Some shut-eye for Shaky Eyez after multi-agency bust on 14th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

A multi-agency enforcement action took place yesterday at Shaky Eyez, the smoke shop at 402 E. 14th St., just east of First Avenue. 

According to legal documents on the door, authorities seized cannabis flower, flavored vapes, cigarettes, and other tobacco products, as well as unlabeled cannabis. 

The shop was also cited for unlicensed cannabis processing and its proximity to a house of worship. We're told that one person was arrested.

For now, the shop is padlocked...

... and rather empty...

Shaky Eyez opened over the summer in a storefront that has housed smoke shops in recent years. Signage for the business first appeared in June. 

The enforcement action apparently didn’t end sales on this stretch of 14th Street. When we stopped by around 8 last night, people outside the storefront were offering items for sale from a bag and jacket pockets. 

Readers have continued to report similar activity outside the shop and along this section of 14th Street. This corridor has seen ongoing complaints about open-air drug sales and quality-of-life issues through the years.

Openings: Bellanova on 9th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Bellanova recently opened at 331 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The licensed cannabis dispensary has a noticeably different look and feel from some of the neighborhood's other shops. There are no guards at the entrance or mandatory checks before entering. 

The narrow, brightly lit space features blond wood throughout, with a focus on higher-end products.

Below, Yasmine Bernard, shift lead...

Owner Matthew Hennessy (below) said the idea was to create something more relaxed.

"We want people to feel welcome," he said. "The space is warm, inviting and natural, true to the roots of nature."

Hennessy also has longtime neighborhood ties. He grew up on 10th Street and skateboarded at the Tompkins Square Park TF under the auspices of the late Harold Hunter. He still lives nearby. 

Elizabeth McGrath of Corner Bistro is a co-owner of Bellanova. 

And perhaps not surprisingly, given McGrath's well-known affection for dogs, the shop is canine-friendly.

"We love dogs," Hennessy said. "Bring all the dogs!" 

Bellanova is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Miami vice: Avenue B shop shuttered for alleged unlicensed cannabis and tobacco sales

Photos by Stacie Joy 

There's less on the shelves these days at Miami Convenience and More, 106 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

On Friday, law enforcement shuttered the business and issued a stack of summonses for allegedly selling cannabis products without a license ... not to mention cigarettes, "other tobacco products," vapes and flavored vapes.

Miami Convenience opened in February, taking over for the it-closed-quickly Saba Candy & Groceries.

Organizers revive Cannabis March with Saturday rally and concert

The annual Cannabis March & Rally is returning tomorrow — with organizers looking to reclaim the long-running event's roots. 

Per the invite, the 54th edition traces back to the early 1970s, when the Yippies staged smoke-ins starting in Washington Square Park before heading up Fifth Avenue. 

This year's gathering begins at noon at the Washington Square Park arch, followed by a march to Union Square Park. A rally and concert are set there from 2-6 p.m., featuring political speakers and live music. Bands on the bill include Rebelmatic, Ricanstruction and Butter Brain. 

 Organizers say they are reviving the event independently after recent years when the city took over programming under its Cannabis NYC umbrella. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Dana Beal, longtime marijuana activist, serving months-long prison sentence in Idaho

Fire Escape debuts on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Fire Escape, a licensed cannabis dispensary, debuted earlier this month at 103 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

The family-run shop is led by Max, Clay, Mark and Ash — a mix of longtime New Yorkers with ties to the neighborhood.

Inside, there are plenty of East Village touches, from local books and an EV Cookbook to a built-out fire escape installation that doubles as décor. There's also a chess table and space for film screenings and other events.

The team says they're hiring locally and working with people who have faced barriers to employment, including Diesel (below), their head of security. 

A few notes: ID is required to enter, there's no on-site consumption and there's a pick-up window out front (you can order ahead online).

Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, with a midnight close Thursday to Saturday.

Signage alert: Bellanova on 9th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Signage arrived last week for a licensed dispensary coming to 331 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The shop will be called Bellanova, a venture from Elizabeth McGrath (owner of the Corner Bistro) and Matthew Hennessy. 

McGrath said the space — a slim storefront — will focus on high-end, premium products. 

The applicants appeared before Community Board 3’s Cannabis Control Task Force last June. You can read their application here. 

This space was previously an unlicensed spot called Pride Smokes.

Signage alert: Fire Escape on Avenue A

Signage arrived on Friday for Fire Escape at 103 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

This has been a long time coming for the licensed (and family-owned) cannabis dispensary, as the gut renovations of the space took longer than expected. (They've documented the build-out on the entertaining Fire Escape Instagram account.)

 

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The space has been vacant for years after the troubled hookah bar Hayaty went dark in early 2020.

After raids, fines and silence, is Green Line finally done on Avenue B?

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Green Line, the unlicensed cannabis joint at 42 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street, has been closed since early December.

At that time, according to witnesses, Green Line employees got into a row, and basically trashed the place in the process. 

Now, a demand-for-rent notice from the landlord, Steve Croman, has arrived. Building employees say Green Line has not responded to any messages.

The shop was busted multiple times last year, most recently on Nov. 18. 

Despite repeated raids and fines, the shop kept pulling a Michael Myers–Jason Voorhees comeback, rising from the dead again and again. Could this really be the end of the (Green) line?

Green Line busted again on Avenue B — third time since April

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

This afternoon, around 2, officers from the NYPD and the Sheriff's Office — including members of the Criminal Investigation Division — arrived to "inspect" Green Line at 42 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street. 

This unlicensed smoke shop has been the subject of repeated enforcement visits — this was the third since April. (Here and here.) And Green Line always reopens.

According to the posted notices, officials seized cannabis flower, pre-rolls, vapes, flavored vapes, carts, THC edibles, untaxed/unlicensed cigarettes, and "other tobacco products." 

The summons cites the sale of unlicensed and untested/not-lawfully labeled cannabis, along with the shop's proximity to a school, house of worship or youth facility.

One ticket was issued to a worker — an unusual step, as summonses typically go to the business owner — for the criminal sale of untaxed cigarettes.

"The cop was real mad and said I lied to him, and so he gave me a ticket," the worker told me. "I told him I don't have the [business] keys, and he made me empty my pockets and took the keys from me. He wrote me a ticket and I'mma fight it in court." 

The same worker said he was present during at least one of the previous busts. When asked whether he'd be back if they reopened tomorrow, he said: "They may reopen, but I won't be there tomorrow. This same thing happened at the last few shops I worked at. It's not fair, I need to support and feed my family."

As for whether this closure will stick, one officer on the scene said, "We don't know, sometimes they open right back up again." Another added: "We'll be back if they do."

Another unlicensed smoke shop shuttered after multiagency raid on Avenue B

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

An unlicensed smoke shop at 166 Avenue B, between 10th Street and 11th Street, didn't last long before landing on law enforcement's radar. 

This afternoon, a joint operation between the NYC Sheriff's Department and the NYPD — part of the Sheriff's Joint Compliance Task Force — raided the recently opened storefront, seizing edibles, prerolls, flower, carts, flavored vapes, cigarettes and "other tobacco products." Cash was also recovered.

The space had sat empty since June 2024, when the previous tenant — also a smoke shop — was shuttered by law enforcement. 

What stood out at this raid: the volume. Officers hauled out at least 13 large trash bags of labeled items, far more than what we usually see at these busts.

The shop also drew the ire of neighbors for its very bright signage. Two business owners on the block told EVG they had complained about the storefront. 

Meanwhile, the shop is now closed...

High hopes: Licensed dispensary planned for this 9th Street storefront

A licensed adult-use retail dispensary is in the works for 331 E. Ninth St., located between First Avenue and Second Avenue, in the former Pride Smokes space. 

Tonight, CB3's Cannabis Control Task Force will hear more about the business, which will operate under the name Bellanova, with proposed hours of 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. (1 a.m. on weekends). Find the Bellanova questionnaire here. 

There was also an item on an adult-use retail dispensary for 24 St. Mark's Place (below) between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. However, the application was withdrawn ahead of this meeting.

This storefront was previously the short-lived Nosh Up market. 

The Cannabis Control Task Force meets tonight at 6, Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A primer on Community Board 3's role in the permit process for legal cannabis shops

Openings: Sky High Club on Avenue C

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Sunday (4/20!) marked the grand opening of Sky High Club, the first licensed cannabis outlet on Avenue C. 

Owner David Powell (above) holds a justice-impacted CAURD license for the space at 129 Avenue C, located between Eighth Street and Ninth Street. 

The grand opening was to include Jadakiss and Styles P serving as guest budtenders later in the evening.

Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. You can follow the shop on Instagram for updates.

[Updated] A licensed cannabis shop is opening at 15 Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A licensed cannabis retail shop is the next tenant for the SE corner of Avenue B and Second Street.

Workers have been doing interior renovations in recent weeks...

Paperwork from last August states that this is a Conditional Adult-use Retail Dispensary (CAURD). Per the Office of Cannabis Management: "CAURD licensees are the first retail dispensaries to open for legal adult-use cannabis sales in New York State, establishing businesses owned by justice-involved individuals at the bedrock of New York's adult-use cannabis market." 

This corner space was most recently Luzzo's La Pizza Napoletana, which went dark in the fall of 2023. The Avenue B address was previously home to the Wafels & Dinges cafe (and corporate office) for nearly eight years. W&D, which still operates from kiosks and food trucks around the city, moved out in March 2021. 

Updated: 

Signage is up for the no-vowel name — Pryzm...

On Avenue B, Green Line gets trimmed

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

We heard that several (unlicensed) local smoke shops were busted yesterday by local law enforcement (a multiagency raid under the New York City Sheriff's Joint Compliance Task Force). 

Among them: Green Line at 42 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street. 

Police said there weren't any arrests. Summons were issued, and some merch was seized.

Per a Green Line employee: "They didn't find anything — just Juul pods and cigarettes and stuff. So, we're good. The store is open again!"