The landlord has taken legal possession of Commodities on 1st Avenue

Photos last night by Steven 

Updated Jan. 18: It doesn't appear that the market will reopen. See this post.

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The landlord has taken legal possession of 165 First Ave. just north of 10th Street — which had been home to Commodities for 30 years. 

The gate was down at the health-food market last evening during usual business hours, and a legal notice from the Marshal was affixed to the storefront.

As we've seen in the past, a visit by the Marshal doesn't always mean the end for the business. Perhaps the landlord and tenant can work out a deal. 

However, recently, there had been rumors that the market would be closing, fueled partly by a retail listing for the space. ("Excellent opportunity for boutique retail in high foot traffic area.")

New owners took over the business in January 2019 and changed the name to Commodities Health Foods from Commodities Natural Market, ending rumors that Commodities 1.0 would close for good. 

Michael Hughes opened Commodities here in 1993. Hughes and his wife Audra opened an outpost in Vermont in 2015. Leading up to that Vermont debut, Michael's brother Ed took over the East Village shop. 

Mug & Cup space is now in possession of the landlord on Avenue C

Photos by Stacie Joy

We hadn't seen Mug & Cup open for several months here at 115 Avenue C between Seventh Street and Eighth Street.

There's now legal documentation on the door... the Marshal has taken possession of the storefront on behalf of the landlord...

The coffee and juice shop opened last November after a long build-out of the retail space. This was the second outpost for Mug & Cup, which got its start in East Flatbush. 

No. 115 had been vacant for the past few years as the building was sold and gut-renovated. The retail space has been empty since Le Jardin Bistro closed in June 2015. Previous ventures here included Apartment 13 and The Porch.

The former Nomad space is for rent on 2nd Avenue

A small for-rent sign now hangs on the storefront at 78 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.

Last month, owner Mehenni Zebentout announced that he was closing Nomad, his low-key Mediterranean and North African restaurant to take a much-needed break. 

As he wrote on Instagram: "This is not goodbye; more like stay tuned for what's next." 

Whatever he does next won't be from this space. The closing announcement also coincided with a notice that the landlord was now in legal possession of the premises (photo by Stacie Joy) ...

A very public eviction for Anwar Grocery on Avenue B

First 2 photos by Miriam Abrahams; the rest by Stacie Joy

On Tuesday afternoon, workers cleared out Anwar (going recently as Akter) Grocery at 166 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...

The clean-out preceded a visit by the Marshal, noting the business is now in legal possession of the landlord... (an eviction notice arrived on July 5).

Anwar Hossein had owned and operated the shop since 2005. He and his family have lived in an apartment upstairs dating to 1998. (His father had been a tenant since 1988.) 

Hossein previously owned two other stores in the neighborhood — A&H Grocery at 204 Avenue A and Ahn Newsstand and Candy store at 500 E. 12th St., both long shuttered. 

He previously told Stacie Joy that things were difficult for the shop in recent years — the pandemic only adding to the woes. A new landlord bought the building in 2018, and his lease expired in December 2019. 

There have been multiple court dates between the two sides before Tuesday's action. 

This was one of the more public evictions we've seen recently. Workers emptied out the store, placing its contents, including beer, cigarettes, rolling papers and personal-care products, on the sidewalk for passersby to take ... (The Hosseins were not seen during this time, and it's not known what their housing status is.)

The old-school-style shop had some unusual items for sale, such as DVD copies of a Nickelback concert, blank TDK cassette tapes and VHS videotapes. There were also religious amulets, sombreros, school supplies and some hardcore adult DVDs with titles like "Anal Pleasures" (and left on the sidewalk).  

 And a final look inside the shop...

However functional, the more recent delis and groceries have a bland sameness with the ambiance of an airport galleria. 

Anwar, with the owners who lived upstairs, was definitely the last of its kind in this neighborhood. 

And from this spring... Sheila and Anwar Hossein...

The Marshal seizes Bar None on 3rd Avenue

Photos by Steven 

Workers were spotted yesterday afternoon boarding up Bar None on Third Avenue.

In addition, there's a legal notice (dated June 2) posted via the Marshal, stating that the landlord now has legal possession of the sports bar here between 12th Street and 13th Street...

As we've seen in the past, a visit by the Marshal doesn't always mean the end for the business. Perhaps the landlord and tenant can work out a deal. 

Bar None was closed late last year for nearly a month. According to the legal documents dated from Nov. 18, "The property was seized for nonpayment of New York State taxes." 

The bar reopened in the middle of December.

The Marshal seizes the former Hot Kitchen space

[Photo by Steven]

The Marshal came calling late last week, seizing the former Hot Kitchen at 104 Second Ave. at Sixth Street.

This marks the latest development in a whirlwind few months at this space. On Feb. 19, the 10-month-old Jiang Diner decamped from the address and returned to to its previous location at 309 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue after just six weeks.

Jiang moved to Second Avenue for a bigger dining room and kitchen to expand their offerings. In a comment on Instagram, Jiang Diner stated: "unfortunately there are some complications with the ... space."

Hot Kitchen opened in September 2011. In 2018, Hot Kitchen transformed its menu and added traditional Sichuan Skewer Hotpot and BBQ to their menu. (They also stopped deliveries.) They eventually closed this past October.

At the beginning of December, a venture called Sushi & Sake started offering Japanese cuisine. That venture lasted a short month before Jiang Diner announced it was moving here. According to the Times back in August, Tao An, the owner of Jiang Diner, was also behind Hot Kitchen.

The Marshal seizes Hotel Tortuga

A bad sign at Hotel Tortuga on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue — the Marshal came calling late last week ... and the space is now in the legal possession of the landlord...


[Photo by Shiv]

No word yet about a closure here. The Hotel Tortuga website is offline, and their social media properties haven't been updated since 2018. The phone is also out of service.

A new owner took over the inexpensive Mexican restaurant in November 2017. Staff and menu essentially stayed the same.

The previous owners, David and Jean LaPointe, first opened Hotel Tortuga in 2010. They also ran Curly's Vegetarian Lunch one block to the east on 14th Street until the end of 2011.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Hotel Tortuga, under new management, will reopen soon still as Hotel Tortuga

The Marshal has seized Savor Por Favor on 2nd Avenue

Another restaurant has not been able to make 157 Second Ave. work.

This past Thursday, the Marshal seized Savor Por Favor, putting the retail space here between Ninth Street and 10th Street back into the legal possession of the landlord. (Thanks to blog friend Nick Solares for the photos and tip!)



The Mexican restaurant-bar opened last October. If this closure turns out to be permanent, then they didn't last quite as long as the previous tenant, Yuan, which shut down in July 2018 after a year in business.

As noted in previous posts on No. 157, this has been a challenging space to make work for any length of time. Before Yuan, Biang! — the sit-down Chinese restaurant via Xi'an Famous Foods owner Jason Wang — closed in March 2017 after 15 months in business. The previous tenant, Wylie Dufresne's bistro Alder, called it quits after two-and-a-half years at the end of August 2015. Other recent restaurants here (before 2013) included Plum and Cafe Brama.

Also as noted before, if Wang and Dufresne, given their other successes, couldn't make the space work ... not sure who can.

The Marshal seizes Chouchou on 4th Street

A bad sign at Chouchou, the Mediterranean-Moroccan bistro on Fourth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... there's a posted notice stating that the restaurant is now in the legal possession of the landlord...



There's nothing at the Chouchou website about a closure. We reached out to ownership to learn more about the situation here.

Chouchou, from Mario Carta, who also runs Pardon My French at 103 Avenue B, opened in March 2017. The cuisine here had been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand the past two years. Carta's other venture on this block, Nobody Is Perfect, closed last August.

On 2nd Avenue, renovations turn into a seizure by the Marshal at Hot Box

[Photo from April]

Hot Box has not been open in recent months over at 77 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.

A handwritten note on the door stated that they were "closed for 'renovations'"...



During that time, there wasn't much, if any, activity inside the space...



And now that renovations sign has been removed... and there's a notice stating that the Marshal has taken legal possession of the space and turned it back over to the landlord...



The restaurant opened in May 2018, offering a quick-serve interpretation on traditional Chinese hot pot with a "signature burner system" for the table.

There isn't any word of a closure – temporary or otherwise — on the Hot Box website and social media properties.

Tough restaurant times at this address in the past two years. Ciala, which briefly served Georgian cuisine before switching to French food, had an inauspicious five-month tenure here.

The Marshal visits Thaimee Table, who will return next week

Several readers (H/T Laura for the photos!) noted the arrival of a notice from the Marshal on Thaimee Table, the well-regarded Thai restaurant at 99 Third Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street...



A similar notice — that the property is now in legal possession of the landlord — is on the front door of chef-owner Hong Thaimee's off-shoot, Thaimee Box, on 13th Street near Second Avenue.

There's isn't any mention of a closure on the Thaimee website or social media properties. But there is good news for Thaimee fans: In an email, Chef Thaimee's business partner, Matt Bruck, said that they planned to reopen next week. And those notices from the Marshal?: "We are working it all out."

Chef Thaimee, who previously worked in the kitchens at Jean-Georges’ Spice Market and Perry Street restaurants, opened Ngam in 2012 (The Village Voice named Ngam NYC's No. 1 Thai restaurant in 2013) ... the restaurant was later renamed Thaimee Table.

The Marshal takes over Bar Taco on Avenue C

That's apparently it for Bar Taco at 185 Avenue C between 11th Street and 12th Street.

The Marshal recently came calling, putting the space in the legal possession of the landlord...



Bar Taco arrived in early 2018, taking over the space from a short-lived venture called Malcriada, a self-described "Latino Gastropub" ... which arrived after Kaz, another short-lived venture that lasted seven months.

Cafecito, the Cuban-style cafe, had a good run here, closing in early 2016 after 14 years in business.

Another look at the now-shuttered East Side Gourmet Deli

A quickie update (of sorts!) about East Side Gourmet Deli, which closed on the southeast corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street late last week.

An EVG reader shared these photos... showing the current state of the storefront ... and the arrival of the notice from the marshal, noting the premises is now in the legal possession of the landlord...



As you can see on the notice, the original execution date — Feb. 6 — was crossed out. Apparently the deli had a temporary stay of execution.

The Marshal serves notice at Tapanju Turntable on 4th and B

Tapanju Turntable, which sold Korean tapas and color-changing beer towers, went dark in the late fall on the northwest corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street. At the time, a sign on the door noted "a gas issue."

There hadn't been much, if any, activity here in recent months.

Now EVG reader Alexis shares this photo... showing that the Marshal came calling, with the landlord taking legal possession of the space.



So there likely won't be an encore presentation of Tapanju Turntable, which (re)opened in December 2017, a rebranded version of Turntable 5060 (same owners), which debuted in July 2015. (And once upon it time, this was Kate's Joint for 16 years.)

Also at the same address... the Marshal posted a notice (h/t Alexa!) on the former Nobody is Perfect next door on Fourth Street...



Nobody Is Perfect closed last August. Bistro owner Mario Carta told me this in an email at the time: "The gas in the entire building, including the apartments and the restaurant next to us, has been shut down for six months. We were unable to provide a decent menu to our customers during that period of time and that affected our business knowing that we were open for less than a year trying to build a clientele in the neighborhood."



Five restaurants — Nobody Is Perfect, B4, Piccola Positano, Tonda and E.U. — have come and gone at 235 E. Fourth St. in the past 10 years.

[Updated] Lumos Kitchen now appears to be closed for good

As mentioned last Tuesday, Lumos Kitchen, 188 Second Ave. at 12th Street, hasn't been open in recent months. A sign on the door since early August notes a temporary closure and the words "gas meter."

On Saturday afternoon, EVG reader Harry Weiner spotted workers removing the contents of the restaurant, which is now mostly empty...



There is a Stop Work Order order for the address dating to late July for "gas work done without a permit" in the kitchen of the restaurant.

To date there isn't any mention of a closure on the Lumos website or social media properties.

The restaurant, serving a menu of French- and Chinese-influenced cuisine, opened in early April. An EVG reader who lives nearby estimates that Lumos has not been open since the end of July.

If this is permanent, then this marks the fourth restaurant — joining Hot Pot Central, DumplingGuo and Dumpling Go — to close here since March 2015.

Updated 10/19

The Marshal came calling yesterday.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Lumos Kitchen remains closed

The Marshal seizes Papa John's on 1st Avenue

The Marshal came calling to the Papa John's outpost on First Avenue last Wednesday...



The storefront between 12th Street and 13th Street is now in legal possession of the landlord.

There have been recent reports that Papa John's could close up to 250 stores if sales do not improve.

Per CNBC:

In July, same-store sales at the beleaguered pizza chain plunged 10.5 percent after it came to light that Papa John's founder had used a racially charged slur on a conference call. That trend continued in August.

This Papa John's opened in November 2010.

Our Papa John's archives can be found here.

An oasis of landlord problems for the Serenity Spa

Over at 33 First Ave. at Second Street ... the Marshal came calling back on Friday at the Serenity Spa...



... which occupies the second level of the corner building.

The legal document on the front door notes that the landlord is now in possession of the space...



Serenity took over for the Water Front Spa, which opened in 2007 and received positive notices for its budget services.

The Subway (sandwich shop) isn't returning next to the McDonald's on 1st Avenue

Last week, we reported that the Subway (sandwich shop) on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street had closed... this after the Marshal seized the storefront on behalf of the landlord.

As we've seen in the past, a visit by the Marshal doesn't always mean the end for the business. However, as these photos show, workers have cleared out this 6-year-old Subway next to the McDonald's ... removing all but one of the Subway signs...



This marks the marks the seventh Subway sandwich shop to close in the immediate area in the past five-plus years.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Marshal takes possession of the Subway (sandwich shop) on 1st Avenue