The new old Lucy's reopens tomorrow

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Lucy's officially begins a new era tomorrow at 135 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

Lucy's, now owned by Golden Age Hospitality, underwent renovations in recent months. Golden Age Hospitality CEO Jon Neidich, who previously lived upstairs and was a big Lucy's fan, promised to maintain the bar's look and feel and the same neighborhood bar vibes. (The renovations mainly included soundproofing in the ceiling and ADA bathrooms.) 

When the ownership change was presented to Community Board 3 last summer, Eater noted: "At least up until now, Neidich's businesses are just about the antithesis of Lucy's." A Times profile noted how he and Golden Age are swanking up millennial nightlife. (Who doesn't love a caviar-baked potato?) 

This past Thursday night, the new Lucy's debuted during a private party that included friends and neighbors, Golden Age associates, and a reporter or two. The place looks almost identical to the Lucy's you visited before closing in November 2023. (This EVG post will bring you up to date.) 

I have to say the bar looks pretty much like I remembered it — only a bit spiffier. It has a new jukebox featuring bands from Outkast to the Rolling Stones, new speakers, and a fresh coat of paint. 

Elsewhere, there is a new ADA-compliant restroom and a cleaned-up storage room (I did not get to go into the basement, but I was told it's an empty storage area now). A team of enthusiastic bartenders also makes some carefully crafted cocktails. However, there are no contraband bottles of you-take-the-first-shot 192-proof Spirytus behind the bar. 

One item is missing: the well-worn poster for the 1997 teen drama Hurricane Streets, which filmed a scene in the bar. Neidich said a new one is on its way. 

Overall, it looks as if Neidich tried carefully to recreate the Lucy's of his earlier days.

Around 9:30, Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius, who opened the bar here in 1987, arrived on the scene after an outing with The New York Times to a very warm welcome...

Golden Age has said that Lucy will still have a presence here — even bartending. (Playing it cool, she told me she'll "be at the bar when I'm available.") 

Here is Lucy with Jon Neidich...

I asked her what she thought of the new look.

"It's good. It's nice. This is new, and it costs a lot of money. It was time to make a change. Mine was very old," she said. "This is just so nice. I still love it." 

And on her return to the bar to see so many people happy to see her? 

"I am surviving a long time because people care about me, and then people from all over the world come in to say hi, and they remember me."

The best part for me, personally, was seeing Lucy smile. She put down the cane she now uses, sat at a table by the front door, and looked around the bar at everyone enjoying the opening night private party.

She put her hand over mine and said, "You look tired, Stacie. Go home. I am staying maybe a little bit longer."

It was after midnight when I walked out, and she was still going strong.

Starting tomorrow (March 4), Lucy's is open seven days a week from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. You can follow Lucy's on Instagram here.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A few more details on the future of East Village classic bar Lucy's 

• Exclusive: Lucy discusses the future of her iconic East Village bar

The new old Lucy's sign returns on Avenue A

Sign photos Friday by Steven 

The familiar hand-painted Lucy's sign returned to the storefront on Friday at 135 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street (someone painted over it in early 2024).

The new (old) sign appears to be an exact replica of what was there before...

Under new ownership with Golden Age Hospitality, the bar has been getting renovated in recent months after a decades-long run with proprietor Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius. It is expected to reopen in the next week to 10 days.

The questionnaire on file with Community Board 3 for the new liquor license last year included a letter from Golden Age Hospitality CEO Jon Neidich to the local block association. The letter reads in part: 

While we are taking over the operation of the bar, our involvement is solely premised on preserving an East Village institution: Lucy herself will very much still be a part of this project (and will still be behind the bar!). We will not be changing the concept or design of the space (we will be adding some soundproofing in the ceiling and an ADA bathroom). 

The building at 135-137 sold for $19.1 million in January 2024. Many of the residential units are undergoing gut renovations, and a source told us that some of the construction materials spotted inside Lucy's in recent months were for the upstairs apartments. 

Here's a look inside the bar from late January (photos by Stacie Joy)...

Will the "Hurricane Streets" movie poster return to its longtime position behind the bar?

Lucy's has not been open since November 2023. 

The links below detail what has transpired here over the past year.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A few more details on the future of East Village classic bar Lucy's 

• Exclusive: Lucy discusses the future of her iconic East Village bar

On the CB3 docket tonight: a new era for Lucy's, another operator for Lamia's Fish Market

Top photo by Lola Sáenz 

As we reported on Aug. 1, Lucy's new owners will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee this month. 

The owners of Golden Age Hospitality, whose portfolio includes establishments like Le Dive and Deux Chats, seek to take over Lucy's, the decades-old Avenue A favorite owned by Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius that has been closed since late November. Find more background at this link. (FYI: The plans call for Lucy to continue to have a presence at the bar.)

As a reminder, the meeting is tonight at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here. This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.  

Another East Village item of interest concerns 47 Avenue B, where, apparently, Lamia's Fish Market will not reopen. The restaurant has been closed since June for "maintenance."

An entity known as Fisherman Hospitality Group Inc. seeks to take over the space between Third Street and Fourth Street that workers recently painted. (Photo below by Stacie Joy.)

The questionnaire (PDF here) for the new seafood restaurant is on the CB3 website. 

A few more details on the future of East Village classic bar Lucy's

Photo of Lucy's interior last night by Stacie Joy

The new owners of Lucy's will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee this month.

As we reported in May, the owners of Golden Age Hospitality, whose portfolio includes establishments like Le Dive, The Happiest Hour and Deux Chats, seek to take over Lucy's, the decades-old Avenue A favorite owned by Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius that has been closed since late November. 

However, Golden Age withdrew their application before the May meeting, and it happened again in June, per public records. This is not uncommon and can mean anything from the paperwork not being in yet to the applicant still negotiating a lease with the landlord. 

The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website for public viewing (PDF here) ahead of the meeting on Aug. 19 shows that the trade name would remain Lucy's with the same hours — 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. 

The questionnaire packet includes a letter from Golden Age Hospitality CEO Jon Neidich to the local block association. The letter reads in part: 

While we are taking over the operation of the bar, our involvement is solely premised on preserving an East Village institution: Lucy herself will very much still be a part of this project (and will still be behind the bar!). We will not be changing the concept or design of the space (we will be adding some soundproofing in the ceiling and an ADA bathroom). 

The floor plan shows the same configuration with two pool tables, etc. The storage space behind the pool tables will be a prep area for the limited menu with five sandwich offerings. (There's a BLT, turkey club, croque monsieur, etc.)

Several tipsters have told us Neidich was a big fan of Lucy's and interested in buying the bar. (We're told Neidich once lived in the apartments above the bar at 135 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.)

During several conversations in February, Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that she had many potential suitors for the bar and may have a role in the new incarnation. 

As we first reported, attorneys for the building's new landlord served Lucy with a 30-day Notice of Termination in early February with a demand to vacate the space by the end of the month. 

Her lease expired in May 2015, and she was on a month-to-month arrangement with the previous landlord. Lucy told us that her last rent was $8,000 per month, and the new landlord, as of late December (West Lake 135-139 Avenue A LLC), was seeking a hefty increase.

The bar (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern) has been closed since November when some paperwork issues forced what was to be a temporary closure.

Golden Age Hospitality also has a pending application for the former Boiler Room space on Fourth Street at Second Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Exclusive: Lucy discusses the future of her iconic East Village bar

New applicants for Lucy's withdraw for this month

Anyone curious about the future of Lucy's at 135 Avenue A will have to wait at least another month.

Reps for the owners of Golden Age Hospitality, whose portfolio includes buzzy establishments like Le Dive, The Nines and Deux Chats, seek to take over Lucy's, the decades-old East Village favorite that has been closed since late November. 

As noted last week, Golden Age reps were on Community Board 3's SLA committee meeting docket for May 13. 

However, they have withdrawn their application...

This is not uncommon and can mean anything from the paperwork not being in yet to the applicant still negotiating a lease. (We do not know the reason here.) 

Several tipsters have told us that Golden Age Hospitality's Jon Neidich was a big fan of Lucy's and was interested in buying the bar. (We're told Neidich once lived in the apartments above the bar at 135 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.)

During several conversations in February, Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that she had many potential suitors for the bar and may have a role in the new incarnation. 

Neidich did not respond to previous emails about taking over Lucy's. We also contacted Golden Hospitality partner Craig Atlas, whose name appears on the CB3 application. A rep for Golden Hospitality responded last week and said they don't have anything else to share about the application right now.

As we first reported, attorneys for the building's new landlord served her with a 30-day Notice of Termination in early February with a demand to vacate the space by the end of the month. 

Her lease expired in May 2015, and she was on a month-to-month arrangement with the previous landlord. Lucy told us that her last rent was $8,000 per month, and the new landlord, as of late December (West Lake 135-139 Avenue A LLC), is asking for $25,000, though there might be some willingness to negotiate. 

The bar (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern) has been closed since November when some paperwork issues forced what was to be a temporary closure.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Exclusive: Lucy discusses the future of her iconic East Village bar

On the CB3-SLA docket: New operators for East Village classic Lucy's on Avenue A

With reporting by Stacie Joy 

Updated: 5/6 — the applicant has withdrawn the application for the May CB3-SLA committee meeting.

The owners of Golden Age Hospitality, whose portfolio includes buzzy establishments like Le Dive, The Nines and Deux Chats, seek to take over Lucy's, the decades-old East Village favorite that has been closed since late November. 

According to public records, Golden Age reps are on Community Board 3's SLA committee meeting docket for May. To date, only the application is online. The questionnaire, which includes more details about the method of operation, has yet to be posted. 

Multiple tipsters have told us that Golden Age Hospitality's Jon Neidich was a big fan of Lucy's and was interested in buying the bar. (We're told Neidich once lived in the apartments above the bar at 135 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.)

During several conversations in February, Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that she had many potential suitors for the bar and may have a role in the new incarnation. 

Neidich did not respond to previous emails about taking over Lucy's. We also contacted Golden Hospitality partner Craig Atlas, whose name appears on the CB3 application. We also have not reached Lucy, who has owned her namesake bar since 1987, this spring. (Her home phone does not have an answering machine, and we have not seen her at the bar in more than six weeks.) 

Meanwhile, there has been some activity inside the bar... in recent weeks someone has been stacking boxes and cleaning...

As we first reported, attorneys for the building's new landlord served her with a 30-day Notice of Termination in early February with a demand to vacate the space by the end of the month. 

Her lease expired in May 2015, and she was on a month-to-month arrangement with the previous landlord. Lucy told us that her last rent was $8,000 per month, and the new landlord, as of late December (West Lake 135-139 Avenue A LLC), is asking for $25,000, though there might be some willingness to negotiate. 

The bar (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern) has been closed since November when some paperwork issues forced what was to be a temporary closure.

From February: Lucy with Avenue A bookseller Jen Fisher. (Photo by Stacie Joy) 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Exclusive: Lucy discusses the future of her iconic East Village bar

Exclusive: Lucy discusses the future of her iconic East Village bar

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

On Tuesday, I met with Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius at her namesake bar at 135 Avenue A. 

Lucy greeted me with a smile and a wave at the front door here between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

She contacted EVG to discuss what was happening with the bar (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern) she has owned since 1987. 

As we first reported on Monday, attorneys for the new landlord served her with a 30-day Notice of Termination with a demand to vacate the space by the end of the month. 

Her lease expired in May 2015, and she was on a month-to-month arrangement with the previous landlord.

She led me to a table where she had been reviewing some paperwork...

For starters, she showed me her new liquor license (it had expired in late November, on top of a DOH closure notice for not having a Food Protection Certificate for an employee).

The paperwork has been settled, but her future running the bar is anything but.

She told me that her previous rent was $8,000 per month, and the new landlord, as of late December (West Lake 135-139 Avenue A LLC), is asking for $25,000, though there might be some willingness to negotiate.

So what are the alternatives? Perhaps she would find a new location for the bar? Not likely, she said. 

Retirement? Maybe. She stressed, however, that she wasn't done here and would welcome a partner or investor. 

"Right now, I have no idea. How do I go on? I have no employees. I must find a bartender. You must teach them, and they must have a permit from the health department. Last time, they did not have a permit, and I got in trouble. Big trouble," she said.

Lucy said she would be ready for retirement if that's how it plays out at 135 Avenue A. But she only wants to continue on at this spot.

"I don't think about this now, a new location, because I'm not finished here," she said. "I would like to sell the business or have a reduced role, a partnership.

"I have paid the January and February rent, but I didn't open because I am afraid of the new rent ... we have alcohol, but maybe not enough, and I don't have money to buy the good alcohol, so people have different choices to drink," she continued. "I have beer — lots of Miller High Life — and regular alcohol, but not the good stuff."

After we talked for a while, Lucy let me look around the dark, quiet bar that hadn't seen a customer inside in three months... everything was as it had been through the 1990s and beyond...

Before making my way back into the dusk falling on Avenue A, Lucy talked about all her customers through the years.

"Here, drinking people come from everywhere. Canada, Australia, Argentina and Brazil. Albany and Chicago. Washington, Washington state, California ... and Texas," she said. "But most of all, people are from New York. The best people. You know, NYC — the best."

I left Lucy with her paperwork. I paused and turned around, wondering if this might be the last time I'd ever be inside the bar as we've known it all these years...

New landlord serves Lucy's with a termination notice on Avenue A

Lucy's is another step closer to a permanent closure at 135 Avenue A.

This past week, someone affixed a 30-day Notice of Termination to the front door (thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photos below).

According to the documents, the new landlord (West Lake 135-139 Avenue A LLC) is terminating the bar's lease effective Feb. 29...

As we previously reported, owner Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius' lease expired in May 2015, and she was on a month-to-month arrangement with the previous landlord. (The buildings were recently sold for $19.1 million.)

Lucy must "quit, vacate and surrender" the space between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street or face court action by the end of the month.

The bar (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern) has not been open since November when some paperwork issues forced what was to be a temporary closure.

It's still possible Lucy could decide to find a new location for the bar. Plenty of people would support and applaud that.

And for those who've asked, the legal document states the lease started at the address in December 1987.

Fan signage for Lucy's

Upon reading about the latest developments at Lucy's (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern), 135 Avenue A, EVG regular Lola Sáenz created this handpainted signage.

As first reported yesterday, someone painted over the Lucy's signage at the bar between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. Worse, though, the building recently sold, and the new landlord wants a rent increase that Lucy can't afford. Read more here.

Updated 5:30 p.m.: Stacie Joy reports someone already removed Lola's sign.

Why we may have seen the last of longtime East Village bar Lucy's

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

We may have seen the last of a great East Village bar, the time capsule that is Lucy's (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern), at 135 Avenue A. (Updated Feb. 5 here.)

In late November (our story here), the Department of Health temporarily closed the decades-spanning bar between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. According to DOH records: "Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations." 

Longtime proprietor Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius said at the time that she thought her bookkeeper had paid the previous fine and had the proper paperwork on file. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. In addition, the bar's liquor license expired at the end of November. 

In a phone call on Saturday, Lucy said that she had the liquor license, though there is a much bigger problem — she has no lease. 

 

The two buildings at 135-137 Avenue A recently sold for $19.1 million. Lucy had been on a month-to-month lease with the previous landlord, with whom she enjoyed a good business relationship. 

The new owner — an LLC with a Brooklyn address — now wants $25,000 a month in rent. Lucy reports she is in talks with the new landlord but cannot afford to pay the increased rent. 

She isn't overwhelmingly optimistic and says the bar may be forced to close permanently.

And in an ominous development, someone blacked out the hand-painted Lucy's sign above the entrance (see top photo). Last fall, someone crossed out the name with a red paint line, though that was mostly seen as shenanigans/vandalism. 

As for her sign, Lucy didn't have any answers. "We talking, you know, it's New York; what can you do?"

 

We agreed to talk again in a few days or a week and see if there are any developments and hopes of setting foot in this bar again for a drink and game of pool.