On 2nd Avenue, 16 Handles is temporarily closed for the season

[Photos by Steven]

The 16 Handles outpost on Second Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street is currently and temporarily closed, per the sign on the front door...



The email to people on the 16 Handles mailing list notes that this location is "temporarily closed for the season" (thanks to the EVG reader who shared this) ...



The Chelsea and Murray Hill Handles remain open. This location, which opened 10 years ago, has been closed several times before (here and here and here) for renovations ... but never for the season.

16 Handles returns all glown up

16 Handles recently returned from its closed-for-renovations state on Second Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street with new signage that no longer looks like 16 Hindles.

Here's more on the new look via the EVG inbox from Friday...

In celebration of the brand’s 10th birthday, 16 Handles East Village has a fresh new look, complete with custom neon signs, the brand’s signature bold colors, and exposed brick, giving the East Village store the ultimate glow up. The brand will also be working with local artists to paint murals to amplify the space.

The store has also incorporated an entirely new element — #TreatsBy16 counter-serve Fro-Yo, ice cream, and desserts — by bringing a soft-serve machine behind the counter. The very first product to launch with this new concept is the #GalaxyCone ... a deliciously sweet combination of Cotton Candy and Sweet Taro Pie frozen yogurt, served in a cotton candy cloud cone with stars and galaxy-themed hues of blue, pink, and purple.

Funkiberry-replacing pizzeria revealed on 3rd Avenue

Well! EVG reader Daniel sent along this photo from yesterday afternoon, when workers put up the signage for the new pizzeria coming to Third Avenue and East 12th Street.

As we noted a few weeks ago, workers said that the former Funkiberry would become a pizza place.

Anyway, as you can see, it's a Gotham Pizza. We're familiar with the name (there are several in the city), though we've never tried the pizza. Perhaps you have?

Before serving up FroYo here for nine months, the address was home to several pizzerias through the years... including more recently AAA (New) Amici Pizza ... and via a ghost signage reveal, Lawrence & Paul's Pizza & Restaurant...


[Photo by Dave from 2014]

And then there was the ghost signage under the Lawrence & Paul's Pizza & Restaurant ghost signage for Luigi's…


[Photo by ~evilsugar]

But there won't be any Funkiberry ghost signage some day. It's in FroYo Signage Heaven.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Stuff that you can't make up: More FroYo for the East Village

Ghost signage uncovered on Third Avenue and East 12th Street

DOUBLE ghost signage discovered at 88 3rd Ave.

Hey, the Funkiberry sign is up on 3rd Avenue

Hey, Funkiberry is now open on 3rd Avenue

Hey, the Funkiberry space is for lease on 3rd Avenue

Hey, the Funkiberry closed on 3rd Avenue

Hey, the Funkiberry space will become a pizzeria (again)

16 Handles is closed for renovations on 2nd Avenue

The location on Second Avenue between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street is closed for renovations, per the EV Handles website... they will return on Thursday...



And this location has been closed for renovations before. And for this.

Thanks to EVG reader Brian Polay for the photos...

Hey, the Funkiberry closed on 3rd Avenue

That's it all she swirled for Funkiberry, the colorful FroYo establishment at 88 Third Ave. and East 12th Street.

Not sure exactly when they closed … there is a few day's worth of mail now waiting…



Anyway, likely not a surprise. Aside from the fact that we rarely, if ever, saw anyone inside… we spotted a listing for the space last month. Asking rent on this corner: $21,321.

Red Mango, Pinkberry and Funkiberry have all closed in recent months. It's all on 16 Handles now.

Funkiberry opened here last June.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Stuff that you can't make up: More FroYo for the East Village

Ghost signage uncovered on Third Avenue and East 12th Street

DOUBLE ghost signage discovered at 88 3rd Ave.

Hey, the Funkiberry sign is up on 3rd Avenue

Hey, Funkiberry is now open on 3rd Avenue

Hey, the Funkiberry space is for lease on 3rd Avenue

Hey, the Funkiberry space is for lease on 3rd Avenue

[From June 2014]

The colorful FroYo joint opened for business last June.

And while Funkiberry continues to dispense the FroYo and breakfast items like waffles, the corner space here at 88 Third Ave. and East 12th Street is for lease.

Per a listing at Loop Net:

Corner space with brand new build out. Previously was vented for cooking
Approximately 800 RSF with an approximately 800 SF basement
Lease until November 2023
Rent: $21,321.00 per month

We rarely see anyone inside Funkiberry, who close each day at 1 p.m.

In any event, the FroYo Death march continues.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Stuff that you can't make up: More FroYo for the East Village

Ghost signage uncovered on Third Avenue and East 12th Street

DOUBLE ghost signage discovered at 88 3rd Ave.

Hey, the Funkiberry sign is up on 3rd Avenue

Hey, Funkiberry is now open on 3rd Avenue

Why doesn't FroYo sell on St. Mark's Place?

Subhead: Important Questions of our Time!

So the Pinkberry has closed for good on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Pinkberry joins several other FroYo joints to shutter in recents years on this same block...

Yogurt Station is now a piercings shop...


[High FroYo Season]

... the Red Mango, which opened after the CBGB shop closed, is now a tattoo shop...



... and Eastside Bakery (.net?) on the corner of Second Avenue served up the FroYo...



… and is now D.F. Mavens, which sells dairy-free ice cream, among other cafe items.

So! Four FroYo places have come and gone on this one block. Is it the block? Is it FroYo?

Dessert still lives here with Spot Dessert Bar and Spot Dessert Shoppe. Not to mention the D.F. Mavens.

16 Handles around the corner on Second Avenue is now left to fly the FroYo flag…

Pinkberry remains closed; UPS InfoNotice® awaits

As we first noted this past week, the Pinkberry on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue abruptly closed on Tuesday… just days away from the FroYo mothership's 10th anniversary.

Meanwhile, a UPS InfoNotice® dated Wednesday remains on the door… looks like they were here for a pick up…



And this Pinkberry location has been scrubbed from the chain's website…



According to this listing, 10 PB locations remain in the city … as well as locations in Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina and Ohio, among other states not listed here.

[Updated] Did the Pinkberry close on St. Mark's Place?

Slum Goddess noticed that the FroYo hotspot was closed last evening during business hours... and looking suspiciously closed for good.

The storefront at 24 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue remains closed today... the phone goes unanswered... and they seem to be off of Seamless...



Strange timing for a closure... just days before the 10th anniversary they've been touting on the front window ... (this sign is gone too...)


[Photo by Slum Goddess]

H/T Jordy Trachtenberg

Updated 4:58

A reader noted that the windows have been covered with paper…



Updated 1-22

BoweryBoogie reports that the Pinkberry on Spring Street has also closed.

Tough times for desserts on 2nd Avenue

Several readers noted that the Red Mango on Second Avenue just below East Fourth Street had been closed in recent weeks. Winter hiatus?

The ownership confirmed to us that this location has permanently closed.

Red Mango just opened here in February, which may not have been the best time to open a FroYo shop…

A Red Mango also came and went pretty quickly on St. Mark's Place back in 2008.

Meanwhile, directly next door, Gelato Ti Amo, which was part of an international Tuscany-based chain, has also permanently closed. Workers were cleaning out the 2-year-old space last night.



Perhaps there are enough dessert choices in the neighborhood?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Uh-huh: Red Mango returning to the East Village (19 comments)

Twist might actually really be closed on Avenue A

Twist, the FroYo-gelato spot at 70 Avenue A near East Fifth Street, had been keeping pretty random hours.

The moment you think Twist was closed for good… it reopened for business. We heard in recent weeks that the place was really dead, but like Jason Vorhees, it seemed a sure bet to come back to life for a sequel.

Last night, EVG reader Alexis Weiss saw the empty storefront. Workers were cleaning out the space, loading equipment into a van parked the wrong way on East Fifth Street.

Twist opened in September 2013.

Hey, Funkiberry is now open on 3rd Avenue

Another FroYo choice as of yesterday here at East 12th Street.

Can you feel the excitement?

This is the third Funkiberry location in NYC. And according to the Funkiberry website, they are — apparently for real — opening locations in Moscow, Rome, Kiev, Paris and Fuzhou.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Stuff that you can't make up: More FroYo for the East Village

Ghost signage uncovered on Third Avenue and East 12th Street

DOUBLE ghost signage discovered at 88 3rd Ave.

Hey, the Funkiberry sign is up on 3rd Avenue

Hey, the Funkiberry sign is up on 3rd Avenue

Yep, here it is on Third Avenue and East 12th Street… in the former New Amici Pizza space …





Here's more about Funkiberry from their website: "Funkiberry is the land of endless yogurt possibilities, where you rule the portions, the choices and the scene."

Anyway, it certainly is a colorful sign… likely the brightest and most-distracting sign/ad since GNC's Giant Pink Sports Bra ad graced our presence above the Pourhouse in 2012…

[EVG file photo from May 2012]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Stuff that you can't make up: More FroYo for the East Village

Ghost signage uncovered on Third Avenue and East 12th Street

DOUBLE ghost signage discovered at 88 3rd Ave.

FroYo casualty: Twister is done on Second Avenue

Twister has closed on Second Avenue near East Seventh Street. Which may not be too much of a surprise given that we never ever ever saw one person inside the place other than employees. (Somewhere we have a photo of an employee sitting by the front window playing a game on his smartphone ... next to a Help Wanted banner.)

The family owned and operated self-serve frozen yogurt shop opened back in August.

On this subject matter, several readers have noted that Twist on Avenue A appears to be dead. (What is the difference between Twist and Twister? Please don't answer.)

Still! Despite closures like this, the froyo craze doesn't show signs of ever slowing down... Red Mango opened earlier this year on Second Avenue... and then there's Funkiberry coming to Third Avenue. Per their website: "Funkiberry is the land of endless yogurt possibilities, where you rule the portions, the choices and the scene."

On 2nd Avenue, Red Mango's sign remains on the sidewalk, blocking part of its neighbor's door

[Photo by Goggla]

Not really cool … even though Gelato Ti Amo here between East Fourth Street and East Third Street has not been open ... perhaps it's weather related. (A call to the shop goes unanswered.)

The Red Mango opened earlier this week.

Red Mango now open on Second Avenue

That crucially needed Red Mango has opened on Second Avenue between East Fourth Street and East Third Street … not sure exactly when it officially opened… though it has to be pretty recent given that the Red Mango sign is just plopped there on the sidewalk…

A Red Mango came and went pretty quickly on St. Mark's Place back in 2008… will this time be any different?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Uh-huh: Red Mango returning to the East Village (19 comments)

Stuff that you can't make up: More FroYo for the East Village

Hey now. EVG reader Malin passes along the above photo... sadly noting that the former New Amici Pizza space on Third Avenue at East 12th Street will become home to... Funkiberry.

MORE FROYO!

Per their website: "Funkiberry is the land of endless yogurt possibilities, where you rule the portions, the choices and the scene."

Perhaps this will make up for that Yogurt Crazy shop that never opened across Third Avenue.

There are two Funkiberry locations in Brooklyn.

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village FroYo craze lives on, apparently

A quick look at Twist, now open on Avenue A

Bill the libertarian anarchist stopped by Twist, the new yogurt shop at 70 Avenue A between East Fifth Street and East Fourth Street...

"I just sampled an organic chocolate yogurt at Twist. Excellent indeed. Jim is the proprietor. He hopes to show art made by local artists. He has a bit of work to do on the walls, but expects to have it done soon."

FroYo confirmed for Avenue A

[Via EVG reader Darbi Worley]

Back in July we heard from multiple tipsters that a frozen yogurt shop was opening at 70 Avenue A (part of the storefront that previously housed East Village Pharmacy) ... the new awning is up, and the place is called Twist (not to be confused with the just-opened Twister on Second Avenue.) Not sure if this Twist is any relation to the Twist with locations in New Jersey.

New business now open on Second Avenue

Meant to mention this earlier in the week... Twister, a family owned and operated, self-serve frozen yogurt shop, is now open on Second Avenue near East Seventh Street. (First spotted the sign at the former Spa Belles location back in January.) The employees handing out free samples outside were very nice.

And to head this off at the pass in the comments, Twister does NOT serve anything in a hoof. So no FroHoHo™. (Frozen Hoboken Hoof.)