EV Grieve Etc.: 24 St. Mark's Place dePinkberried; Mary J. Blige fêted on Avenue A

The familiar pastel color palette of the now-closed Pinkberry location on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue has been stripped away.

The storefront is for rent.

And no word on what happened to the main FroYo counter…



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A for rent sign has appeared in the former Open Pantry window. The 45-year-old coffee shop/grocery at 184 Second Ave. between East 11th Street and East 12th Street closed after business hours on Jan. 31. The proprietors also own the building, and we heard rumors of them opening a new concept here. Looks as if they are testing the rental market first.

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The Fresh & Co. signage has arrived on the corner of Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street. We haven't heard an opening date just yet for the kale-and-quinoa chainlet's 12th location in the city.

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And as we like to do every month, we check in on the new mural at Mikey Likes It Ice Cream at 199 Avenue A near East 12th Street … this month's flavor is inspired by Mary J. Blige…



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And just noting that a new sign for Barcade arrived last week at 6 St. Mark's Place. The craft beer-retro video game venue opened back in October.

(And yes — Nimble Fitness is taking the second-floor space of the building between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.)

Former St. Mark's Place Pinkberry storefront for rent

The former FroYo hotspot abruptly closed at 24 St. Mark's Place a few weeks back.

The for lease sign via Eastern Consolidated arrived yesterday. The listing isn't online just yet, so we're not sure how the brokers are pitching the property here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

What do you think might possibly be next? Tattoo/piercing shop? Bong store? FroYo? .49-cent pizza? A combination of all those things?

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Did the Pinkberry close on St. Mark's Place? (34 comments)

Why doesn't FroYo sell on St. Mark's Place? (23 comments)

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.

Noted

Spotted outside Pinkberry on St. Mark's Place this evening by @Ewingweb

When dessert worlds COLLIDE!

In which the cupcake truckers set up, uh, truck right in front of Pinkberry last evening on St. Mark's Place.

The fro-yo wars will be getting ugly (and pricy!)

AdAge.com delves into the competitive world of marketing frozen yogurt.

Red Mango is throwing down the gauntlet in the "authentic frozen yogurt" wars. The chain has hired the Richards Group, Dallas, in a seven-figure deal to create online, in-store, public relations and event marketing. Print and outdoor work will likely be added in 2009.

The chain's announcement comes just weeks after news that archrival Pinkberry hired branding firm Bulldog Drummond, San Diego.

EV Grieve's complete Fro-Yo library.

Important decisions of our time

Walking on St. Mark's Place.




Very Berry? Or Pinkberry?