New life for old deli on First Avenue

The deli over on First Avenue near St. Mark's Place was closed on Monday...

...and yesterday, the plywood and workers arrived. These days, you can't help but think it will become a 7-Eleven or something. However, workers on the scene told EVG regular William Klayer, who took the photo below, that the same owners were renovating the space...

Our friends at East Village Wines next door confirmed this as well...

Will be curious to see how the spruce up the place...

A shot in time: First Avenue and East Ninth Street in 1981

EVG reader William Klayer shared this photo that he came across ...looking west out of his former apartment window on First Avenue and East Ninth Street...

Fall Friday flashback: Yesterday's First Avenue manhole explosion, the movie

On Fridays this fall, and probably winter and spring and... we'll post one of the 12,000-plus EVG, uh, posts from yesteryear... like this one from Oct. 27, 2010 ...

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Many thanks to EV Grieve reader Jason B. for this video...

A few highlights:

• The onlooker in the beginning eating a banana
• The firefighter dragging the Voice box out of harm's way (32-second mark)
• The young man crossing the street right in front of the smoking manhole and getting yelled at (46-second mark)

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated]: Explosion, fire on First Avenue and Ninth Street

Remember The Frenchmen on First Avenue

EVG reader Baby Dave recently told us the sad news that The Frenchmen recently closed on First Avenue. The air conditioning shop near East 19th Street had been in business for as long as anyone can remember.

The Town & Village Blog reported on Sept. 6 that the owner, Bill Koniuk, had to close the store due to some health issues.

Reporter Sabina Mollot noted how the shop was well-known to residents of Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village for its annual Christmas party for neighborhood kids.

"The party, a decades-long tradition, included free horse carriage rides, live music, toys and a holiday window display that rivaled midtown’s department stores."

Brown paper now covers the shop's windows, but signs of the holiday remain near the Frenchmen's fantastic sign...

Jeremiah had a post about the Frenchmen's sign back in 2010, and the old-time telephone exchange.

Baby Dave shared this about The Frenchmen:

Mr. Koniuk was a very nice guy. His annual Christmas party was a real throwback, and his holiday window display was a treat.

I once went in on a sweltering Saturday needing help. I asked if the shop made air-conditioning house calls on a Saturday. My mother's machine was sort of revving, but not much else. "No, no house calls today, but what kind of machine is it?" "Does it have an electronic keypad on front?" "OK, just press 'filter alert' and 'Energy saver' [or something like that] at the same time. Hold them for about 15-20 seconds." 

And darned if it didn't work. I was practically about to write him a check on the spot, or scurry to the cash machine, and he fixed the problem for free.

In the last few years, it was unclear just how much business the place was doing. I suppose much of the air-conditioning work was done off the premises, but the display of audeo equipment was like a museum: used boom boxes from 1982, maybe a Discman.

And so a little precious bit of a community disappears.

Indeed. No idea what will come here next. But you get an idea of the new local landscape with the recent arrival of this next door ...

This likely makes sense to some city administrator

This past summer, workers tore up First Avenue between First Street and Second Street to put in sidewalk extensions (bus bulbs!) for the M15 and the Select Bus Service.

Flashback!

In August, the MTA added the M15 Select Bus ticket machines on First and First. All good, right?

Apparently not. Today, workers were back ripping up the freshly repaved Avenue...

What's coming to 201 First Ave.

Sa Aming Nayon, the Filipino restaurant that opened here on First Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street in June 2011, closed less than a year later this past spring...

Workers have been tooling around the space... several readers recently asked what was coming here... Time Out provided the answer several weeks ago. The place will be called Jeepney, from the people behind Maharlika down First Avenue at Seventh Street.

Per Time Out:

The young guns behind behind ... Maharlika will put a Pinoy twist on the gastropub this fall. To eat, find Southeast Asian-inflected plates, including a meat loaf with ground chorizo, duck-egg yolks and an heirloom-tomato gravy. Styled after the ubiquitous colorfully decorated WWII jeeps in the old country, called “jeepneys,” the 70-seat spot will be kitted out with hand-painted signs.

Joey Pepperoni bringing his $1 pizza to First Avenue

A branch of Joey Pepperoni's Pizza is opening here on First Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street... (this space was most recently Ikura Sushi...) There are a few Joey Pepperoni locations around the city... Midtown Lunch reviewed the $1 cheese slice at the Tribeca outpost.

The verdict: This was a good piece of pizza, and when you add in the $1 price tag it’s kind of amazing. The crust was really crisp and the cheese plentiful and slightly browned in spots.

And what's the verdict on the Joey Pepperoni mascot?

And the space next to Joey P's is for rent too...

h/t @robbyohara

Checking in on the First Avenue bus bulb

Over on First Avenue between First Street and Second Street ... the MTA is building sidewalk extensions (bus bulbs!) for the M15 and the Select Bus Service.

A quick update.

May!

Now!

The sign says something about completion during the fourth quarter of this year...

And what is a bus bulb?

As Streetsblog puts it: "Bus bulbs — sidewalk extensions into the street at bus stops — keep bus shelters and ticket machines out of the way of pedestrian traffic. And by allowing buses to load passengers without having to pull to the curb and back into traffic, they also make for faster rides."

What it costs to live in newly renovated apartments above a Starbucks in the East Village

Back in March, after seven or so years of stop-start renovations, we finally got to see the new-look 219 First Avenue...

[March 30]

We confirmed the Starbucks for the retail space here at East 13th Street... But what about the residential space?

A few of the rentals hit the market yesterday, per Streeteasy. Let's take a look.

NEVER LIVED IN top of the line 1br +DINNING area SUPER BRIGHT
Top of the line Kitchen new stainless steel appliances + DISHWASHEr. Cherry wood cabinets.
CORNER unit, get AMAZING sun light.
13th st and 1st avenue.
Queen size bed LARGE californian closet.
NEW bathroom (TUB)
tons of sunlight and PERFECT Union Square location. VERY high ceilings.
PLEASE note, this is available August 1st or a bit later.
Next to all, bars, restaurants, grocery stores, L train is a Block away and 4 minutes walk to Union Square subway station

(Do the words in all caps spell out some sort of message...?)

Anyway. A 600-square-foot one-bedroom unit is $2,450...











There's also a two-bedroom unit (650 square feet) available for $3,000. As crazy (sad?) as this sounds, these aren't as expensive as we expected... Streeteasy puts the median two-bedroom price in the East Village at $3,420.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Today in rumors of another Starbucks opening in the East Village

219 First Avenue ready for a chain store, probably

'Established food operators' wanted for former Polonia space on First Avenue

Just noting the for rent signs are up at Polonia, the homey Polish restaurant that closed last December here along First Avenue between Seventh Street and Sixth Street.

Not many details on the listing (such as monthly rent):

Neighbors:
Empellon Cocina, Subway, McDonald's, Caracas Arepa Bar, Luke's Lobster Bar, Porchetta NYC, Pylos, Ricky's and Cafe Mogador

Comments:
-- Prime East Village Location
-- Currently vacant
-- Direct deal
-- Seeking established food operators

Looked at who the broker, New Street Realty, has leased to recently... the recent transactions include The Growler Station on West Eighth Street ... a 16 Handles ... the Subway next door to Polonia ... five Hale and Hearty Soup locations... one 7-Eleven ... a Just Salad ... a few bank branches...

Anyone want to go with a Hale & Hearty as the next tenant here then?

First Avenue bus bulbs on the way

Catching up on a few items that I meant to post last week. (Or maybe the week before.) Such as!

Over on First Avenue between First Street and Second Street ... the MTA is, as the sign shows, building sidewalk extensions (bus bulbs!) for the M15 and the Select Bus Service...

...the sign says something about completion during the fourth quarter of this year...

As Streetsblog puts it: "Bus bulbs — sidewalk extensions into the street at bus stops — keep bus shelters and ticket machines out of the way of pedestrian traffic. And by allowing buses to load passengers without having to pull to the curb and back into traffic, they also make for faster rides."

... Meanwhile, no word on how this is slowing down the limo departure times outside Lucky Cheng's...

Sa Aming Nayon appears closed on First Avenue

Several readers have noticed that Sa Aming Nayon, the Filipino restaurant that opened here between 12th Street and 13th Street last June, has been closed of late... here it is last evening...

... with these dishmachine notices on the rolldown gate...

It took over the space when Wai? Cafe moved to Avenue B. Readers had mostly positive comments about Sa Aming Nayon. Perhaps too ambitious at the outset? They were also open for breakfast.

Anyway, perhaps a Filipino resurgence isn't going to happen (And RIP Elvie's Turo-Turo, Krystal's Café and Pistahan). Still, we hear a lot of good things about Maharlika down First Avenue at Seventh Street.

Coming soon to First Avenue and Second Street: Bistro Cafe & Grill

Over on the southeast corner of First Avenue and East Second Street... workers put up the food court-y sign yesterday for the new Bistro Cafe & Grill... the awning tells you just about everything the place will serve... wraps, burgers, salads, gyros, etc.

Renovations began in February at the former Cafe Rama. Last fall, the Bean had plans to take over this space, though they ultimately decided to focus instead on the new locations on Second Avenue/Third Street and First Avenue/Ninth Street.

You know, Corner Bistro would be a nice name for this location. But that's taken. And we've had enough lawsuits around here...

[Thanks to @ThePeterHa for the heads up on the sign's arrival.]

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Bean is not taking over the former Rama Cafe on First Avenue

Renovations begin at 26 First Ave.

[Updated] Meanwhile, on First Avenue...

Near Sixth Street. Via EV Grieve reader Duke... who notes, at 9 p.m., "situation normal." ConEd is on the scene.

And now with sound...

The Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's canopy arrives on First Avenue

On Saturday afternoon, workers put up the new sidewalk canopy thing for the incoming Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's action-packed combo at the site of the former King Gyro between Third Street and Fourth Street.

And does it seem strange that the canopy doesn't actually go to the restaurant's front door?

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Cotan looks closed on First Avenue

Cotan, the Japanese restaurant on First Avenue just north of St. Mark's Place, has apparently closed... Well, there's that sign on the front door...

...and when we called to check last night, we found that the number wasn't in service. The space shouldn't be empty for long: Something called Iconic Hand Rolls is on this month's CB3/SLA docket for a wine-beer license. And it's the same address as Cotan.

As you may know, Cotan took over the space after Shiki Kitchen closed at the end of 2009. (Rent hike.) Jeremiah wrote about Chef Shiki, a former boxer, and his intricate paper creations here.

Mr. B is missing

Spotted on First Avenue near Fifth Street.

Heeeere's your First Avenue Starbucks...

EV Grieve contributor jdx was walking by the incoming Starbucks on First Avenue at East Third Street last night right when the workers pulled down the brown paper from the windows... revealing a familiar-looking layout...

Any bets on whether the Starbucks brass will continue to allow the Monk Thrift Shop to keep the sandwich board propped up against the building?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Today's sign of the apocalypse: Starbucks taking over The Bean's space on First Avenue and Third Street

East Village first and second graders display anti-Starbucks sentiments at the Bean

Exclusive first look inside the First Avenue Starbucks

Coming soon to First Avenue and East Third Street...

And.

The door is open!

Is that a Starbucks-issued snow shovel?

Then! A worker spotted us and closed the door.

Renovations begin at 26 First Ave.

Renovations began yesterday on First Avenue at Second Street at the former Cafe Rama. Last fall, the Bean had plans to take over this space, though they ultimately decided to focus instead on the new locations on Second Avenue/Third Street and First Avenue/Ninth Street.

Work permits, which the city issued Wednesday, don't provide too much information. The usual all-cap crap:

INTERIOR MODIFICATION AND ALTERATION AT THE EXISTING 1ST FLOOR (CORNER) COMMERCIAL SPACE, RELOCATION OF EXISTING HOOD AND COOKING EQUIPMENT. STORE, FRONT AND CARPENTRY WORK. NO CHANGE IN USE, EGRESS, OR
OCCUPANCY.

One trusted tipster believes that the people who run the Cloister Cafe on East Ninth Street near Second Avenue are behind this new, unnamed venture...

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Bean is not taking over the former Rama Cafe on First Avenue