Friday's opening shot

Photo by Lola Sáenz 

New at the Bean on Third Street at Second Avenue...

This is no dream. This is really happening!

There's a great new Halloween-themed mural by BKFoxx up on the Third Street side of The Bean, 54 Second Ave. ... showing Mia Farrow from a scene in the 1968 horror classic "Rosemary's Baby." 

And the headline reference from the film.

The Bean ready to make its 2nd Avenue return

Updated 11/18

The Bean is now open! Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

--

The Bean reopens today in its former home on Second Avenue at Third Street... almost a year to the date that it closed at this very location.

As you may recall, the Bean shut down two EV locations in November 2019 — here on Second Avenue and on First Avenue at Ninth Street. At the time, owner Ike Escava blamed rising costs on the closures. The outposts on Third Avenue at Stuyvesant and Broadway at Ninth Street remained in operation. 

The Bean first debuted in December 2011 here on Second Avenue. The retail space has been vacant since the Bean's departure.

Will update the post when we get the new hours for this Bean branch.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The Bean is returning to its former home on 2nd Avenue

The Bean is returning to its former home on 2nd Avenue

A familiar tenant is coming to the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Third Street: The Bean.

Owner Ike Escava shared the news... the coffee shop-cafe will reopen in the space some time in November. 

"We belong there — it feels like going home," he said in an email. 

As you may recall, The Bean closed two EV locations last November — this location and the one on First Avenue at Ninth Street. At the time, Escava blamed rising costs on the closures. The outposts on Third Avenue at Stuyvesant and Broadway at Ninth Street remain in operation. 

The Bean outpost on Second Avenue and Third Street first debuted in December 2011. The retail space has been vacant since the Bean's departure.

Missing mosaics at the former Bean on 2nd Avenue

An EVG reader points out that someone has torn off the mosaic tiles at the now-closed location of the Bean on Second Avenue and Third Street...



Jim Power created the colorful mosaics ahead of the cafe's December 2011 opening. This location as well as the one on First Avenue and Ninth Street suddenly closed on Nov. 25.

The storefront at 54 Second Ave. is currently on the rental market — minus mosaic tiles — with an ask of $135 to $155 per square foot.

The new Bean expected to open today on Broadway

The Bean is expected to open today on the northwest corner of Broadway and Ninth Street.

The coffee shop closed its outpost on Broadway at 12th Street after service on Nov. 9 ahead of this move to the larger confines of 771 Broadway.

As reported in other posts, this storefront was previously a Starbucks, which shut down here back in January ... this after a conversion from the Starbucks-owned Teavana in 2016. (Also: This corner space previously housed Silver Spurs, the diner that closed in December 2013 after 34 years in business.)

The Bean is now down to two locations (here at 771 Broadway and over at 31 Third Ave. at Ninth Street) after the sudden closures of the chainlet's locations on First Avenue and Ninth Street and Second Avenue and Third Street on Nov. 24.

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

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] The Bean is taking over the former Starbucks space on 9th and Broadway

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

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

[1st Avenue location photo by Steven]

Regulars were shocked to learn that the seemingly always-busy Bean locations on First Avenue and Ninth Street and Second Avenue and Third Street shut down after service yesterday.

A tipster told us about Bean employees thanking regulars for their patronage. (Another tipster said that the store employees received little warning about the closure.)

"It is sad but true that we are closing those stores. It is a very hard day for us," owner Ike Escava confirmed via email. "Due to rising costs the decision to close was unfortunately the only one we could make."

Moving forward, the coffee shop will maintain the location on Third Avenue at Ninth Street and the incoming spot on Broadway and Ninth Street. (The Bean on Broadway and 12th Street closed earlier this month ahead of the move to the larger space on Broadway.)

"We hope to continue to see our loyal customers at those locations and to continue serving the East Village for a very long time," he said.

The Bean has had a presence in the East Village since 2003.

The outpost on Second Avenue and Third Street debuted in December 2011.


[Photo from 2011]

The First Avenue and Ninth Street shop opened in June 2012.

As the Bean moves on Broadway

A brief Bean update.

The Bean on Broadway at 12th Street (above) closed after service on Nov. 9 ... as the coffee shop relocates to a larger location three blocks to the south at 771 Broadway and Ninth Street...



This outpost, a former Starbucks (and moment of silence for Silver Spurs), is expected to be open at the end of the month.

In total the Bean has five locations, four around here and one in Williamsburg.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] The Bean is taking over the former Starbucks space on 9th and Broadway

Update on the Bean's Broadway move

A quick update to yesterday's post on the Bean opening up an outpost on the northwest corner of Broadway and Ninth Street.

The Bean that's currently on Broadway at 12th Street is relocating to this larger spot (thanks to the commenters for pointing this out!)


[Photo by Steven]

As noted in yesterday's post, the Ninth/Broadway storefront was a Starbucks until this past January.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Bean is taking over the former Starbucks space on 9th and Broadway

[Updated] The Bean is taking over the former Starbucks space on 9th and Broadway

The Bean is continuing its local expansion... signage is up on the northwest corner of Broadway and Ninth Street for another outpost of the coffee shop...



This is a bit of a role reversal too, as a local cafe takes over a space previously held by a Starbucks.

The Starbucks stopped here back in January ... after a conversion from the Starbucks-owned Teavana in 2016. (This corner space previously housed Silver Spurs, the diner that closed in December 2013 after 34 years in business.)

In the fall of 2011, Starbucks moved into the the Bean's flagship cafe at First Avenue and Third Street. The Bean had been on a month-to-month lease there, and the landlord gave them a 30-day notice to leave late in August 2011.


[EVG photo from 2011]

As for the Bean, they opened a new location at 31 Third Ave. at Stuyvesant Street (the former St. Mark's Bookshop) in 2017.

Updated

Per the comments, the Bean is relocating here from the 12th Street and Broadway location...


[Photo by Steven]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Today's sign of the apocalypse: Starbucks taking over The Bean's space on First Avenue and Third Street

The Bean's 3rd Avenue location opens on Thursday

As the signage shows, the Bean is opening its new location at 31 Third Ave. at Stuyvesant Street on Thursday.

The storefront had been empty ever since St. Mark's Bookshop moved out in June 2014.

"We've always liked the old St. Mark's Bookstore spot and it's been empty for years, so when the opportunity presented itself for us to obtain it we were excited to make it happen," Ike Escava, owner of the Bean, told me via email in July.



This will make the coffee shop/cafe's fifth NYC location.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Bean is opening in the former St. Mark's Bookshop space at Cooper Union

The Bean is opening in the former St. Mark's Bookshop space at Cooper Union

The Bean is opening a new location at 31 Third Ave. at Stuyvesant Street ... an EVG tipster sent along these photos from yesterday... the signage shows The Bean @Cooper Union...



The storefront has been empty ever since St. Mark's Bookshop moved out in June 2014. There have been a few art shows here, which makes sense given that Cooper Union owns the building.

"We've always liked the old St. Mark's Bookstore spot and it's been empty for years, so when the opportunity presented itself for us to obtain it we were excited to make it happen," Ike Escava, owner of the Bean, told me via email.

This will make the coffee shop/cafe's fifth location, joining the other East Village locations at Second Avenue and Third Street and Ninth Street at First Avenue. The other locations are at Broadway and 12th Street and Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg.

If all goes well, then Escava said that he'd like to be open around Labor Day.

St. Mark's Bookshop had been struggling to stay in business here. In November 2011, then-Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer helped broker a deal between the Bookshop owners and Cooper Union in which the school agreed to lower the rent by $3,000 to $17,000 and forgive $7,000 in debt. The shop moved to a much smaller space on Third Street with four years remaining on the least at 31 Third Ave.

The line for free coffee at Luke's Diner this morning on 1st Avenue

[Photo from 7 a.m. by Steven]

The East Village locations of the Bean, including the one on First Avenue at Ninth Street, are taking part in a one-day anniversary promo for "Gilmore Girls."

Today apparently marks the 16th anniversary of the show's first episode.

Per USA Today:

Netflix is turning more than 200 coffeehouses nationwide into Luke's Diners, ahead of its "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" premiere on Nov. 25. Each temporary Luke's will include décor from the show, such as Luke's signs, Luke's aprons, Luke's backwards caps and Luke's coffee cups covered in Gilmore Girls quotes.

The series ran for seven seasons, ending its run in May 2007. Luke's was the show's popular dining spot.

The Bean apologizes after telling resident with respiratory illness to vacate its outdoor benches

Some longtime East Village residents are upset with the Bean after a bench-clearing incident last week at the location on Second Avenue and East Third Street.

Friends of Michael David Arian, who works in production at La MaMa, said that he stopped to catch his breath on the benches outside on East Third Street. A worker reportedly told Arian, who has a respiratory illness, that he needed to purchase something or leave immediately.

"I am a senior and have breathing difficulties and need the rest on my way to work. The Bean insisted I move. So I did," Arian, 68, said in an email. "They have no respect for me or any of the people who provide the character of the neighborhood."

We reached out to Ike Escava, owner of the Bean, which also has locations on First Avenue at East Ninth Street and Broadway at East 12th Street. He told us the following via email:

We have always welcomed senior citizens to sit on our benches. I was made aware of this incident by a post on Facebook and reached out to Mr. Arian immediately and personally apologized. I am available to speak to anyone that would like to discuss it in more detail, I'd especially appreciate the opportunity to speak to Mr. Arian and apologize face to face. We consider ourselves to be part of the East Village community and hope that people realize that even people with the best of intentions can make a mistake, as we did in this situation.

Here's more from DNAinfo, who reported on this incident yesterday afternoon:

The mishap underscores the difficulties faced by the establishment in trying to strike a balance between being a good neighbor and making room for paying customers, said Escava. The shop’s benches are constantly overrun by loiterers who stake out the space all day, some of them homeless, he said, and the struggle to keep them usable means that sometimes baristas have to ask folks to clear off.

“We have a big challenge because we have a lot of people who sit all day,” he said. “There are a lot of homeless with nowhere else to go — we’re always watching the benches, and we have to watch them or they would have people sleeping on them.”

According to DNAinfo, Arian has so far refused Escava’s personal attempts to apologize.

54 2nd Ave. has been sold

The four-story building on the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Third Street has been sold.

According to Kevin Darouvar, sales and acquisitions at the Living Real Estate Group, Dalan Management bought the building for $7 million from the family who has owned it since 1976.

In its current configuration, there are two living spaces: one on the second floor with a 2,600-square-foot duplex on the third and fourth levels. Darouvar said that Dalan planned to offer the units as rentals.

The Bean, the building's retail tenant, has a lease on the space through 2026. The coffee shop opened here in December 2011.

Some readers may recall several years ago when the retail space was vacant... and the Crazy Landlord just had to rent this space...

[Photo from March 2011 by Salim]

Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Crazy Landlord sign

'Crazy Landlord' back to being crazy!

Wind KOs front door at the Bean on First Avenue

Winter Storm Saturn is heading our way... expect wet snow, rain, sleet, ice, misery, doom, despair. That kind of thing. Meanwhile, the wind has already been whipping up... this afternoon, EVG regular William Klayer notes that the wind took out one of the doors at the Bean on First Avenue at East Ninth Street...

The Bean's First Avenue location opens Thursday

The Bean's Ike Escava tells us that the location at 147 First Ave. (at East Ninth Street) will open on Thursday ... Meanwhile, EVG regular jdx wandered into the location yesterday for a look...











Previously on EV Grieve:
A bigger Bean coming now to 147 First Ave.

Rumors: Ground floor at 147 First Avenue will include the Bean AND a bar

The Bean is now apparently opening on every corner in the East Village

Two 7-year-old East Village students on loving books and hating Starbucks

Earlier in the spring, word spread that The Neighborhood School on East Third Street was in danger of losing its library. (You can read our post on it here.)

With the help of several local businesses, parents raised funds to save the job of the librarian, Cheryl Wolf, and the library for at least another school year. However, the fund shortage continues in other areas of the school... and parents are concerned about supplementing the library after next school year. You can read all the background at the school's website.

Anyway! There's a Save the Library Day today at the Bean on Second Avenue and East Third Street ...



On this occasion, with the help of Neighborhood School parent Marjorie Ingall, we asked two students at the school about why their class hates Starbucks and why they're doing a fundraiser at the Bean. Here are Annika (left) and Max.



Why do students/your classmates not like Starbucks?

M: They kicked out The Bean. We all love The Bean. We were all sad.

A: And The Bean is a small company and a monster business kicked them out. They're like [waves arm], "You're gettin' out."

M: It was a small company taking over a big company.

A: Just because you have more money and are more popular it doesn't seem fair that money can kick out a place.

M: If The Bean got there first, it's not fair that someone who got there second can have it just because they are richer. Also The Bean is better. Once at Starbucks I got a sandwich and there was mold on it. I shoved it at my dad and said, "You can have it."

A: We made little cards for the Bean. We gave them to The Bean and they said, "Thank you and we'll have a party for you and we'll give you cupcakes."

M: Here's how it worked. One day when Aza and Zoe were walking by they gave The Bean their sign — a Starbucks with a circle around it and crossed out and The Bean instead. They spelled it "b-e-e-n." They're in first grade.

A: And they said, "The Bean rules, Starbucks drools!"

M: And then we all said, "Two four six eight, The Bean is really great!"

What will you be selling today during the fundraiser?

A: Lemonade. Stationery. Plants. Bracelets. Neighborhood School tote bags if Amy says it's OK.

What is your favorite thing about the school library?

M: Kids learn from it! For our nonfiction research projects we borrowed every single nonfiction book.

A: Devion and Osiris did sharks.

M: Me and Aza did horses.

A: Me and Zairah and Isa did telephones and technology.

M: Kiran, Mira and Deanna and someone else did space.

A: Kyle and Charlie did football.

M: Boys did crazy boy stuff.

Why do schools need libraries?

M. The library has computers so we learn from the computers.

A. It's very peaceful.

M: We couldn't get by without it. Books pass the time. Period.

Some people say librarians don't need a librarian.

M. We need a librarian! She helps us find things.

A. Cheryl is very clear when she reads to us and when she explains things. If we come to a word one of us don't know she explains it.

M: Once we were really stumped! There was a word we just didn't know! I forget what word. It might have been "however." Whatever it was, she explained it.

A: She also helped us do research when we were studying transportation.

M: But the best thing is the books. Books can do almost anything.

The Bean sprouts artwork on First Avenue

Work continues at the incoming Bean location at 147 Ave. at East Ninth Street ... in the last few days, Walker Fee, who is part of artist Nicolina's team, has been creating the artwork here... adds a nice splash of color to a cellblocky-looking building...

Photos by William Klayer