Hit sandwich connoisseurs Foxface opening a new venture in the former Harry & Ida's space on Avenue A

Foxface, the tiny shop for adventurous sandwich seekers at 80 St. Mark's Place in Theatre 80, is opening a new venture on Avenue A near 12th Street.

East Village residents Ori Kushnir and Sivan Lahat made the announcement on Instagram this morning... offering details on what they have planned for the former Harry & Ida's Meat and Supply Co., where owners Julie and Will Horowitz closed on Nov. 25 after four-and-a-half years of business.

View this post on Instagram

Dear Friends, Sometimes things just fall into place. Ever since we opened Foxface we've been daydreaming of a space nearby where we could smoke, ferment, dry, cure and otherwise transform ingredients in ways that do not fit in our tiny kitchen. Our dream "nearby" was probably in industrial Brooklyn, but then, out of the blue, @willhorowitz stopped by for a sandwich and casually mentioned he and @shweetums might be looking to pass on their smokehouse a few blocks away... You can imagine that we were doing all sorts of happy dances inside while trying to keep our cool fox faces. 🦊 💃🕺... This felt like it won't just be great for us and our sandwiches (and @sivantokyo's sanity whenever @orikushnir comes up with yet another loopy idea), but also like it would be a way to keep the cultural asset that Will & Julie have given the neighborhood from being replaced, in all likelihood, by a bro bar. (not that we have anything against bro bars - we have everything against them) We ramble, but to TLDR: We're happy to announce that in spring 2020 (we hope), @Foxface_Provisions will be opening as a smokehouse, tasting room, and preservation commissary in the space that once housed @harryandidas on Avenue A. See you there soon, and at Foxface in the meantime!

A post shared by Foxface (@foxface_nyc) on Dec 18, 2019 at 8:23am PST

So look for Foxface Provisions — a smokehouse, tasting room and preservation commissary — later in the spring of 2020. They will keep the small current space at 80 St. Mark's Place just west of First Avenue, which they opened late last year. Pete Wells is among the fans of Foxface.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Longtime East Village residents open Foxface, now serving sandwiches at Theater 80

Acclaimed pastrami purveyors Harry & Ida's will close this month on Avenue A

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Updated the original post from today...


From time to time we'll take a look at some recently available retail space... such as 189 Avenue A between 11th Street and 12th Street.

The 950-square-foot (plus basement) storefront, which previously housed Harry & Ida's, has a monthly ask of $9,500, per the listing... which notes this is a "Heavily Trafficked East Village Location" with a "Close Proximity to Tompkins Square Park."

The Harry & Ida's Meat and Supply Co. closed on Nov. 25 after four-and-a-half years of business.

Former Bean space for rent on 2nd Avenue

[Photo by Steven]

The Bean's sudden departures from their spaces on First Avenue and Ninth Street and Second Avenue and Third Street on Nov. 24 took a lot of people by surprise. For starters, the coffee shops always looked crowded, and they have a loyal neighborhood following.

Owner Ike Escava told us the following: "Due to rising costs the decision to close was unfortunately the only one we could make."

Now the Second Avenue space is on the retail market. (There isn't a listing yet for the First Avenue storefront.) Here's more about 54 Second Ave. via the listing:

Amazing corner retail in the heart of the East Village. High ceilings and a no cooking infrastructure in place. Landlord will consider venting for a qualified operator. Great storage basement with walk-in, storage, etc. Very strong corner in great neighborhood. Potential for a sidewalk café and all uses are considered. Ideal for non-vented or vented food, fitness, bank, retail, salon/spa and many other types.

The asking rent is between $135 to $155 a square foot for the space, listed at 1,355 square feet.

The Bean opened here in December 2011.

The prime corner space was vacant for years, and home to the infamous "crazy landlord" who "must rent this store."


[Circa 2010]

Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Crazy Landlord sign

'Crazy Landlord' back to being crazy!

54 2nd Ave. has been sold

The 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue locations of the Bean closed for good yesterday

The former Steamy Hallows space is for rent (the back rent is also due)

The former Steamy Hallows (and Cake Shake!) space is now for rent at 514 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The Harry Potter-themed coffee and dessert shop closed at the end of October. According to the Steamy Hallows Instagram account, the owners couldn't come to an agreement with the landlord on a new lease.

Meanwhile, the landlord legalese taped to the front window shows that the Potterheads owe back rent of more than $12,000...



Steamy Hallows debuted in February in the storefront that briefly housed Cake Shake, the dessert shop that debuted in August 2018.

118 1st Avenue still for rent

[Photo Friday by Steven]

Vacant Storefront Week continues... new for-rent signs recently arrived on another prime corner spot — 118 First Ave. at Seventh Street.

The asking rent for the space — 900 square feet with another 900 in the basement — is $13,000, per the listing at KSR.

Golden Food Market closed here in the summer of 2017 after 35 years in business. According to a reader who spoke with the Golden Food Market (aka Ali's) staff, the lease was up for renewal and the new landlord wanted an increase that was more than the store could manage.

As for the new landlord, an LLC with a West 11th Street address bought the building in the spring of 2017 for $5.8 million, per public records.

A tapas-wine bar was in the works for the space in April 2018, but those plans never advanced past the Community Board stage.

102 E. 7th St. is now for rent

A for rent sign is now on the storefront at 102 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Avenue A.

The listing for this Steve Croman-owned space isn't online just yet at Meridian Retail Leasing.

This arrival marks the end of Comparti New York — "a full-service catering and events resource" — in this space.

Before Comparti we had the tapas bar XyZ Pintxos y Botanas. Previously there was Tink's Cafe. And because someone will bring it up... some years back the storefront was the boutique Body Worship with the stainless-steel penis as a door handle.

The former Social Tees space on 5th Street is for rent

[Photo by Steven]

A few weeks back we mentioned that Social Tees is looking for a new home. The 501c3 nonprofit animal rescue has had several storefronts in the East Village, mostly recently at 325 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Meanwhile, that space, in a building owned by Steve Croman, is on the rental market. The for lease sign arrived late last week. In case you are wondering, the asking rent is $4,995 a month for 500 square feet.

As for Social Tees, you can follow them on Instagram for updates on a new space as well as pets for adoption.

157 2nd Ave.is for rent

[Photo Friday by Steven]

The rather beleaguered restaurant space at 157 Second Ave. is back on the rental market.

In late August, the Marshal seized Savor Por Favor, the Mexican restaurant-bar opened here between Ninth Street and 10th Street last October. The previous tenant, Yuan, which shut down in July 2018, also didn't make it to a 1-year anniversary.

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. (There was a rumored rent increase, per Eater.) Other recent restaurants here (before 2013) included Plum and Cafe Brama.

In previous posts, some commenters have questioned the landlord's role in these closures.

No sign of a listing for No. 157 just yet.

171 Avenue A ready for another restaurant

[Photo by Steven]

A for rent sign is up now in the front window at 171 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street.

The broker signage notes "Newly built restaurant fully vented."

As documented here, restaurateurs have had a challenging time making anything work in the space in recent years.

Chinese Graffiti went dark in July without any notice of a closure — temporary or permanent. The Asian-American gastropub had just opened here in early March, drawing praise for its offbeat menu items.

Recent ventures here include Chao Chao, which closed without any notice to patrons in May 2017 after six months in business. Chao Chao evolved from Soothsayer, which opened in January 2016. Soothsayer, from the same operators, also closed without any notice to patrons at the end of September 2016.

B.A.D. Burger made it work here for four years until early 2015 — and without a liquor license.

The listing for the address is not yet online.

Whatever happened to the former Heathers space on 13th Street?

[EVG file photo]

Two retail spaces recently arrived on the market at 506 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B...



Per the listing:

Brand new, mint-condition, white-boxed space with floor-to-ceiling windows (full glass front), exposed brick, recessed lighting, new hardwood flooring, partial kitchen (however no food establishments, please), renovated bathroom. Open floor plan with tons of potential. Similarly-finished but smaller second space also available next door (same address).

The rent is $107-$118 a square foot.

The larger of these spaces (the storefront on the west) was home for eight years (under two different owners) to Heathers, a bar-lounge hotspot of sorts that attracted plenty of press during its time here.

Heather Millstone opened Heathers in 2005, and the bar quickly became a lightning rod for noise complaints. (The Times had a lengthy article in January 2007 about the ongoing noise issues between the bar and neighbors.) There was also plenty of CB3-related drama for Heathers with its liquor license in the fall of 2011.

New owners took over the bar during the summer of 2012 ... and the place abruptly closed in October 2013.

Post Heathers, the space has been on and off the market these past five years. I can't recall any business being in the space during that time.

The former Bruno Pizza space is for rent on 13th Street

The retail space at 204 E. 13th St. just east of Third Avenue is now on the market...



The asking monthly rent for the space — 1,300 square feet on the ground floor, with another 1,300 in the basement — is $12,950, per the listing.

The previous tenant here, Bruno Pizza, never reopened after an early morning fire broke out in the top-floor apartment last November. The fire caused extensive water damage to the pizzeria, which first opened in July 2015.

Sharon's Laundry Service was in the space before its restaurant conversion via landlord Steve Croman.

Survey: There's a lower rate of retail vacancies in landmarked areas of the East Village

[Click to go big]

The percentage of retail vacancies in landmarked areas of the East Village were less than half the rate in non-landmarked areas – 7% vs. 15%, according to a survey released late last week by Village Preservation (GVSHP).

Here's more from the survey:

This was consistent throughout the neighborhood – non-landmarked streets had consistently higher retail vacancy rates than landmarked ones, sometimes as high as 31%. By contrast, the East Village’s three landmarked districts encompassing about 400 buildings had 242 retail spaces with 17 vacancies and a fairly consistent retail vacancy rate of about 7%. The East Village overall has about 2,200 buildings with 1649 retail spaces and 250 vacancies, or a 15% retail vacancy rate.

The findings of this new apples-to-apples survey undercuts claims by the Real Estate Board of New York in a study it released last year indicating that landmarking led to higher rates of retail vacancies. That study was based upon inaccurate data and assumptions, using a very limited comparison of one street in Hell’s Kitchen vs. a few cherry-picked streets in the West Village.

This survey, by contrast, is the first neighborhood-wide survey of retail vacancies in New York City looking at comparable landmarked and non-landmarked areas.

"While no study like this is conclusive, it certainly shows that historic districts and landmarked areas not only can but do thrive, even in this tough climate for retail in New York City," GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman said in a statement.

The survey was conducted by the East Village Community Coalition, the Cooper Square Committee and GVSHP.

299 Bowery arrives on the rental market 20 months after DBGB closed

A for-rent sign has finally arrived on the former DBGB space at 299 Bowery.

JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle Brokerage, Inc.) has the listing. There's not much info, such as the asking price, on the 6,600-square-feet of space. Per the listing: "Fully built restaurant space with infrastructure, kitchen and bar in place (no key money)."

DBGB shut down in August 2017 after eight years in the Avalon Bowery complex here between First Street and Houston Street.

The former Tatyana Boutique next door is also still for rent. That storefront has been vacant for three-plus years.

Previously on EV Grieve:
DBGB has closed, and erased from the Bowery

Former No Malice Palace for rent on 3rd Street

For rent signs are now in the window of the renovated storefront at 197 E. Third Street west of Avenue B (in the former No Malice Palace space).

According to the listing at the Dartmouth Company:

Size: Ground - 1,212 SF + outdoor area | Basement - 1,145 SF

Asking Rent: Upon Request

Vented restaurant space available on trendy East Village block.

Landlord delivering brand-new glass storefront.

Located in Manhattan’s most exciting dining neighborhood.

The building that housed NMP had been on the sales market for the second time in three years. (Didn't see any sign of a recent sale here via public records.)

No Malice Palace opened in 1999. Owner Phil Sherman died in November 2016 ... various signs on the gate in 2017 noted that they would reopen, but were just "waiting on legal things to happen." NMP remained closed until early December 2017, when it emerged as a pop-up holiday bar called Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge. No Malice Palace returned then in January 2018 before shutting for good last April.

Plans for a bar called Down and Out never materialized here.

An EVG reader mentioned that a bar had opened in the space last fall... which prompted the arrival of the Laurel & Hardy Urban Etiquette Sign...

145 2nd Ave., currently a Starbucks, is for lease

Marketing materials have been in circulation for 145 Second Ave., a retail space currently in use as a Starbucks at the corner of Ninth Street...



According to the listing via the Shopping Center Group, the price is "negotiable" and the possession is "arranged."

Last June, Starbucks announced that it would close 150 "poorly performing company-operated stores" in 2019, "mostly [in] urban areas that are densely populated with Starbucks locations," as CNN reported.

If this outpost does eventually close, then that makes the second local Starbucks in recents months to shutter. The Starbucks on Broadway at Ninth Street closed in early January.

Other EV outposts are located on First Avenue at 13th Street, First Avenue at Third Street and Avenue A at St. Mark's Place. The 23-year-old location on Astor Place received a major interior renovation last fall.

H/T Steven!

UCB East has closed; what's next for their space on Avenue A and 3rd Street?

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater's East Village outpost, UCBeast, wrapped up its eight-plus year run on Saturday night.

UCB officials blamed the "extreme costs" of operating in the space as a factor in its closing, as Vulture first reported on Jan. 9.

Starting Friday, UCB will present three nights of programing at SubCulture, a 130-seat venue on Bleecker Street. (You can find the schedule for UCB at SubCulture via this link.)



Here's a statement that UCB released after the news broke:

"Due to the long-term cost of rent, property taxes, and other expenses associated with operating a second venue in NYC, UCB has created this new experience at SubCulture to reduce the financial impact. This move allows us to continue to offer a second venue to our performers and audience. We are forever grateful to the incredible staff, performers and countless dedicated UCB-ers who have committed so much time and effort into making it possible for us to perform and view alternative comedy in NYC."

Now comes the speculation over what might take the large space here. UCB eventually took over part of the expanded Two Boots empire — the video store on Avenue A and the Pioneer Theater around the corner on Third Street...


[Image from 2002 via Cinema Treasures]


[EVG photo from spring 2009]

The Pioneer Theater, which screened indie, underground and cult fare, closed on Nov. 7, 2008. As owner Phil Hartman said at the time: "[I]t was always a labor of love and never commercially viable." The 99-seat theater opened in 2000. (Maybe Charles Cohen will buy this space for a theater too.)

Work started on the UCB space in 2009 (this post has the cargo-shorts comments goldmine — "Go back to campus, you new jack cornballs").

No sign of a retail listing for the former UCB spaces just yet.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Two Boots Video store "in contract" — largest available retail space on Avenue A

[Updated] Your 'Hot Chicks Room' sign update

[Updated] Resident starting a petition to have the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign removed at the Upright Citizens Brigade

Breaking: UCB will remove the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign!

'Hot Chicks Room' sign will now bring ruin to compost

Report: Upright Citizens Brigade closing East Village outpost next month

Former Kingsley space now for rent

Kingsley went dark back in early September without any notice to patrons — at the restaurant or online — here at 190 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street.

Someone emptied out the restaurant in late December, and the for rent signs arrived this past week, officially closing the book on Kingsley, which served "seasonal, local ingredients with a contemporary French-American menu," per its website.

Chef-owner chef Roxanne Spruance opened the space in December 2015, and received some attention given her past work in well-regarded kitchens such as Blue Hill and WD-50.

The restaurant took over the space from Back 40, which closed in December 2014 after seven years in business. Chef-owner Peter Hoffman told Eater that "a difficult landscape and lease uncertainty" led to the closure. Not sure if we ever moved past the "difficult landscape."

Former Nicoletta space for rent on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street

The for lease signs are up now in the windows at 160 Second Ave. at 10th Street, the former home of Nicoletta, Chef Michael White's pizzeria.

According to an online listing, the monthly asking rent is $25,000 (1,700 rentable square feet on the ground level).

As first reported here on Dec. 21, Nicoletta was opening in a new, undisclosed spot in the East Village where they are continuing with a delivery service.

Not sure where they are working from these days, but the Nicoletta Instagram is actively pushing the pies...

View this post on Instagram

It’s Championship Sunday! We are offering 15% off all signature pies and 1/2 off wings when you call in your order and mention “Game Day Deals.” 🏈🍕🍗

A post shared by Nicoletta | NYC (@nicolettanyc) on Jan 20, 2019 at 5:59am PST

A previous Nicoletta Instagram post noted that their new EV space will also feature expanded menu items and delivery zone.

Nicoletta opened to much hoopla in June 2012.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Nicoletta Pizzeria closes 2nd Avenue dining room, plans move to a new delivery-only location

Cafe Centosette closes on Second Avenue

Former Old Monk space for rent on Avenue B

[Photos yesterday by Steven]

It didn't take long for a for-rent sign to arrive at 175 Avenue B, the now-former home of Old Monk at 11th Street.

Back on Monday, we noted that Old Monk hadn't been open for the past week-plus during announced business hours. A rep for the Indian restaurant confirmed the closure in an email on Tuesday, noting "It just didn’t work out."

No word on possible asking rent at the moment... the for-rent signs are homemade for now...



Old Monk, from prolific restaurateur Sushil Malhotra, opened in July 2017. Previous restaurants at this address have included Babu Ji, Spina, Uovo and Panificio.

That's a wrap for Five Tacos on St. Mark's Place

[Photo by Steven]

The Five Tacos comeback has apparently come to an end. A for rent sign recently arrived on the now-empty storefront at 119 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The quick-serve taco shop went dark back in January... a sign on the door said they'd be "closed until further notice."

In February, a Five Tacos rep emailed me, saying that they'd be reopening very soon, but only for a lunch service and catering.

Anyway, it never looked all that open to the public in recent months. Five Tacos, owned by the folks behind 10 Degrees Bar on the block, debuted in January 2012.

A new broker for 503 E. Sixth St.

The landlord at 503 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B is bringing in the A team to rent the retail space.

Back in early September, store-bought for-rent signs with a handwritten phone number were in the front windows... now the space is being repped by a team at Halstead...



The asking rent is $7,000 a month, per the listing. And: "Prime location with lots of traffic! Perfect for restuarants, offices and more!"

The previous tenant, Cholo Noir, quietly closed in August after 13 months in business. No. 503 was also home for five weeks to Long Bay, a Vietnamese restaurant that closed in the spring of 2015. Several years earlier the space housed Gladiators Gym.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cholo Noir space now for rent on 6th Street