Why you'll be seeing a lot of Harry Styles fans in the East Village over the next few months

With Harry Styles starting his 30-night run at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night, expect to see plenty of his fans making a pre-show pilgrimage to the East Village in the months ahead. 

A "Together, Together" pop-up opens tomorrow at 22 E. Second St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery, featuring merchandise tied to Styles' current world tour. 

The pop-up will be around nearly as long as Styles in NYC on this tour: through Nov. 1, open Wednesdays through Sundays. Hours are noon to 7 p.m., with American Express cardholders getting early access from 11 a.m. to noon. 

Styles is playing the Garden every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from Aug. 26 through Oct. 31. 

And the Second Street storefront is getting accustomed to hosting a fan base: Earlier this month, the space was home to the Rush pop-up during the band's 50th-anniversary run at the Garden.

East Village Queer Film Festival marks 10 years

The East Village Queer Film Festival is marking its 10th edition this week at wild project, 195 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The annual EVQFF features films that explore queer themes and issues, work by and featuring LGBTQIA+ artists, and projects inspired by the neighborhood's downtown queer avant-garde. 

The festival, Aug. 26-30, includes screenings of shorts and features across multiple programs. 

Find the full festival rundown and ticket info on the wild project website.

Long-vacant 2nd Avenue site is under contract for $57M

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Reporting by SJ and EVG 

More details have emerged about the buyer of the long-vacant development site on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street. 

Earlier this month, we noted that the listing for the property had been marked "SOLD," although no transaction had appeared in public property records. 

A filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange now shows the property is under contract in a $57 million deal, with closing scheduled for on or before Dec. 15.

The seller, Second and Second Property LLC, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Gemini Investments (Holdings) Limited, entered into purchase agreements on July 31 with Moundfield Village LLC. 

The filing identifies Abraham Lipschitz as the purchaser's ultimate beneficial owner. According to information provided to EVG, developer Yoel Schwimmer is partnering with Lipschitz on the project. 

The $57 million consideration includes $45.25 million for the land and $11.75 million for certificates representing 20,804 square feet of affordable-housing floor area. 

The approximately 14,000-square-foot vacant parcel, identified in the filing as 42 Second Ave., was assembled by Gemini Rosemont in 2020 and includes the former site of the Church of the Nativity.

As previously reported, plans for an 11-story mixed-use development stalled after the Department of Buildings revoked permits following an audit prompted by complaints from neighboring property owner Robert Proto. Gemini later put the assemblage on the market.

For now, despite the "SOLD" designation on the brokerage listing, the transaction has not yet closed.

Closing credits for AMC Kips Bay 15: reports

EVG photo from 2022 

Updated 1 p.m.: A petition has been filed to save the theater, which is set to close so NYU hospitals can expand.

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East Village theatergoers will soon have one less choice for catching a movie nearby. 

The AMC Kips Bay 15 will close at the end of the year, Variety reports. The 15-screen multiplex on Second Avenue at 31st Street is AMC's second-largest theater in Manhattan. 

An AMC spokesperson said the closure is "following the property owner's decision to exercise its contractual right to terminate the theatre's lease before its scheduled expiration." 

While the Kips Bay programming leans heavily toward the latest Hollywood blockbusters, the theater has often tossed a few indie and specialty releases into the mix — making it a useful alternative to the East Village's movie houses. 

The multiplex opened in 1999; AMC took it over in 2006.

A summer afternoon on Avenues for Justice Way

Photos by Stacie Joy

Avenues for Justice hosted its annual "Summer on the Avenue" this past Thursday outside its LES community center at 100 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

The free street fair featured music, games, arts and crafts, school supplies, free haircuts and hair braiding, and other activities and community resources...

The afternoon also marked Executive Director Elizabeth "Liz" Frederick's 20th anniversary with Avenues for Justice. 

During the event, the organization received a Mayoral Commendation, while Frederick was recognized by Gov. Kathy Hochul's office for her two decades of work with young New Yorkers.

Frederick joined AFJ in 2006 and became executive director in 2024. The organization said she has helped support nearly 2,000 young New Yorkers involved in the court system during her tenure. 

Founded in 1979, Avenues for Justice is one of the country's first alternative-to-incarceration programs for young adults aged 13 to 24.

And a few more photos from the afternoon...

Post postpones closure — ‘going to outlive all of you!!’

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Post isn't closing after all. 

The cafe at 317 E. Third St., between Avenue B and Avenue C, stated last month that it would shut down at the end of August. 

Now, plans have changed. 

"We WILL NOT be closing at the end of August after all!!" ownership announced on Instagram this past Friday. "Your prayers have been answered. POST is going to outlive all of you!!" 

The cafe, which serves a variety of comfort food and cocktails, thanked customers for their messages and support, saying the response helped them figure out a way to stay open. 

Post debuted at the Third Street location in July 2021 after moving from 42 Avenue B, where it opened in November 2016.

From parking to housing: NoHo lot clears major hurdle for 210 new apartments

A long-time NoHo parking lot is another step closer to becoming housing. 

The Landmarks Preservation Commission last week approved revised plans for a residential development at 375 Lafayette St., aka 20 Great Jones St., in the NoHo Historic District Extension, per 6sqft. 

The project, developed by Minskoff Equities and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), calls for a pair of high-rise rental buildings with up to 210 apartments, including up to 65 affordable units. The development will also include ground-floor retail space. 

The 2021 SoHo/NoHo rezoning made the housing possible by allowing residential development on the site for the first time.

The project has gone through several iterations. When the latest version came before Landmarks earlier this year, commissioners raised concerns about its scale, exposed façades and how the building would fit within the historic district. 

Community Board 2 also opposed the plans presented earlier this year, citing the project's size and design. 

The revised SOM proposal addresses some of those concerns, including changes to the building's massing and façades. Landmarks approved the plans last Tuesday. 

The nearly 20,000-square-foot corner lot has been an Edison parking lot since the early 1970s.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• LPC hearing today on controversial development proposed for NoHo Historic District Extension

Sidewalk sheds may be getting a little less permanent

New rules are now in effect to remove long-standing sidewalk sheds more quickly, while the city is also considering six new designs for the structures. 

The Department of Buildings announced the changes this past Thursday as part of an effort to reduce the number and duration of sidewalk sheds citywide. As of Aug. 17, there were 7,427 permitted sidewalk sheds citywide, according to the Mayor's Office — more than 1,000 fewer than at this time last year. 

Under the new DOB rules, sidewalk shed permits must now be renewed every 90 days rather than annually. Each renewal must include a report explaining why the shed is still needed and detailing progress on the repairs.

Property owners who leave sheds in place without active work or fail to complete façade repairs within a reasonable period may also face graduated monthly penalties after 180 days. DOB expects to begin imposing these penalties in early 2027. 

Meanwhile, DOB has proposed allowing six new shed designs developed by Arup and Practice for Architecture and Urbanism. The city says the designs would provide more light, visibility and sidewalk space while maintaining overhead protection. Because the city owns the designs, building owners can freely copy and use them. 

The public comment period on the proposed designs runs through Sept. 24. 

DOB is also updating its guidance for large "campus" properties, including NYCHA developments, schools, and medical facilities. Required shed coverage will generally be limited to 40 feet from a building, an effort to eliminate sprawling shed networks that can extend well beyond a building's façade.

Last call for Chopt on Astor Place

Chopt is closing its Astor Place outpost after more than 10 years in business. (Thanks to EVG reader Seth for the tip!)

Friday (Aug. 28) is the last day for the fast-casual salad chain at 51 Astor Place — aka the IBM Watson Building/the Death Star — on the Fourth Avenue side at Ninth Street. 

Chopt opened here in February 2016. 

Sweegreen on Astor Place shuttered last summer. No one wants salad around here anymore? 

Meanwhile, the adjacent storefront that housed Bluestone Lane Coffee (RIP Feb. 2025) remains vacant...

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

A scene from today's celebration of Pakistan Independence Day outside Nishaan Chopped Cheese on First Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street. 

The festivities brought Nishaan together with other Pakistani food vendors for food, music and community on the block. 

Pakistan marks its Independence Day on Aug. 14, commemorating the country's independence in 1947. Tonight's East Village gathering was part of the city's ongoing celebrations today.

EV Grieve's East Village Week in Review

Posts this past week included (with a photo of @DoveMother with the pigeons in Tompkins by Derek Berg)...Never miss a post with the weekly EVG newsletter. Free right here. 

• An East Village swimmer completes open-water swimming's Triple Crown (Aug. 20)

• Roadway dining gets a year-round seat at the table (Aug. 18) 

• Chobani House remains quiet on the Bowery (Aug. 17) 

• "A Dream Task": Inside Nico Lou's new Mutt Library at Hancock Cafe (Aug. 19) 

• Never mind the bollards: Clinton Street has a traffic problem (Aug. 18) 

• Former house of worship-turned-condos hit the market on 4th Street (Aug. 17) 

• Nothing "Irregular" about the 2 festival awards for this Sophie’s-set film (Aug. 19) 

• Marc Rebillet was "Outside" today in Tompkins Square Park (Aug. 16) 

• From White Trash to Aliens on 5th Street (Aug. 21) … A final Friday night at White Trash (Aug. 17) 

• "All uses considered" for this prime East Village corner (Aug. 17) 

• Two Lower East Side jazz legends revisit their first collaboration (Aug. 16) 

• "I smell dead things": The plot thins on Avenue A (Aug. 19) 

• "Tony" and a Bourdain East Village flashback (Aug. 20) 

• Bye, bye Blank Street (Aug. 21) 

• Openings: Recente on 2nd Avenue (Aug. 19) 

From this past week: Roadway dining gets readers talking

The most-commented-on post of the week: From Tuesday... news that roadway dining will be allowed year-round drew 90 comments. Readers debated noise, rats, parking, public space, snow removal and whether the sheds are a neighborhood amenity or nuisance.

Sunday's opening shot

A new arrival on Third Street at Second Avenue outside the Bean... mural by Claudio Picasso...

The highly unfortunate closing of the Avenue A Two Boots, on film

Photo from May by Stacie Joy

A documentary about the closing of the longtime Two Boots Pizza outpost on Avenue A is screening again tonight (Saturday) in Tompkins Square Park.

"Tabby the Great and the Highly Unfortunate Closing of Two Boots Avenue A," directed by Tabitha Haugen and Billy Waldman, starts at 9 p.m. at the Park's handball courts. Admission is free, and, per the announcement, there will be cold pizza. 

Haugen, who worked at Two Boots for two years, said on Instagram that the documentary started as a joke after word came that the pizzeria would be closing. 

"The film was Billy's idea," she wrote. "Billy came in and jokingly said we should make a movie about the closing ... I took it as joke for 3 seconds then realized ... that could actually be really fun and challenging!" 

They shot the film over three weeks, collecting interviews and B-roll, with Two Boots customers contributing music and posters. 

The filmmakers attempted a screening in the handball courts last month, but technical difficulties cut the showing short. 

They're returning tonight to try again. 

Two Boots closed its Avenue A and Third Street location on May 29 after nearly 40 years in business. Owner Phil Hartman has said he plans to reopen Two Boots elsewhere in the East Village.

 

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Saturday's opening shot (and score)

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Hoops on the LES the other day... and now, randomly, the weather forecast: Mostly cloudy and humid today, with a little rain possible. 

More of the same tonight, with a couple of thunderstorms expected to develop late — and the possibility of another downpour like the one that rolled through Thursday night.

State of 'Independence'

 

We're sharing another video/single from Pretty Sick's upcoming album, Anarchy. 

Check out the above clip for "Hyper Independence."

From White Trash to Aliens on 5th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Aliens of Brooklyn is returning to the East Village. 

Owner-artist Joseph Angel Tijerina opens his new shop today (Friday!) at 304 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, the longtime home of White Trash, the vintage furniture and home-furnishings shop that recently closed. 

"It's an honor to be a part of this space," Tijerina told us about the handoff from White Trash. "I love the architecture and energy of the space." 

Tijerina said he was offered the storefront about three months ago and is happy to be back in the neighborhood — and close to his previous East Village location. 

Aliens of Brooklyn opened its first storefront in the spring of 2022 at 305 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, following nearly a decade of selling at pop-ups and flea markets. 

In our 2022 Q&A, Tijerina talked about the East Village's artistic history and the welcome he received from residents.

"In my eyes, the East Village is always a place where the artists migrate, and I find that sacred and want to honor the history already created here," he said at the time.

The Ninth Street shop closed in 2024, when Tijerina moved on to Chelsea Market. He later returned to Texas to help care for a family member. Tijerina continues to operate an Aliens of Brooklyn shop in Austin. 

Now, he's back in the East Village — this time on Fifth Street. 

The shop will be open seven days a week from noon to 11 p.m., with plans to stay open until 1 or 2 a.m. on weekends.

Bye, bye Blank Street

And then there were none.

Blank Street Coffee at 149 Avenue A between Ninth and 10th Street has closed.

A for-rent sign showed up on the storefront back in April. We heard that the lease is up, and management declined to renew, citing the storefront's (alleged) outdated electrical system as the reason. 

This closure marks the last of the East Village Blank Street outposts. The V.C.-funded coffee chain also had locations on Third Avenue... First Avenue and in the Bowery Market. The Avenue A location opened in November 2021. 

As previously noted, not everyone was a fan of the company. Per the Times in 2022: "When word got out that Blank Street is not an independent chain ... but an enterprise with global ambitions backed by private equity financing, many became curious — and sometimes suspicious."

Thursday's parting shot

Crossing Houston at Ludlow tonight in the downpour...

‘Tony’ and a Bourdain East Village flashback

"Tony," the film that chronicles a life-changing summer of 1975 for a 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain, continues its run at Village East by Angelika on Second Avenue and 12th Street. 

The coming-of-age drama is enjoying some solid reviews (we saw it and mostly liked it — there's a blurb for you). 

Afterward, we were recalling when CNN aired the final season of Bourdain's "Parts Unknown." The finale, which aired posthumously in November 2018, took Bourdain through the East Village and Lower East Side and featured Harley Flanagan, Lydia Lunch, Richard Hell, Fab Five Freddy, Jim Jarmusch, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and John Lurie, among many others.

Bourdain, a former LES resident, visited neighborhood haunts including Ray’s Candy Store, Veselka, John’s of 12th Street, Max Fish and Emilio’s Ballato. EVG flashback here. 

The chef, author and TV personality died in June 2018. His employer, CNN, reported that Bourdain took his own life. He was 61.