After nearly 40 years, Sixth Street Specials prepares for its final ride in the East Village

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After nearly 40 years in business, Sixth Street Specials is closing and moving on from the East Village.

Owner Hugh Mackie tells me that the specialty motorcycle repair shop, which opened in 1986, will shutter by June 15 here on Sixth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

"In September, the landlord notified us the building had been sold, and we had to be out by January," Mackie says. "Then that deal fell through." 

A new for-sale sign arrived this past Friday and now hangs on the building. Mackie says the landlord has been great. He started working with the father and now his son, and they "have come to an agreement to be out of the space by June 15. The landlord's been 100% cool with me." 

The shop is located in the building, which also serves as a living and working space for Mackie and his family. Mackie, his wife, and their son will move to an apartment they found in Sunnyside, Queens. The rest of the building is now vacant.

The sale also prompted Mackie to retire, with longtime shop manager Joshua Mackenzie taking over the business and moving it elsewhere.

"Josh came here to relieve me from running the shop floor and has been managing it since COVID began," Mackie says. 

Mackenzie worked at Sixth Street Specials from 1997 to 2002 and returned in March 2020. He says he's looking for a space to move the business, maybe in New Rochelle or Red Hook, the two primary locations he's scoping out.

During the transition, he plans to keep the name Sixth Street Specials but says he might eventually change it. 

And Mackie? 

"Hugh will always have a bench," Mackenzie says. "It will be my shop, but he'll always have access."

Mackenzie plans to "stay on course with what we do, fixing old Triumphs," but he hopes the new location can fill a void for Upstate New York and New England, where there is a dearth of mechanics for these old bikes. 

Mackie adds, "I hope we can spread the word and that the Triumph community will still come out and get work done." 

I asked Mackie why he didn't want to continue in a new location. 

"I've done this since I was young. God knows how we managed these years, with shop fires, 9/11, Hurricane Sandy — endless shit. I'm 66 years old, I can't imagine doing this for another 30 years," he says. "We're the last bike shop down here. Independent businesses get squeezed too hard! The old days of dumping tires are over. The days of junkies dumping gas are over. I can't run a business with no money, and all of my peers have moved on. Now, it's just millennials with new bikes. This place has always made money, one way or another we survived. Winters sucked, and the summers were too busy. But I can't keep doing it anymore."

And how does he feel about semi-retirement? 

"Remember, it was a good thing. It's not a bad thing. When we started here, it was a dump. A drug den and a notorious tent city, heroin everywhere, people lined up to buy," Mackie says. "When I showed up, it meant safety; a business was now open on the street. I'm not looking for a bunch of nostalgia, just looking to get on with the next stage of my life."

Mackie says his cell number hasn't changed if you know him, although he admits he's planning on ignoring it as much as possible. He reminds me he's "old school, no website." 

I became friends with Mackie after our previous EVG interview in 2019 when I crawled down the motorcycle ramp into the basement because I didn't realize there was an upstairs office. There, Mackie was sipping a cup of tea. (However, he admits he recently switched to coffee.)

 I'll miss being able to drop by and hang out for a spell and talk about the neighborhood. On sunny days, we'd sit on the stoop and watch his son play with his toy cars or just people-watch. So, personally, I wish Hugh well with his next chapter, but selfishly, I will miss having him and the shop close by.

The shop's new number is (917) 284-4181. The shop's previous Instagram account will remain active.

An evening to celebrate the life of Anton 'Munch' Albert at Tom & Jerry's

Starting tonight at 7, Tom & Jerry's is celebrating the life of Anton "Munch" Albert,  a patron fatally shot in the early hours of March 1 at the longtime Elizabeth Street bar.

Per Tom & Jerry's:

The entire proceeds from that evening's sales will be donated to his family, so we hope you can join us for what will be a poignant evening of celebration. 

Tom & Jerry's is at 288 Elizabeth St. between Houston and Bleecker.

The bar has also launched a GoFundMe to help his family pay for expenses and support his 9-year-old daughter.

Albert reportedly lived on Staten Island. He was 39.

Little information has been made public about the shooting, including a description or photo of the alleged shooter who, according to multiple published reports, fired several times into the bar, striking Albert. 

According to the Post: "Witnesses told cops there was no interaction between the two men before the shooting, but police were unsure if the victim was targeted, cops said."

You can get this fresh-baked bread at Foxface Natural on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Since November, house baker Joel Kodish has been offering a selection of fresh bread several days a week at Foxface Natural, located at 189 Avenue A, just south of 12th Street.

Kodish shared a breakdown of what’s available and when:

• Thursdays: Sourdough baguettes only. 

• Fridays and Saturdays: Two types of sourdough loaves — the house loaf and a New York deli-style rye — along with chocolate espresso babkettes (muffin-sized babka).

With Fridays and Saturdays being the busiest days, customers can preorder or stop by for walk-in purchases. 

Pickup typically runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., though it may start slightly later on Thursdays. Due to limited quantities — typically 12 to 16 loaves and 12 to 36 babkettes — preordering is encouraged, but extras are usually available for walk-ins. 

For more details or to place a preorder, visit the Foxface Bread Stand.

Former corner market has been a Hive of activity this week

Photos by Steven 

The former Yummy Hive space is now for rent on the SW corner of Second Avenue and 10th Street. 

The market abruptly closed last Wednesday after less than a year in the space. The move-out appeared haphazard to passersby, evoking the chaos of a Spring Break looting.

Now, though, the space has shaped up...

The clean-up coincided with a Marshal's Notice stating that the premise is now in the legal possession of the landlord. 

Before the YH crew arrived, the prime corner space had been vacant for five years. The last tenant was Capital One®.

Will it stay vacant again for that long?

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Yummy Hive post mortem

Wednesday's parting shot

Thanks to Cecil Scheib for this 3/19 sunset shot...

March 19

Day-before-the-first-day-of-spring toss on Second Avenue and Sixth Street... thanks to EVG reader Erin for the photo.

An early spring report from 97 St. Mark's Place

Text by Donald Davis 

Photos by Kelley Ryan 

This is an early planting report on the regenerative (no turning of the soil) tree plot in front of 97 St. Mark's Place. 

This information may help guide others who are trying to deal with rat burrowing. When the rats dig, they toss dirt and kill any seedlings before they have a chance to grow.

Last fall, we tacked chicken wire directly on top of the soil, successfully deterring the rats from burrowing. The last rat to make an effort was found dead last November after trying to crawl beneath the wire. We chose to leave it in situ for the winter. Recently, what we presume to be hyacinths have begun to sprout from the carcass (future generations of humans take note). 

Our perennial crocuses have emerged through the chicken wire hexagons after a tremendous upward push of the soil. With minimal guidance, the leaves have erupted. Last year, these guys suffered from the rat dirt. They look fine now, well on their way to flowering.

We have planted most of the plot with seeds that have worked well in this soil and light in the past. A second batch of winter rye, which grew over the winter, was planted, along with lettuce, sunflowers, and bachelor buttons. 

With the rain, we should see some emergence in a few weeks. You still have a few weeks to prepare your anti-rat efforts before the official planting season. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Regenerative agriculture in the East Village

Staggering toward the April 1 start of outdoor dining in NYC

This is a prototype for the new style of outdoor dining structure, which was first seen last summer at Sunday to Sunday on Orchard Street. 

The city announced that restaurants and bars participating in the Dining Out NYC program can start setting up their roadway dining structures next Tuesday, preparing for the official start date of April 1.

Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez made the announcement yesterday. 

This is the first year of the new program. Per 2023 City Council legislation that Mayor Adams later approved, establishments can operate sidewalk setups year-round, while roadway dining operates seasonally, from April 1 to Nov. 29. The revised regulations stipulate that roadway cafes must now be open-air, easily portable, and simple to assemble and dismantle. 

Per the city's press release, 2,600 establishments have approval to operate on roadways or sidewalks. "By April 1, NYC DOT estimates 600 roadway dining applicants and another roughly 2,000 sidewalk applicants will be able to operate." 

The release also states that "NYC DOT has received more than 3,400 Dining Out NYC applications from more than 3,000 restaurants." So, several hundred restaurants are still awaiting approval.

The glacial approval process made headlines last month. Of the thousands of applications, only 40 restaurants reportedly received permits in mid-February. 

By Feb. 28, the DOT announced that it was reducing the red tape and granting conditional approvals for most roadway dining applicants before April 1.

According to NYC Comptroller Brad Lander's office last month, an estimated 12,500 restaurants offered outdoor dining at the height of the pandemic.

Per Streetsblog yesterday: 

Restaurateurs blamed the four-month moratorium and the new complicated and costly process for the decline in outdoor setups. During the pandemic program, owners could simply fill out a form online and start serving food and drinks outside. DOT inspectors would come later to check on their structures. 

The new law ... banned winter roadway dining, added yearly fees for every roadway café license and required a public hearing for each curbside setup. 

Last week, in a widely reported story (The New York Times... Hellgate ... Streetsblog), the full City Council voted to deny Le Dive a sidewalk cafe on Canal Street in Chinatown. 

"Le Dive has demonstrated a continuous disregard for sidewalk cafe regulation, and at this time cannot be trusted to be a good steward of this program and must be held accountable," District 1 Council Member Christopher Marte said in public testimony.

Marte was responding to residential concerns and quality-of-life issues on the Canal Street strip from East Broadway to Allen, which some people believe is turning into Bourbon Street during warmer weather. According to the Times, Le Dive's application for a roadway setup remains under review. 

Livable streets advocates have also criticized the seasonal restrictions on curbside dining. On a seasonably warm March 7, Open Plans hosted a "guerilla" pop-up curbside dining structure at C&B Cafe on Seventh Street. 

The space quickly filled with C&B patrons. "People are able to sit down and talk to their neighbors," Open Plans Co-Executive Director Sarah Lind told 1010 WINS. This is how we create community."

Today we're at C&B Cafe in the East Village, setting up a pop-up curbside cafe to demonstrate how quickly New Yorkers embrace these spaces! Outdoor dining brings undeniable vitality to our neighborhoods and should be available every season. pic.twitter.com/bAzY9uallG

— Open Plans (@OpenPlans) March 7, 2025

ABC 7 and Hellgate also covered the event. 

At the moment, it doesn't seem that many people involved in the process are terribly happy.

Has Milk Bar's East Village outpost closed? (Updated: YES)

Several EVG readers have noted that Milk Bar has been closed of late on 13th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

To the best of our knowledge, there hasn't been any announcement about a closure — temporary or otherwise. Google lists the business as permanently closed...

The East Village location is also no longer on the Milk Bar website. 

An EVG reader told us this: "Tried to go in on Dec. 9th, and they were clearing things out for a 'renovation.' The website had a reopening date in January, but they've since deleted that."

Several other readers noted an early January close, though a few people thought it was for the winter season.

We messaged Milk Bar about the status of the EV outpost. Updated: A rep confirmed that the lease has expired here.

James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi founded Milk Bar. She worked for David Chang's Momofuku empire when the first Milk Bar opened inside Momofuku's Ssäm Bar on 13th Street in 2008... before relocating across the street in 2011. 

Milk Bar's popularity propelled its growth, with products available for shipping nationwide and in grocery stores. 

Aside from a handful of NYC bakeries, there are outposts in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Washington, D.C. The Milk Bar recently closed after nearly two years at a Nordstrom in Seattle, its only location in Washington state.

Signage alert: Deli Delights & Waffle Wonders on Avenue A

Signage is up now at 105 Avenue A for — hold it now — Deli Delights & Waffle Wonders.

Delights and wonders aside, the signage also notes breakfast, lunch and dinner options... as well as juices and smoothies. 

No. 105 was previously LA Convenience, an unlicensed smoke shop that law enforcement busted multiple times.

Here's an in-progress look at the sign going up yesterday via Derek Berg...

Tuesday's parting shot

From the EVG inbox: "Curious if you've ever heard of a wild rabbit/eastern cottontail presence around the EV?"

The readers spotted a rabbit in the vacant lot on the SE corner of Avenue B and 13th Street. Perhaps a released (or escaped?) pet? "It seemed very people averse and ... hopping around OK, no collar." 

And only one month until Easter on April 20. 

Thanks to Sara for the photo!

St. Patrick's Day (night) at Casey Rubber Stamps

Photos by Peter Brownscombe 

A moment from the annual St Patrick's Day (night) gathering at Casey Rubber Stamps ... a tradition at the shop here on 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

Lori McLean has decided to close her East Village jewelry shop

Photo by Stacie Joy 

After several decades in business, Lori McLean will close her eponymous jewelry shop at 207 Avenue A, between 12th Street and 13th Street, this month.

"I'm ready for change," McLean told EVG after all the years running a storefront. 

McLean moved from the West Village to East 11th Street in 2015 following a rent increase. She was on the move again in 2020 when that lease was up, relocating to Avenue A. 

"My landlord is great and really saved us during the COVID shutdown," she said of 207 Avenue A, which will be available to rent in May. (The space was previously home to Obscura Antiques and Oddities.) 

This Saturday, there's a closing party at the shop from 4 to 8 p.m. — wine, cheese, and 50% off any remaining jewelry.

And after that?

"I'm taking the summer off and will then do custom work for people," she said, noting to keep an eye on her website for updates.

Another 1 Bites the crust: A French twist for the Bite space on 14th Street

The Bite outpost on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue is under new ownership, with the business transitioning to a new bite — Frenchie Bites. (Thanks to EVG regular Pinch for the photos and tip!)

Here's more about the new biz: 

Frenchie Bites has arrived, bringing a fresh, French-inspired twist to the former Bite 14 space! We're serving up a delightful daily brunch menu packed with French favorites like Croque Monsieur, crêpes, and flavorful omelets, alongside exciting new dishes. Honoring the legacy of Bite, we've also included a special "Bite's Legacy" menu showcasing their best-selling Middle Eastern and Mediterranean creations.

Current hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. 

The Bite, which opened in the sliver of a space on Lafayette at Bleecker in 2002, remains in service and offers sandwiches, paninis, salads, etc., as does the Bite on 22nd Street.

Rent a former 7-Eleven on the Bowery

A for-lease sign arrived last week at the former 7-Eleven at 351 Bowery.

The convenience store closed in November here between Third Street and Fourth Street after 13 years of serving Slurpees® and Buffalo Chicken Rollers.  

The Bowery store opened in December 2011. It was the first of four to open in the East Village, ushering in a wave of storefront suburbanization that repelled some residents. Now, they have all shuttered.

This was also the first retail tenant in the 52 E. Fourth St. condoplex. The Katz & Associates website has not yet listed it.

The former 7-Eleven on Avenue A and 11th Street, which also closed in November, isn't listed for rent and is being used as a canvas.

Yummy Hive post mortem

The abrupt closure of Yummy Hive last week drew a surprisingly robust EVG reader reaction. It was surprising for a relatively standard corner market that hadn't been open for a year. 

Here's a quick recap of what happened on the SW corner of Second Avenue and 10th Street: Yummy Hive management started closing the shop last Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday, it was shuttered, and all the appliances, groceries, snacks, etc., had been quickly removed. (The timing struck some as unusual mid-month.)

The interior's disarray led several readers-patrons to think looters had ransacked the business. In addition, someone tagged the windows late Wednesday night. (Interior photos by Steven.)

One reader via Instagram said he went in on Wednesday as workers were taking apart the shelves. The cashier did not charge him for his purchases. Another reader stopped by later on Wednesday and was told Yummy Hive was now closed. When asked what happened, a worker said they were "moving uptown."

Several "flash sale" signs were posted on the storefront, but there was no mention of a pending closure.

We heard from readers who were regulars here and are disappointed that they closed. We also heard from readers who found the place unsettling, including its name — which felt like the product of a ChatGPT prompt designed to create a vaguely suggestive business name. Another reader wondered why a standard corner market sold products like Sea Moss Gel.

Someone also previously created a fake Yummy Hive Instagram account: "Here to bring you expired, unhealthy, and nasty food, smoothies, and coffee! Hope to see you soon."

As of yesterday, Yummy Hive was still open per Google, Yelp, and the various delivery apps, where they accepted delivery and pickup orders. 

The prime corner space had been vacant for five years, with the last tenant being Capital One®. 

At one time, the corner space was home to Rectangles, which served Israeli-Yemenite cuisine.

Openings: Krave It on 2nd Avenue

The Krave It outpost debuts Thursday at 141 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. (Arrival first mentioned here.) 

This is the brand's first Manhattan location. It was founded in 2015 in Queens by husband and wife (and high school sweethearts) Vishee and Jenna Mandahar. Krave It also has several locations in the metropolitan area, including Bayside, Huntington and Astoria, with more on the way this year. 

Krave It specializes in "creative, out-of-the-box sandwich and pizza options" such as the birria pizza, ramyun pizza, Hot Cheetos pizza, Biggie Mac pizza, etc. (Find the menu here.)

Only available at the EV location: A statin-busting pastrami-topped reuben pizza with an everything bagel crust. 

The hours are Sunday to Wednesday from 11 a.m. to midnight, Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. 

The space was, until last March, Planet Taco. Recent past lives include Otto's Tacos for seven years. Before that, many things came and went here, such as Good Guys, a Subway (sandwich shop), part of a Max Brenner outpost and Burritoville.

Monday's opening shot

Photo by Steven 

Here's the short line just before McSorley's opened at 8 a.m. on this drizzle-y St. Patrick's Day.

And who was first in the door here at 15 E. Seventh St....?

 

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A post shared by McSorley’s Old Ale House (@mcsorleysoldalehouse)

Houston Street flashback

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A post shared by Andrew Eliopoulos (@retronyc)

Not Half bad!

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The New York City half marathon — the United Airlines NYC Half — took place today... and with a new route that took the 28,000-plus participants across the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time. 

The marathoners then went up the FDR, skirting the EV to finish at Central Park (the route took participants along 42nd Street to Seventh Avenue). 

Stacie Joy was along the FDR route to check out the runners...

... and the supporters...

You can check out the winners of the 13.1-mile trek here.