House
Huminska
Vera Meat
Ibiza
The Source
Spark Pretty
Duo
Azaleas
Vintage Grannies
East Village Postal
Tailors Atelier

Thanks to Steven!

London-based luxury leather popping up on 9th Street

[Photo by Steven]

Signage arrived yesterday on Ninth Street for Ellesd, a London-based ready-to-wear clothing store specializing in luxury leather for women.

The store's Instagram account describes the location here between Avenue A and First Avenue as a pop-up shop. No word yet on an opening date.

The address (No. 434) was previously home to Delto-Meest, which shipped parcels to the Ukraine and surrounding areas. I have no idea what happened to the store (if it's a permanent closure). The address hosted another designer pop-up shop last month.

2 sunset views on East 9th Street

EVG photo above at First Avenue looking west...

...and a topsy-turvy shot at Avenue A looking west via Grant Shaffer...

An incentive to spend some time on East 9th Street this month

Several of the merchants on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue are having a block-wide sale this month.

Here's info that we received: "From now until Feb 29, come and take advantage of some great bargains. Each participating merchant will have their own take on the 9.99% off sale theme. Shop the block, score some fab deals, meet the neighbors, and even better, support small, local businesses."




[Images via Clayworks Pottery]

H/T EVG contributor Steven

It's beginning to look a lot like [fill in name of holiday here] on East 9th Street

[Photo yesterday by Steven]

Crews have been busy the past two says putting up holiday lights on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue…


[Photo today by MP]

And how do they look in action?




[Action photos via Steven]

As we understand it, Jason Corey, co-owner of The Immigrant, has helped organize getting the lights up the past few years along here…

A loss of 'community and individual enterprise'

[Photo by Steven from Aug. 18]

Back on Aug. 19, we noted that the Glasgow Vintage Co. closed its retail space at 331 E. Ninth St. after less than a year here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Glasgow's closure is a jumping off point for a piece at HuffPost the other day by Nancy Cohen-koan, who laments the loss of more small shops in the neighborhood.

"My neighborhood gets sadder and sadder," she writes. "As the greed machine grows and grows, so goes community and individual enterprise."

As for Glasgow Vintage:

They had always dreamed of having a shop in New York's East Village, after successfully owning a top vintage store in Glasgow. What they didn't bargain for was an avaricious landlord who had scaffolding and a trash bin in front of his shop for most of the year. The company was very busy building upward on the old tenement. That meant that shoppers couldn't easily see the shop to come in and browse. Naturally, the landlord wouldn't give these decent folk a break.

The Kushner companies bought 329-335 E. Ninth Street (and 325 E. 10th St.) in the spring of 2013 for $28.75 million.

Previously on EV Grieve:
East 9th Street buildings will soon be taller thanks to the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals

East Ninth Street parking lot will yield to 6-floor residential building

East 9th Street buildings starting to grow taller

Rent hike forcing Marjory Warren to close on East 9th Street

Marjory Warren, a women's clothing and accessories boutique at 309 E. Ninth St., will close at the end of November thanks in part to a rent increase.

The boutique moved to this storefront between First Avenue and Second Avenue from the Upper East Side in 2009. Aside from the rent increase, owner Chris Warren cited a building tax and a decline in foot traffic that never recovered after Hurricane Sandy as other factors in the closure.

Per a statement to us:

"It's been a heart wrenching process,” said Warren. "I've tried to keep this up and running for as long as possible, but it's simply not viable at this point.

"I'm brokenhearted that I have to leave this wonderful little street. But I have to come back here for business every week so I know I can stay connected to the neighborhood and that offers me solace."

She was able to find a new storefront back on the Upper East Side (115 E. 96th St. near Park Avenue). The new location is set to open on Dec. 2.

As for the East Village location, there's a moving party tonight from 6-9. Find details here.

A new boutique for kids and families on East 9th Street

As you can see from the above flyer, an.mé — a boutique for kids and families — has its grand opening today at 328 E. Ninth St between First Avenue and Second Avenue from noon to 7 p.m.

Business partners Melissa Scott and Annie Ju opened the shop several weeks ago ...

"We are really excited to be able to open a store in the East Village," Scott said. "We have lived her for almost 15 years and wouldn't want to be in business anywhere else."

And the store has extended a special discount to readers for 10% off their entire purchase when they mention EV Grieve today through Sunday.

Join the festivities at the 9th Street Block Party today

[William Klayer]

Happens today on East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue… From the EVG inbox…

Saturday, Sept. 1​3​, 11 am – 5 pm (no rain date)

Live Music (from noon - 4 pm)

Resident artists, crafts people, and photographers will be showing and selling their work​, as well as​ antiques, bric-a-brac, clothing, accessories, ​books, ​music, jewelry, etc. ​​

Block businesses include:

• Cloak & Dagger ​(​boutique ​)​, Dorian Grey Gallery, Dusty Buttons (vintage boutique), Enchantments, Flower Power (herbs), Grey Era (vintage ​boutique), Mr. Throwback (vintage clothing and accessories), Ollie's Place (cat adoption), Pink Olive (gifts), Polytima (jewelry), Pork Pie Hatterie (hats), Puppy Love Kitty Kat (pet supplies), Reason Outpost (clothing), Tae with Jane (boutique), The Upper Rust (antiques)
• Restaurants/Cafes: Dirt Candy, Good Beer, Tacos Morales, Cagen, Whitman's, Zucker Bakery
• Hair Salons/Barbers: Crops for Girls, Lovemore & Do, Maria Mok Salon, Neighborhood Barber, Tsumiki Salon

After 55 years in business, C'est Magnifique closes tomorrow

C’est Magnifique relocated to East Ninth Street from Macdougal Street back in March 2012.

Unfortunately, after a combined 56 years in both locations, the family-owned custom jewelry shop, whose clients through the years have included Iggy Pop and Madonna, is closing for good after the business day tomorrow.

Proprietor Alfred Albrizio III shared this on the store's Facebook page:

Sadly, after 56 years, the time has come for us to close C'est Magnifique. Saturday August 23, 2014 is the last day the store will be open and my aunts, Cathie and I would like to invite all of or friends and customers to come say goodbye to C'est Magnifique.

I have met so many amazing, talented and inspiring people during the last 20 years I've been working at C'est Magnifique. Many of those relationships shaped the person and artist I am today. I am very grateful for all the love and support our loyal customers have given and will always have the fondest memories of C'est Magnifique.

I learned so much from working with my father, and I plan to continue utilizing those skills and making jewelry. Although the physical space of C'est Magnifique will be gone, my family's legacy will live on. I am devoted to my craft and customers. I'll still be doing custom work and selling my original designs from my website which should be ready soon. Please keep your eye out for an update regarding the launch of my website.

I look forward to seeing you all at the closing. We will be there from 1 pm - 7 pm.

Family member Thomas Paladino elaborated at Vanishing New York today (a rent hike chased the store from the West Village):

Unfortunately, the new location was not as lucrative as our previous one, and combined with a death in the family of my uncle (who was the main proprietor of the shop for the last thirty years), the store will have to close its doors.

The shop is located at 328 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

City adjusts the bike lane on East 9th Street

[Last week!]

Last week we noted that bike lanes returned to the repaved East 10th Street and East Ninth Street. However, the city seemed to have made some kind of boo-boo on Ninth between First Avenue and Second Avenue, as you can see in the above reader-submitted photo.

However, the city made amends last night, as the DOT was out to adjust the white lines, via these photos by EVG reader Charlie Chen…







This also might put to rest the rumors that this block was intended to be used as an alien landing strip.

Here is your new East 9th Street bike lane!

Well last week a reader pointed out that the bike lanes hadn't returned yet on East 10th Street and East 9th Street after the recent pave job… well, the bike lane is back on East Ninth Street as of Wednesday. Kind of!

Not sure what is going on here between First Avenue and Second Avenue … maybe this is just for unicycles? OK, probably not done. Or did the city make some kind of mistake?









Thanks to EVG reader dbs for all the photos.

By the way, the bike lane on East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue appears to be the right size...

Matiell Consignment Shop leaving the East Village

After five years here at 350 E. Ninth St., Matiell is leaving for the roomier confines of the Upper East Side at the end of the month... a sign on the door notes they will have triple the space at their new home on the corner of East 87th and Lex...



Good for Matiell for finding such spacious accommodations ... perhaps more bad retail news for this stretch of East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... where storefronts are yielding to real-estate offices.

Also, as previously reported, the owners of Archangel Antiques are retiring ... and the storefront at No. 334 a few doors to the west is closing on June 30.

Real-estate offices invade the boutique-filled block of East 9th Street

There are two newcomers to the boutique-filled block of East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue… given the rising rents, makes sense that we'd find two real-estate offices opening shop along here…



Universal Realty Group takes over the space left behind by Azure, the skin care and laser center and thrift shop… And up the block is Next Step Realty …



According to the Next Step website: "The Next Step Realty finds apartments for recent college graduates relocating to Manhattan."

In new non-real-estate businesses on the block … Honest Chops, billed as "the first all-natural halal meat store in Manhattan," recently opened… and VERA MEAT has launched a second shop at No. 305.

[Updated] After 18 years, Jill Anderson closing shop on East 9th Street

Several EVG readers passed along word that the Jill Anderson boutique at 331 E. Ninth St. is closing for good Sunday after 18 years in business. There isn't any reason given for the closure on the store's blog, which first announced the news.

So far, some 60 people have left comments about the closure on the Anderson store blog.

A little about Anderson via the store website:

Jill’s loyal clientele are hardworking, intelligent, and fashionable women who know they can rely on her clothes to feel their best no matter the season or occasion. They also believe in thinking globally by buying their finery locally, and supporting independent, woman-owned businesses!

Jill Anderson debuted her collection in 1989 in Athens, Greece, and six years later opened the Jill Anderson boutique at 331 E. Ninth Street in New York’s East Village. Her uniquely tailored designs have garnered praise from Elle, Marie Claire, Brazilian Vogue, The New York Times Magazine, Women’s Wear Daily, and more. In addition to managing a thriving business, Jill has collaborated on costume design with dance companies such as the Wally Cardona Quartet and the Philippa Kaye Dance Group.

Most recently, Jill Anderson designed and created the dress for writer/director Debra Granik, whose film Winter’s Bone was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Updated 10:13 a.m.

Serena Solomon at DNAinfo spoke with Anderson about the closing.

Anderson said a combination of bad luck, high rent and the day-to-day difficulties of running a business recently made her decide to close the shop.

"This was like the heart here — this beautiful store," said Anderson, in between hugging a stream of well-wishing customers who came into the store as much to see the designer as to buy her wares. "I loved making people happy. I loved to sew."

Tomorrow is the Annual 9th Street A-1 Block Association Block Party

From the EVG inbox...

Annual 9th Street A-1 Block Association Block Party!
(9th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A
Saturday, September 21, 11 am – 5 pm (no rain date)

Live Music (from 12 noon - 4pm) featuring
Bluesco
Navivan
Supersilk
Ruckus
and more!

Resident artists, crafts people, and photographers will be showing and selling their work, and residents will be selling a la "stoop sale" — antiques, bric-a-brac, clothing, accessories, music, jewelry, etc.

Raffles for gifts, discounts, or coupons from block businesses

Block businesses include:
Boutiques and Antiques: Bridal Veil Falls, ChiroFit, Cloak & Dagger, Devorado, Delto Meest, Dorian Grey Gallery, Dusty Buttons, Enchantments, Flower Power, Grey Era, Ollie's Place, Pink Olive, Polytima, Pork Pie Hatterie, Puppy Love Kitty Kat, Reason Outpost, The Upper Rust, Wineshop
Restaurants: Cagen, Dirt Candy, Good Beer, Whitman's, Zucker Bakery
Hair Salons/Barbers: Lovemore & Do, Maria Mok Salon, Neighborhood Barber

On East 9th Street, Tacos Morelos taking over Empanadas Bar space

The Empanadas Bar that took over the former Itzocan Café space on East Ninth Street has closed ...

...and the sign on the door notes that the Queens-based Tacos Morelos, which serves delicious food from the cart on Second Street and Avenue A, will be moving in soon...

No word on if this means the end of the cart on Second and A... (hopefully not...)

Thanks to East Ninth Street neighbor Michael Sullivan of WINESHOP for the tip...

About Bleecker Bob's moving to East 9th Street

The hot rumor making the rounds this past Saturday was that Bleecker Bob's had a deal in place to move to a storefront on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Per a Facebook update last week, Bleecker Bob's had a bid on space here.

However, it's not a done deal. Ski, an assistant manager at Bleecker Bob's, provided an update. This is from Sunday night.

"Unfortunately, it's been a long ongoing process," he said of the East Ninth Street space. "At first, we were told everything should be fine and that Bleecker Bob's was the only client to be pushed for the space based on our years of business and our willingness to sign a 10-year lease."

Regardless, the wait continues for now. We exchanged emails again yesterday with Ski. Still waiting for the lease. In the meantime, Ski was busy scouting other possible locations in the East Village and on the Lower East Side.

Bleecker Bob's has also launched a crowdsourcing campaign to raise $6,500. Per Indiegogo:

Many people have offered assistance with moving expenses, relocation/storage expenses and renovation costs for our new location. So many of our friends have offered to help in so many different ways that we figured we'd bring everyone together in one spot with one goal in mind, TO REOPEN THE STORE!!!

The 46-year-old Bleecker Bob's closed last Saturday to make way for a Forever Yogurt chain.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[UPDATED] Let's help Bleecker Bob's find space in the East Village

Bleecker Bob's is for rent

Bleecker Bob's won't be moving to the East Village — or anywhere else, for that matter

Bleecker Bob's have a bid on space in the East Village