What's going in at the renovated 316 Bowery?

Photos by Stacie Joy

Workers continue with a fast-moving renovation inside 316 Bowery at Bleecker... space that was most recently the restaurant Saxon + Parole. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy received a tour of the interior on Saturday. Oddly enough, the contractors and security officers here did not know who the new retail tenant was... only that they'd be open in a week or so... 

A source told Bowery Boogie last week that a J Crew was setting up shop here. This space is a retail conversion, ending the run of bar-restaurants here in recent years.

Inside are fitting rooms, merch shelves and sporting decor (Merrimack canoes hanging from the ceiling).     

There's nothing inside the storefront with the J Crew branding (and is this JC's store color palette?) ... though J Crew does have a Merrimack canoe line of items.

There also weren't any posted work permits. (The approved work permits also don't mention the new tenant, just the scope of the work.) So far, a coming-soon notice hasn't been posted to the J Crew website... or even its Madewell brand.

Anyway, it would make sense for a J Crew to open here — they introduced the Bowery pants and the Ludlow suit to the world in 2010.

Reader report: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen slated for the SW corner of 14th Street and Avenue A

EVG photo from early 2022

Renovations are taking inside the former coffee shop at 442 E. 14th St., just west of Avenue A. Two EVG readers/tipsters reported that workers at the scene said the incoming tenant is — Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

Haven't received any other confirmation of this at the moment. (And if this is true, hopefully the restaurant will have a better exhaust system than the Wing Stop several storefronts away.)

This would also make the second EV Popeyes: an outpost opened in October 2020 at 39 First Ave. between Second Street and Third Street.

No. 442 was previously the Lower East Side Coffee Shop, which closed here after 13 years in February 2021. Next door, New Herbal World, which offered a variety of herbs, teas and tonics as well as acupuncture, moved to Lafayette Street in September 2019. 

It was a tough time for all the businesses on this corner in recent years. For nearly three years, this side of 14th Street was an active construction zone for L-train repairs and Avenue A entrance construction ... with various trucks, drill rigs, pile drivers, compressors and generators. 

Several businesses were forced to shut down due to limited access to their storefronts. Outside the now-shuttered Dion and the Coffee Shop, customer access included only 28 inches of sidewalk space — not big enough for a wheelchair in spots.  

Spiegel said to be returning to 1st Avenue

Multiple tipsters have shared the news that Spiegel will return to its former home at 26 First Ave. at Second Street. 

Several readers say they have seen owner Shmulik Avital at the space in recent days. (He apparently confirmed the news of the return to one reader.) 

There isn't any notice of a reopening on the Spiegel Instagram account, and no one responded to a message about the comeback.

The corner cafe that first opened in 2014 was serving takeout and delivery for part of last summer before going dark in early August. While there wasn't an official notice about a closure on any fronts, workers removed the signage on Sept. 9. The storefront has remained vacant since then.

Tacos for a former taco shop?

Over at 141 Second Ave., paper nows covers the front windows of the storefront... and the listing is no longer online. 

A worker told EVG correspondent Steven that the space will be a taco shop... perhaps similiar to the previous tenant — Otto's Tacos here between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. That quick-serve tacqueria closed at the start of the PAUSE in March 2020, and never reopened.

As we've noted, a lot of things have come and gone here through the years, such as Good Guys, a Subway (sandwich shop), part of a Max Brenner outpost and Burritoville. (Burritoville!)

Is a McDonald's opening in the former Zum Schneider space on Avenue C?

Updated 1:30 p.m.

Several readers who got a closer look at the sign say it's a fake — it looks Photoshopped and it's taped to the outside of the door, which is suspicious.

Updated 11/22

The sign has been removed.

This just in... a reader (thanks Ryan!) shares these photos from the former Zum Schneider space on Avenue C at Seventh Street ... where there is now a coming soon sign for McDonald's...

The sign, with the McDonald's logo, reads: "We're Lovin' It! Coming January 2021. Open 24 hours."

At this very moment, we're not sure it this is legit or not — possibly someone trying to be funny. (Still thinking of the Hooters hoax at the former 2nd Ave Deli site way back in 2006.) We'll look to get verification on this.

Zum Schneider, the popular biergarten and restaurant, closed here after 20 years in late February. According to Zum Schneider owner Sylvester Schneider at the time, the co-op's lawyer here on Seventh Street stated that the building had no intention to renew the lease.

If this is true, then it will mark the third McDonald's in the neighborhood, joining the one on First Avenue at 14th Street and on First Avenue near Sixth Street. (The outpost on Third Avenue closed in June 2017.)

A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for 1st Avenue?

Renovations are now underway inside the long-vacant 39 First Ave. here between Second Street and Third Street.

According to sources on the block, a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen will be the new tenant.

There's nothing on the recently issued work permits mentioning Popeyes by name. The architect of record does mostly work with fast-food properties.

So chalk this up to a rumor for now.

Popeyes has enjoyed a resurgence since the release this past summer of its pandemonium-inducing fried chicken sandwich ... which was recently re-introduced to a spate of violence at several outposts across the country.

There are currently 15 Popeyes locations in Manhattan, per the company website.

As for No. 39, the retail space has sat empty for nearly four years after NY Village Deli moved to a smaller storefront on the block.

The storefront was also tagged again in recent days.



Updated

In other local Popeyes news... the Post reports that an East Village resident found half of a joint from a chicken sandwich he bought last week at the West 14th Street location.

B Bar & Grill is still open

Rumors started circulating yesterday via a tweet that B Bar & Grill had closed, and demolition was underway on the southwest corner of the Bowery and Fourth Street.

In the video that accompanied the tweet, workers can be seen inside the garden area during usual lunch hours. It's not immediately clear what the workers are doing.

However, the restaurant is still open. A sign on the door for patrons yesterday noted that they were closed for lunch, with a 5 p.m. dinner-drinks service. To date, there haven't been any new work or demolition permits filed for the address, per public records.

In any event, it's easy to see why people might think this is the end for the B Bar. It was recently revealed through public records that CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358 Bowery — the current home of the B Bar & Grill.

Hotelier Eric Goode, who owns B Bar, has been assembling air rights to build a larger project on this corner space.

This warehousing of parcels will likely also mean the end of B Bar & Grill, which opened in 1994, some day. News of the B Bar's closure will likely be a Big Media Moment. They will not go quietly into the night without some oral histories and what-it-all-means essays.

Previously on EV Grieve:
CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development

Steiner East Village retail watch on Avenue A

With the news yesterday that Trader Joe's is officially coming to 432 E. 14th St. at Avenue A, several readers asked about the status of that large retail space in the base of Steiner East Village on Avenue A between 11th Street and 12th Street...



There's still an active listing for the 11,000-plus square feet of space...



The for-rent signs have been up outside the luxury condoplex — on the site of the former Mary Help of Christians church and school — since February 2018.

The idyllic rendering at the Steiner East Village website shows what looks like a restaurant/wine bar in the corner space on 11th Street along with some smaller shops.



We recently heard a Whole Foods rumor via an EVG reader, though there's currently not any evidence to support that claim.

A diner for the former Empire Biscuit space on Avenue A?

Workers removed the paper that was covering the front windows at 198 Avenue A yesterday (thanks to Lola Sāenz for the photos!) ...

A tipster told us earlier that a diner was coming to what was previously Empire Biscuit here between 12th Street and 13th Street. (That diner rumor has not been confirmed.)

In any event, something is coming to the space... as renovations continue inside.



The storefront hasn't been in use since Empire Biscuit started peelin' potatoes in January 2016.

Not a lot of information about what's next for these 2 former East Village bars

This past weekend someone removed the handpainted Grassroots Tavern sign from here at 20 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...



Kind of surprised no one tried to take it earlier (it was bolted into the wall pretty well). The bar closed after 42 years on New Year's Eve.

As previously reported, the new owner of the bar is Richard Precious, who operates the mini chain of Irish-style pubs called The Ginger Man (including the one on 36th Street).

To date, not much has been made public about his plans for the space. In addition, not much has happened inside the space (aside from some minor clean up and keg removal). An EVG tipster recently found the door open, and ventured inside.

I went over and spoke to one of the guys inside. I asked him when are they going to open. He said kind of laughing "April or May. You know how it is." I then asked are they going to use the name Ginger Man or Grassroots. He said no to Ginger Man and possibly for Grassroots. I have no idea what is the guy’s position in the organization, so you never know what’s really going to happen. To be continued.

---

And over at 120 1/2 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place... the for rent sign has been removed from the former International Bar (the asking rent is $9,955) ...



According to one former employee, a bubble tea shop is moving in. Now this has not been confirmed ... and could merely be a sarcastic (yet seemingly probable) response ...



The latest iteration of the International Bar closed this past Thanksgiving. (Non-renewal of lease, via landlord Steve Croman.) The bar merged with its sister saloon, the Coal Yard, one block to the south between Seventh Street and Sixth Street.

H/T Steven!

Another barber shop for Avenue A?

A tipster tells us that a barber shop is opening at 115 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

Work permits on file with the city show a business name of Bonefade Barbers.

If true, then this will be a competitive area for barbers. There is Ben's Barbers at 217 Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street and Three Seat Espresso & Barber at 137 Avenue A between St. Mark's and Ninth Street. There are three barbers/salons on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, Ace of Cuts on Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, and Neighborhood Barbers at 439 E. Ninth St between Avenue A and First Avenue. Probably among others.

The space was last home to a sales office for Blink Fitness. The last full-time tenant at No. 115, the gift shop Alphabets, closed here in February 2014, merging with their newly opened location at 64 Avenue A between Fifth Street and Fourth Street.

Also on the topic of new barbers... Best Barber has opened at 228 Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street...



They also have a location on 10th Avenue.

The Shake Shack effect? McDonald's on 3rd Avenue at St. Mark's Place has closed after 20 years

[Photos by EVG reader MP]

Some passersby were shocked yesterday to see that the McDonald's on Third Avenue at St. Mark's Place had shut down. A sign on the door noted, "Sadly, this location is closing."



In June 2015, The Real Deal reported that real-estate investor Arthur Shapolsky was in contract to buy the corner assemblage — 23 Third Ave., 27 Third Ave. and 3 St. Mark's Place — for roughly $50 million. The site could reportedly accommodate a 41,500-square-foot commercial building or a residential one of roughly half the size.

However, Joseph Gabay, whose family owns the properties, told me last night that they have not been sold despite the continued rumors.

"McDonald’s has chosen not to renew their lease after a 20-year run," he said via email. "With the addition of 51 Astor, the dynamic of the square has changed."

As noted earlier this week, Shake Shack is expected to open later this year directly across the street in a corner space at 51 Astor Place.

"With a contemporary brand moving in like Shake Shack and McDonald's leaving the change is evident," Gabay said.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Northeast corner of St. Mark's Place and 3rd Ave. fetching $50 million for development site

P.S.

And what happened to the Golden Arches?

@evgrieve McDonald’s arches removed in armored truck. pic.twitter.com/x7JRDrSRqd

— Jacob Ford (@unitof) June 1, 2017

Those Starbucks rumors continue to percolate on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place

[Photo from October]

Back in the fall, an EVG reader told us a worker was upgrading the electricity at 131 Avenue A ... because he said a Starbucks was going to be renting the former Nino's and Hop Devil Grill spaces on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place.

Meanwhile, last week, an Avenue A business owner asked us if we heard about a Starbucks opening on Avenue A. Now the rumor continues to pick up steam, as The Villager cites an unnamed source who tells the weekly paper: "I would say it’s a 90 percent certainty that Starbucks will be in the space."

Last fall, a tipster shared the flyer in circulation for the property...



At the time, a source with knowledge of the asking rent said that the corner space was seeking $15,020 per month and the inline storefront was going for $42,072 per month. The landlord was asking $52,000 for the combined spaces.

So far, there isn't any other evidence that this space has a tenant just yet. And Starbucks has been a handy rumored tenant in recent years ... for the corner of Avenue A and 11th Street and Avenue B and Fourth Street ... the contractor who said that a Starbucks was coming to First Avenue and 13th Street turned out to be correct, though.

James Morrissey, who owns The Late Late on East Houston and now VNYL on Third Avenue, had been after the spaces to create The Honey Fitz, a bar-diner-restaurant-cafe-networking space. Those plans never materialized early last year.


[Photo from yesterday]

To recap, Nino's closed in October 2015. As previously reported, owner Nino Camaj accepted a low six-figure amount to walk away from his remaining 10-year lease and surrender the pizza shop that he opened in 1989. He had been in a dispute with the landlord over back rent and a closure due to a gas leak in the building. Hop Devil Grill and its sister bar next door, The Belgian Room, were seized by the state in April 2015 for nonpayment of taxes.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A look at the retail listing for the northwest corner of A and St. Mark's Place

The former spaces for Nino's and Hop Devil Grill have been combined

Rumors continue about the future of the empty lot at 89 1st Ave.

As we've noted (here and here, for instance) in the past few years, workers continue to poke around inside the long-empty lot at 89 First Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

Yesterday, EVG reader Michael Hirsch spotted a crew taking more soil samples.

As you may recall, we heard a rumor in the fall of 2014 that there were preliminary plans in place to build a 7-floor residential building here.

There still aren't any permits on file with the DOB noting any new-building construction, though it's hard to imagine that a prime plot of land would stay vacant any longer in this day and age...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Will this long-empty lot on 1st Avenue yield to affordable housing?

Drilling and soil testing commences at the long-empty lot at 89 1st Ave.

Activity again in the empty lot at 89 1st Ave.

[Photo Friday by Michael Hirsch]

Several times (here and here, for instance) in the past few years, workers have come into the long-empty lot at 89 First Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street and whacked down the weeds/trees growing in the space.

All this usually — and understandably — brings out the "here comes the new development" thoughts. There still aren't any permits on file with the DOB noting any new-building construction.

As you may recall, we heard a rumor in the fall of 2014 that there were preliminary plans in place to build a 7-floor residential building here. In September 2015, workers were on the property drilling and soil testing.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Will this long-empty lot on 1st Avenue yield to affordable housing?

Drilling and soil testing commences at the long-empty lot at 89 1st Ave.

RUMOR: The Dahlia's space will be converted into a salad bar

Multiple tipsters have told us that the closed-for-now Dahlia's on Second Avenue and Fifth Street will return as a quick-serve restaurant specializing in salads.

Here's how one tipster put it: "It's going to be a salad bar! Saw them bringing in the sneeze guards. Per a super on the block it's definitely a salad bar and no liquor license."

The Mexican restaurant temporarily closed in early May while the State Liquor Authority decides their future booze fate. Back in February, the SLA temporarily suspended Dahlia's liquor license after serving a reported 50 minors one night. Dahlia's stayed open without alcohol after this, though business appeared quite slow.

The State Liquor Authority website shows that the license, set to expire Nov. 30, 2017, is currently inactive.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Dahlia's busted after cops find 43 minors drinking inside locked restaurant

More about the underage drinking bust at Dahlia's; plus, reaction from NYU students

So much for that Fairway coming to East 14th Street and Avenue A then

[EVG photo of Avenue A and East 14th Street from the other day]

In a July 2014 post about the incoming retail-residential complex along East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, an EVG commenter left the following:

I live directly behind demolition on 13th street. The other day I was approached by a pollster for fairway market asking me a bevy of questions about my thoughts on a new fairway on the corner of 14th and Ave A.

And we heard this rumor from another source as well: That Fairway was looking into opening a market in the East Village. (And didn't someone float the idea of a Fairway for the Stuy Town Associated space?)

In any event, it appears Fairway won't be expanding anywhere anytime soon (like they did in Kips Bay a few years back). Grub Street published an article yesterday titled "Inside the Collapse of Fairway, New York’s Favorite, Failing Grocery Store."

To some key excerpts:

The company is saddled with $267 million in debt and on the brink of bankruptcy, and its stock price, which once peaked at $28 per share, is selling for roughly 30 cents. The collapse has been swift and brutal. "Lives have been totally changed and ruined," says one former buyer for the chain. "What happened was an injustice."

And!

[A]lmost everyone agrees that a confluence of issues — including an overly aggressive and poorly executed expansion plan and rising competition in the quality-produce business — are the reasons Fairway is now in crisis. "It was a perfect storm," says a former executive for the company.

Rumors: Ethiopian to give way to high-end Japanese on East 3rd Street

The Meskel Ethiopian Restaurant closed late last summer on East Third Street near Avenue B... the closure was supposed to be temporary, for building renovations. However, as far as we know, the restaurant never reopened.

Now a tipster writes in:

The Ethiopian place that closed on East Third has new owners now who plan to make the space into "a high-end Japanese-food restaurant specializing in tempura" but "not a sushi place."

RUMORS: These 2 buildings on 2nd Avenue at East 12th Street are for sale

A credible tipster shared a rumor with us… that 192 Second Ave. at East 12th Street … and the building directly behind it at 303 E. 12th St. are on the shopping block…



The buildings are connected by a courtyard… word from the rumor mill is that the ground-floor space at 303 — currently a residence — is being pitched as a possible home to a cafe-restaurant.

Despite the reliability of the tipster, we haven't spotted any listings for the buildings… and there isn't any evidence that they are for sale…

Moonstruck Eatery makes an appearance at 167 Avenue A

[Photo from May]

About six weeks ago we heard a rumor that Moonstruck Diner would be opening another location in the neighborhood, this time at 167 Avenue A between East 10th Street and East 11th Street.

The previous tenant, Ethos Meze East Village, is owned by the same folks who run the Moonstruck Diner chainlet in the city.

While we were never able to nail down that rumor, a new sign has appeared above the space — for Moonstruck Eatery.





Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumor: Moonstruck Diner opening location on Avenue A