Dark jazz: Rue-B closes, leaving Avenue B

Photo yesterday by Stacie Joy

Rue-B, the bar and live music venue specializing in jazz at 188 Avenue B, has closed after nearly 23 years in business here between 11th Street and 12th Street. (H/T Lilly!)

Mike Camacho, who has owned the spot for the past five years, made the announcement in a video clip posted on Instagram. 

He said that they will be reopening at a location TBD at a later date. 

While he didn't name a specific reason for the closure, Rue-B's Instagram page states: "We apologize after almost 23 yrs we were forced to close down. Thank U East Village NYC 4 for allowing us to serve you spirits & live Jazz. With Love Rue-B." 

You can watch Camacho's farewell and thank you to patrons below...

 

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Lancelotti Housewares is closing on Avenue A

After a 25-year presence on Avenue A, Lancelotti Housewares is closing its doors this fall. 

EVG correspondent Stacie Joy reports that co-owners Michael Isaacs (below left) and Jeff Chatterton are moving to Dallas to be closer to family, and plans are in the works to open a similar concept/new home-goods store there. 

The couple just closed on their dream home, but they will miss NYC, they said...

The two bought the store from Linda Heidinger, who launched the business in 1996, five years ago. (Isaacs had worked several years at Lancelotti and at Alphabets, Heidinger's other store.) 

Isaacs and Chatterton expanded their retail space with a carefully curated selection of home goods here at 66 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street in 2018.

The closing sales begin today when Lancelotti opens at noon ...

Lancelotti's last day is expected to be mid-to-late October...

You can find updates on the shop's Instagram account. Lancelotti is open Tuesday-Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

Lancelotti, always a reliable spot to pick up a gift, will be missed.

Updated 2:30 p.m. 

Closing signage is up... and everything is 30 percent off in the store...

Green Garden Buffet closes on 9th Street

Green Garden Buffet has closed here at 332 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue (thanks to Steven for the photos) ... 

A note on the door from owner Tamika Gabaroum cites a "decrease in business" for the closure... 

Gabaroum opened the buffet-style spot in July 2020... serving what she billed as healthy French food. (An EVG reader described it as Chadian, as Gabaroum is originally from Chad.)

Gabaroum is a former public health advocate with the Peace Corps who served in UN Peacekeeping Missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She was an early recipient of a loan in the summer of 2019 as part of the East Village Revitalization Loan Fund for small business owners. (You can read more about the partnership with City Councilmember Carlina Rivera and community advocates here and here.)

Unfortunately, opening a buffet-style restaurant without seating during a pandemic proved to be too much.

Gabaroum had said opening a restaurant in NYC was a dream of hers. She will continue with catering work. 

Report: Jeepney closing after 9 years on 1st Avenue

Jeepney, the 9-year-old Filipino gastropub at 201 First Ave., is closing on Sept. 25, Eater reports. 

However, owner Nicole Ponseca said that this isn't the end of Jeepney — just at this location between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

Per Eater:

The restaurateur hopes to partner with a restaurant group to open a more casual version of her pioneering restaurant in multiple cities, including the possibility of New York, similar to her expansion in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami earlier this year.

Ponseca and executive chef Miguel Trinidad also operated Maharlika on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street from 2011-2019. As Eater noted: "Both restaurants have been heralded for their takes on modern Filipino cooking, which helped introduce New York City to the Southeast Asian cuisine." 

For its remaining time on First Avenue, Jeepney will be open for dinner from 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Image via Facebook

Retail shuffle continues at 250 E. Houston St.; Subway and Dunkin' next to leave

The storefront shuffle continues along 250 E. Houston St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

We previously mentioned that the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center was moving into a newly renovated space a few doors away. 

Meanwhile, Kapri Cleaners is staying in this strip, as EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports...

They'll be moving at the end of the month...

The Subway (sandwich shop) doesn't have a sign up, though workers told Stacie that this is their last week. They do not know if a new location is in the cards.

The Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins combo is closing. Workers said they hope to move nearby but do not know where just yet.

Lastly, China Town has not been open ... there wasn't any signage about a move or closure for patrons...

The Mattress Mart previously shuttered along this corridor. 

So why all the movement? We've heard rumblings (via several EVG commenters) about a new residential building for this strip — perhaps something like EVGB that swallowed up the small businesses along 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B a few years back. 

However, this is speculation at this point: Nothing about a new building or demolition has shown up in DOB records.

The 13-floor residential building at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square, changed ownership in the fall of 2016 ... and underwent extensive renovations.

Apparently, not all of the retail space was part of the deal. You can tell by where the new paint stops — right at the former Mattress Mart, as seen in the top pic.

Thanks to Stacie Joy for the photos!

Last weekend for Tea Drunk on 7th Street

After eight years at 123 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, Tea Drunk is closing up shop. This is the last weekend.

Per the tea shop's Instagram account:

With our current lease expiring ... August 21-22, will be the last days for Tea Drunk’s East Village location. Please hold that tear; this is not an end but a new beginning.⁠ ⁠Despite the highly challenging year due to COVID, Tea Drunk quickly pivoted and continued to stay connected with our tea community through our Educational Tea Club and an array of other online endeavors...

Tea Drunk will continue on with a variety of collaborations here and elsewhere. 

Meanwhile, if you need any fixtures...

 

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Former bubble tea shop space for rent on 3rd Avenue

A for-rent sign arrived last week in the window at 110 Third Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street, marking the official end of One Zo. 

The bubble tea brand from Taiwan debuted here last fall... and had been open as recently as late June.

While One Zo decided to close, several other bubble tea brands continue to try the neighborhood, including the April arrival of Gong Cha on St. Mark's Place... with Xing Fu Tang coming soon to the northwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place.

Attention Kmart shoppers: The Astor Place location is now closed after 25 years in business

After nearly 25 years on Astor Place, Kmart has closed this once-prime retail outpost. Yesterday was the last day in business for the struggling retailer (thank you to the EVG reader for the initial tip!) ...

We're told that employees weren't told of the Sunday close date until this past Friday. Signs announcing the last days were circulated throughout the store on Saturday.

Still, the closure isn't likely a complete surprise — at least to reporters covering the retail market. Earlier this year, Kmart's parent firm, Transformco, announced that it was closing several locations. (This outpost was not on a previously announced list.) 

In May 2020, they shuttered the Penn Plaza store, leaving Astor Place as the sole Kmart remaining in Manhattan. (There are two left in the Bronx.) 

Kmart and Sears were owned by Sears Holdings, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2018 and narrowly escaped liquidation in early 2019, per USA Today. "They were sold to their longtime investor and CEO, Eddie Lampert, who has kept them alive on a shoestring budget under the company name Transformco."

Rumors circulated in late 2017-early 2018 that the Astor Place shop, located in the landmarked 15-story building that was the original home of the Wanamaker department store on Eighth Street and Lafayette (officially 770 Broadway), was shutting down.

The Real Deal reported in January 2018 that 770 tenant Facebook and landlord Vornado Realty Trust were in talks to expand the social media giant's presence in the building.

Per The Real Deal:

Vornado ... recently paid roughly $46 million to Kmart – whose department store occupies about 30,000 square feet on the ground, mezzanine and lower-level of the building – in what appears to be a buyout of the retailer’s lease, according to city property records. Observers said it's unlikely that Vornado boss Steve Roth would take such a risk without a replacement tenant lined up, and speculated that Facebook could be looking to make a splash with a high-profile storefront, a la Microsoft's store on Fifth Avenue.

However, Kmart remained open and downsized, giving up the second level and moving everything to the main floor and basement.

Michael Lisicky reported on the Astor Place location for Forbes in March: 

Despite its current open status, the location suffers from the company's misfortunes and corporate misguidances. Employees express frustration that deliveries to the store have slowed. They cite the absence of blankets, pillows, and towels within its once-popular home department. Employees notice that its once-steady foot traffic tends to come and go.

After years of missed payments and unpaid bills, Kmart's relationship with many of its longtime vendors has evaporated. It has led to empty shelves and unusual selections of off-brand merchandise. ... Kmart is no longer a profitable and dependable outlet for suppliers.

Financial woes aside, other big-box shops such as Target and Marshalls have eaten away at Kmart's business. Not to mention Amazon.

I took a last look at the space yesterday...

Pinched for time, I didn't make it downstairs for the holiday supplies, but I did check out the Astor Place-branded underwear...

EVG reader Karen came across the store-closing signage while walking by yesterday: "Most other customers seemed equally shocked and dismayed. Shelves were fully stocked for the most part and there weren't really any big bargains — though with the longest line I've ever seen, seems people just wanted to have their last hurrah."

This Kmart arrived in November 1996. I worked nearby at the time and ate at the short-lived K Cafe a few times with co-workers to fill the void left by Woolworth's departure on 14th Street. 

I recall plenty of horrified WTF reactions from people about the Kmart opening here. People seemingly adopted a balanced don't-mind-it/hate-it relationship with Kmart through the years, especially as more big-box shops arrived. (My blogging friend Alex has written about this location numerous times. This post includes a video of U2's strange PopMart press conference here in 1997.)

At the time, the Astor Place store was one of over 2,100 Kmarts located throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories, according to Forbes. Today, there are less than 40.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports that fixtures and shelving will be sold this week — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting tomorrow. There will be security at the door — just let them know that you are looking for the fixtures.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Are Kmart's days numbered on Astor Place?

Al Horno Lean Mexican Kitchen looks to have closed on 1st Avenue

It appears that Al Horno Lean Mexican Kitchen has closed here on First Avenue between Third Street and Fourth Street... their phone number is out of service... and the interior has been emptied out...  (And we left a message about the status of this outpost.)

Al Horno, which has four other NYC locations, arrived on First Avenue back in November 2016. 

The address at No. 57 is now on an awning watch. It will be difficult for any new business to top the Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's action-packed combo during a few glorious months in 2012.

Chef Hans Asian Kitchen closes after a few weeks at 120 1st Ave.

Chef Hans Asian Kitchen has apparently closed after just a few weeks in business at 120 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

The quick-serve restaurant, offering a variety of noodle dishes and appetizers, had its soft opening on May 4. By May 26, they had updated the menu.

And now, someone has removed the Chef Hans signage and emptied out the interior ... and the space is for rent once again... (thanks to Steven for the photos)...  

Anyone out there try Chef Hans? The restaurant's Instagram account and Yelp page were awfully lonely. 

In April, signage for Chef Hans arrived here  ... this was after a March report @TradedNY account noting that Jian Bing Man, which specializes in Chinese crêpes, signed a lease for the storefront.

The previous tenant here, Doma Food and Drinks, a Korean bistro, didn't have much of a chance, opening in February 2020 — about six weeks before the PAUSE ... this was a new concept from the owners of the Tang, which opened in this space in July 2016. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• On second thought, Chef Hans looks to be the new tenant for 120 1st Ave.

Food Emporium has closed on Union Square

An EVG reader reports that the Food Emporium on Union Square East has officially closed... we're told Saturday was the last day...

The salmon fillet deal was still being advertised even though the deli department had been packed up days earlier...

As we first reported back in March, this 14th Street location was to close on May 30, according to a WARN notice filed on Feb. 25 with the New York State Department of Labor. 

The WARN filing says that the Food Emporium lease is expiring. The closure will impact 50 employees, per the notice. 

In February 2020, Lois Weiss at the Post reported that Target signed a lease for the 32,579 square feet here in the base of the Zeckendorf Towers. At the time, the Food Emporium was said to stay here through the end of April 2023. Perhaps now Target will push forward their opening date.

And we'll walk off with a passage from Rachel Sugar's March 11 essay at Grub Street titled "New York Grocery Stores Are Uniquely Weird. That’s Why They’re Important" ...

In itself, the Union Square Food Emporium was not special. It was — and is! (until May 30) — what one might call "serviceable," which is to say that it does indeed sell groceries and has two stars on Yelp. But it is emblematic of its kind. It is, like Key Food and Foodtown and C-Town and Gristedes and Associated and Bravo and D’Agostino, a quintessential New York City chain. Are these stores largely mediocre? Of course, but they are distinctly mediocre. And while there are recognizable differences between them, such as quality and ownership and location, spiritually, they are the all same.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The Union Square Food Emporium looks to be closing at the end of May

Good night: Mattress Firm closes up shop on East Houston

The Mattress Firm recently closed at 250 E. Houston St. in the row of one-level businesses here between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Previously it was a Sleepy's ... and before Sleepy's, the address served as a Halloween pop-up shop for a few years. 

And before that! Blockbuster!

Blockbuster bid adieu in March 2012. 

The 13-floor residential building at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square, changed ownership in the fall of 2016 ... and underwent extensive renovations.

Apparently, not all of the retail space was part of the deal.

You can tell by where the new paint stops — right at the former Mattress Mart. Other current tenants in the unpainted zone include the Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins combo, Subway (sandwich shop), China Town Chinese restaurant, the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center, H&R Block and Kapri Cleaners.

There are several vacancies in the old and renovated retail sections. And the Y7 Studio has yet to reopen (to the left of Mattress Mart) from the PAUSE of March 2020.

Previously on EV Grieve:

You've had your last Blockbuster night on East Houston

On Union Square, Food Emporium makes the upcoming closing official

Closing signs arrived late last week outside the Food Emporium at 10 Union Square East ...

As we first reported back in March, this location will close on May 30, according to a WARN notice filed on Feb. 25 with the New York State Department of Labor. 

The WARN filing says that the Food Emporium lease is expiring. The closure will impact 50 employees, per the notice. 

For now, everything in the store is 30 percent off. (And if you are looking for a Coinstar replacement.)

What's next for the Food Emporium space? In February 2020, Lois Weiss at the Post reported that Target signed a lease for the 32,579 square feet here on 14th Street. At the time, the Food Emporium was said to stay here through the end of April 2023.

Sources told Weiss that, despite the wait, Target wanted to lock in the location along 14th Street. The nearly 16-year lease had an asking rent of $183 per square foot, she reported.

In December 2015, Key Food acquired the Food Emporium banner name and related intellectual property assets, per published reports.

A few blocks away, Chef's Local Harvest, a 10,000-square-foot grocery store, is opening early next year in the former Associated on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

On University Place, Agata & Valentina has closed ahead of building demolition, condo construction

Agata & Valentina, the specialty grocery store at 64-66 University Place between 10th Street and 11th Street, has closed. April 26 was its last day here. 

The date was a few weeks earlier than some folks expected. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with the New York State Department of Labor in February stated that the store would permanently shutter on May 12. (H/T Bayou for that tip earlier this year.)

Argo Real Estate paid $30 million for the building in 2019, city records show. There isn't any public record of what they have planned for this space a few blocks from Washington Square Park. In March, Village Preservation reported that a 12-story building is possible. 

Efforts to landmark No. 64-66 were not successful: Demolition permits were issued for this four-story building back in February, per the DOB. (The tenant on the upper floors, the Institute of Audio Research, closed in 2017.) 

Agata & Valentina, which opened here in 2012, will continue on from their original (1993) Upper East Side location.

Vinny Vincenz Pizza has closed

We started hearing reader reports late last week that the venerable Vinny Vincenz, the 18-year-old pizzeria at 231 First Ave., was closed during usual business hours.

By Friday, a for rent sign had arrived on the storefront here between 13th Street and 14th Street. (Thank you to food writer Nick Solares for the photo.) 

There's no mention of a closure on the pizzeria's lightly used Instagram account. 

Vinny Vincenz had stared down the competition during the Great $1 Pizza War of First Avenue in 2013-14, which saw multiple sidewalk sandwich boards … the introduction of $1 drafts… and dancing pizza menu women.

The place served a good slice and offered other pizzeria staples. This marks the second old-school pizzeria casualty over here... as Muzzarella on Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street shut down last year. 

The Hayaty Hookah Bar space is for rent on Avenue A

A for rent sign now hangs outside Hayaty Hookah Bar at 103 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, bringing an official end to the lounge.

Hayaty had not been open since the PAUSE went into effect in March 2020. 

And some residents had been surprised that Hayaty was open at all following a deadly shooting outside the space in January 2020.

Early on Jan. 9, 2020, two men, identified as Earl Facey and Richard Reid, reportedly got into an argument inside the lounge. 

The fight escalated outside when the two men — each reportedly carrying a .22 caliber handgun — exchanged gunfire. Surveillance footage obtained by NBC 4 showed the two men "shooting at each other as they dance around a parked car," per the report, outside Hayaty.

The chase ended in front of 113 Avenue A where Facey was said by police to fatally shoot Reid in the torso. Two uniformed officers who were on patrol nearby shot Facey on the northwest corner of Avenue A and Seventh Street as he walked away, refusing multiple commands to drop his weapon and lie on the ground, according to police accounts and media reports. One officer fired his weapon twice, the other one time. Facey later died at Bellevue.

Hayaty remained open until the PAUSE.

The building's other storefront, the former Thai Hub, is also for rent. Thai Hub relocated to 50 Avenue A early last month.

You'll recognize those for rent signs ... they've been up on the long-vacant southwest corner of Avenue A and Sixth Street... same landlord here... 

The space has been vacant ever since Benny's closed here in November 2014. Hopefully, 103 Avenue A won't sit empty for nearly seven years.

Exclusive: Iconic East Village venue The Pyramid Club will not be reopening after year-long PAUSE

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

The Pyramid Club, a defining venue of the East Village scene in the 1980s, will not be reopening, another iconic NYC establishment to shut down as a result of the pandemic.

Having photographed a lot of events and personalities at The Pyramid Club over the years (including the Harley Flanagan and the Cro-Mags, Lydia Lunch and various anniversary parties), I was crushed to learn that the venue at 101 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street would not be reopening after COVID-19 restrictions ease.

Opening in 1979, The Pyramid ushered in an era of “socially-conscious drag performance, led by the likes of the Lady Bunny, Lypsinka and RuPaul,” as Village Preservation once put it. In an oral history of the space, Tricia Romano noted: “[The Pyramid] served as a safe haven for freaks, geeks, weirdos, queers, and dreamers to come together and create. Sometimes it was bad; sometimes it was beautiful. But it was never boring.”

The club continued to attract an audience with a variety of dance parties and themed nights, such as Friday I’m in Love.

Manager Maria Narciso and her fiancé, general manager and house DJ TM.8 (aka Quirino Perez), met me outside the venue yesterday to talk to me about the closure, why it happened and what their plans are going forward.

The Pyramid Club, after 40-plus years, has closed. What happened Maria?

The Pyramid Club closing is another consequence of COVID-19. Once we heard that COVID-19 had reached NYC, we immediately decided to close to keep our staff and patrons safe. In doing so, we became the first NYC business to close. March 7, 2020, was the last time our doors were open to the public. 

No one expected this “Pause” to last more than a year. While many businesses were allowed to open with heavy restrictions, nightclubs and performance venues/theaters have suffered the most. With no relief in the near future, or clear requirements/restrictions for reopening, not to mention the loss of being shuttered over a year, The Pyramid Club owners decided to close. 

Can you speak a bit about how things have unfolded over the past year? Would you say this is solely COVID-related? Did you have hopes of reopening? 

Quirino and I never doubted that The Pyramid Club would reopen. Throughout 2020, and as recently as two weeks ago, we’ve worked on plans to reopen. We reached out to friends in the community to provide food we could sell at the venue, even considered purchasing tables and chairs to place in six-foot squares on the dance floor, among other options, but we were never granted permission to present our plans.

When and how were you notified about the closure?

After many months of asking the owners about their reopening plans and always getting the same answer, “we’re not ready, yet” and knowing that now we had a date from NYS/NYC to open on April 2, Quirino asked once again and received a text message reply stating that due to COVID-19, The Pyramid Club will not reopen. 

Any chance another owner might take over the space/name? Do you know what the landlord might be planning for the space?

For decades, managers have run The Pyramid Club with unfortunately very little communication from the owners. We don’t know what their plans are, as they are very private people and rarely, if ever, talk about their business plans with us. 

You and Quirino have been hosting DJ sets on Twitch. How have those gone? Do you think there’s still a market for what the Pyramid offers?

We have worked really hard this past year to keep our community intact, close, and have grown our audience throughout this Pause. During the tougher months in 2020, when so many people became sick and we all experienced so much loss, we came together, grieved together, and supported one another in our livestream chats, while DJ TM.8 kept everyone’s mind off what was going on outside their homes.

Our community is strong and resilient: we’re survivors, and The Pyramid spirit will live on. The Pyramid Club is not just a building, it’s an energy, a vibe, and it lives inside of all us. 

How do you feel about being a part of such an iconic East Village venue?

DJ TM.8 has been with The Pyramid Club family for more than 37 years. They were his first and only employer since he began working in his teens. He started washing dishes at their restaurants, became a barback at many of their now-closed nightclubs — including The Bank — and discovered his passion for music while working at The Pyramid Club, where he taught himself how to use the necessary equipment. 

He worked his way up from dishwasher/barback to GM and now he is recognized worldwide. It has truly been an honor to have been part of this legendary NYC landmark. He’s very appreciative and humbled to have been given such an opportunity and responsibility. 

I have always been a people person, and planning events was something I’ve done as a hobby over the years. When I met Quirino, and became part of his team, I was able to do what I love and organize events every week. 

Always a 1980s music lover, The Pyramid Club seemed like a perfect match for me. Assisting him these past five years, and being employed by The Pyramid Club has had its ups and downs, but it’s been overall rewarding. You can’t put a price on friendships, and I’m grateful for the many wonderful friends we’ve made while working there.

You mentioned that you and DJ TM.8 are taking your party (or parties!) to DROM on Saturday nights? Is this a Pyramid revival? What are the plans for this new venue and location? 

Because we had no response from the owners for a long while, we looked for venues for booking DJ TM.8 until The Pyramid Club was able to open. Now, with the news of The Pyramid Club not opening, we are excited to announce that we have found a permanent home for DJ TM.8’s events. The Rapture Dark ’80s and Obsession Friday will take place at Eris in Williamsburg and Temptation Saturday will take place at DROM. Details and dates to be announced soon. 

What are your plans going forward, and how can people keep in touch? 

It has been an honor to serve our East Village community at this NYC landmark. We have continued to grow our worldwide community started by the original Pyramid management and patrons. We owe them so much for building that strong foundation. 

Together with all the promoters and events: Defcon NYC Industrial, No Return Post Punk Society, DJ Rob Xtian, Occulture, and Friday I’m in Love, we will carry on and continue to be there for our community. 

We will eventually change the name of our social media pages, but for the moment, we’d encourage everyone to follow us on Instagram and Facebook, plus DJ TM.8 on Twitch.

The Pyramid Club means so much to so many and many have created beautiful memories here. We truly wish we could do something to change what has happened, but we cannot. The Pyramid spirit is inside all of us though and will live on! 

EXPG Studio is closing on 2nd Avenue

After six-plus years at 27 Second Ave., the Exile Professional Gym (EXPG) is closing effective today. 

The dance and performance studio here between Second Street and Third Street had been offering virtual classes during the pandemic.

In an announcement about the closure, management said that they invested in cleaning and made their best effort to reopen. "However, unfortunately, there is still no prospect of resuming to normal operation."

While this outpost has permanently closed, their L.A.-based branch will remain in business. 

Prior to the dance studio, this space was home to Second on Second, a karaoke bar.