Starbucks vs. the Bean

This is from our friends at Neighborhoodr... A quick headcount Wednesday evening:

1 customer inside Starbucks, First Avenue and Third Street
28 customers inside The Bean, Second Avenue and Third Street

$1 drinks tomorrow for Customer Appreciation Day at the Bean's Second Avenue location

Tomorrow, the Bean outpost on Second Avenue at East Third Street is holding a Customer Appreciation Day. According to the Bean Facebook page (and these posters), all 12-ounce drinks, hot or cold, will be $1.

Photos by jdx.

East Village first and second graders display anti-Starbucks sentiments at the Bean

Back in September, we told you about the anti-Starbucks flyers that two first graders from The Neighborhood School (PS 363) on First Avenue and Third Street created...

Apparently the campaign didn't end there. Marjorie Ingall tells us that more first- and second-grade students from the school created an array of anti-Starbucks messages ... which are now on display in the window at the Bean on Second Avenue and East Third Street.

We asked the Bean's Ike Escava how this came about.

"A teacher from the school came in and said that the kids prepared something for us and asked when it would be a good time for them to present it to us...they ended up coming in the next day — about 25 kids with handwritten cards about how much they love our shop and support us," he said. "It was truly heartwarming, as is all of the continuous support that we get from this remarkable neighborhood."

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

Plywood removal on First Avenue shows off the new Bean; plus, mystery space!

Workers yesterday removed the plywood around the ground floor at 147 First Avenue at East Ninth Street...

And it looks as if there is room for two storefronts here...

Ike Escava confirmed last night that the Bean, as we first reported, will be taking the front part of the space on the corner... he said that he did not know who the other tenant would be...

Regardless, there are always rumors... last fall a reader heard that a bar was taking the other part of the space. (This tidbit from the always reliable construction worker!)

The for rent banner that went up in August 2010 did tout this as restaurant space... so this is certainly a possibility...


According to the listings at Icon Realty Management, the second space is still available. The space is 700 square feet with an asking price of $7,000 per month. Per the listing (PDF):

[A] brand new fully gut renovated building, in the heart of the East Village is close by to the collegiate environment of the nearby universities. This new space with a floor to ceiling frameless glass storefront is perfect for all retail or a restaurant.

The upper levels will soon be home to nice apartments.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Ground floor at 147 First Avenue will include the Bean AND a bar

Ninth Street and First Avenue shocker: Motel ... Hello?

Blockbuster: 147 First Ave. set for demolition

Speaking of new locations of The Bean...

Fresh from Monday's opening of the Bean at Second Avenue and Third Street ... we were curious about progress of the Bean's location coming soon to Ninth Street at First Avenue... Here's how the place is shaping up Tuesday via photos by Bobby Williams.

We asked Ike Escava, a Bean partner, for a quick progress report.

"We are waiting for the landlord to turn over possession of the space to us," he said. "We are not sure when that will be, but expect it to happen in January or February and will be open about 8 weeks after that."

Previously.

The Bean is open — and busy

Just after 9 a.m. at Second Avenue and Third Street, where The Bean opened today... photos via jdx...

The Bean opens today at the Crazy Landlord building

Third Street and Second Avenue. Featuring mosaic signs by Jim Power.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Bean opens Monday on Second Avenue; mosaic signs going up now

The Bean will be the Crazy Landlord's new tenant on Second Avenue

The Bean opens Monday on Second Avenue; mosaic signs going up now

News from outside the Bean this afternoon on Second Avenue at Third Street... As the sign shows, the new location opens Monday...

Meanwhile, as these photos by EV Grieve reader Marjorie Ingall show, Jim Power is on hand overseeing the installation of his mosaic Bean signs...

And we were first to report that the Bean would be the Crazy Landlord's new tenant. (Aug. 24)

Inside the new Bean on Second Avenue

Over at the former Crazy Landlord building on Second Avenue at Third Street, work continues at the new home of The Bean, which is expected to open later this month.

EV Grieve regular jdx stopped inside for a progress report...

Previously.

The Bean is not taking over the former Rama Cafe on First Avenue

We noticed that new for rent signs went up at the former Rama Cafe on First Avenue near Second Street.

Back in September, Jim Dwyer at The New York Times reported that Starbucks will be the new tenant at the Bean's flagship cafe at First Avenue and Third Street. At the time, the Bean announced that it would open a location down the Avenue at the Rama space.

So we asked Ike Escava, a Bean partner, what was happening.

"We decided not to go forward with that space and to focus instead on the store we are opening this month at 54 2nd Avenue and at 147 First Ave. in a few months," he said via email.

Escava also had a point of clarification about the Bean's beer-and-wine application. Based on feedback from people at the CB3/SLA meeting Monday night, we noted that the committee approved a request for the Bean's new location at Second Avenue and Third Street, but denied the Bean's request for a license at 147 First Ave. and Ninth Street.

Here's his email:

We decided to withdraw our application to serve wine & beer at 147 1st Ave after seeing that there were people in opposition to it. If we have community support at a later time we may try again but if it is unwanted in the community we will not. We will not even address this matter again internally until we are open and operating at that location. It is our intention to maintain the feeling and vibe of the shop at 54 2nd Ave that we built at 49 1/2 1st Ave. We applied for the wine & beer as a way to add something but we will be very careful not to let that change what we really are about.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Bean is now apparently opening on every corner in the East Village

RIP Crazy Landlord sign

Construction continues at the incoming Bean on Second Avenue and Third Street... You can see the progress as of yesterday in this photo by EV Grieve reader Marjorie Ingall ... Notice anything different?

The plywood is gone! Which means!

NO MORE CRAZY LANDLORD SIGN!

We first noted the sign on March 30, 2009.



Then there was this addition to the sign back in March...

Thanks for the memories, Crazy Landlord sign corner...

The scene at the incoming Bean

EV Grieve reader Marjorie Ingall passes along the above photo ... There's progress at the incoming Bean location at the Crazy Landlord Building. Also known as Second Avenue and Third Street.

The Bean Truck debuts

...earlier today... in front of their old storefront on First Avenue and Third Street. Via jdx.

Tonight at the Bean

Third Street at First Street. Photos by Steve Carter. The cafe closed earlier today.

[Updated] The Bean debuts 'fully stocked' food truck tomorrow on First Avenue

Starting tomorrow, the Bean won't be open at their flagship First Avenue and Third Street location. Instead, the Bean will have "a fully stocked food truck" parked in front of the location at 49 1/2 First Avenue.

The Bean is closing — presumably tonight right now — here to make way for a Starbucks.

The Bean will open new locations on Third Street and Second Avenue and Ninth Street and First Avenue ... as well as First Avenue and Second Street. Until then, they'll have the truck.

Updated:

Dave on 7th passes along this photo of the Bean right now from around 2:45 ... they are packing it in... workers have removed the Bean awning...

Updated:

jdx sends along photos of workers dismantling the cafe...

DNAinfo was on the scene today and spoke with some regulars who are upset the place is closing...

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

[This morning at The Bean]

Well, a lot to absorb here... so.

Jim Dwyer at The New York Times reports that Starbucks will be taking over The Bean's flagship cafe at First Avenue and Third Street.

Once more for effect: Starbucks will be taking over The Bean's flagship cafe at First Avenue and Third Street.

Dwyer puts it into really fucking depressing perspective for us:

The city sheds its skin every day; Mom & Pop are always getting the boot. Manhattan now has 186 Starbucks, which is eight per square mile. There are more Starbuckses than subway stations. You might think that 186 stores on one small island is the functional equivalent of everywhere, but it turns out not to be, in Starbuckian terms, enough: outlet No. 187 is opening Friday in Times Square, and sometime early next year, No. 188 — or so — will be hanging its shingle on Third Street, right down the block from the world headquarters of the Hell’s Angels

Well, The Bean is showing them. Ike Escava, a Bean partner, now plans to open a location on First Avenue at the southeast corner of Second Street, where that pizza/hookah place was. (Or was supposed to be.)

Meanwhile, as you know, The Bean will open new locations on Third Street and Second Avenue and Ninth Street and First Avenue... Despite the expansion, the Bean people originally said that they would keep their flagship store. However, they have been on a month-to-month lease, and the landlord gave them a 30-day notice to leave late in August, the Times noted.

Back to Dwyer's article:

Starbucks has a public relations firm in New York City that issues statements on behalf of the company, but does so anonymously, a peculiarly disembodied form of human communication.

Asked about the plans for Third Street, the company issued this statement: "In many of the markets that we have entered, we found that the local coffee culture is greatly enriched and invigorated by our arrival."

For the time being, though, there won't be any coffee on this corner after this month...

About The Bean's East Village expansion

[The Bean/Facebook]

On Monday, we broke the news that Bean is expanding its East Village presence to include a storefront on First Avenue at Ninth Street... to go alongside their original location at First Avenue and Third Street, Broadway and East 12th Street and the Crazy Landlord building.

In response to the post, Guy, The Bean's general manager, left the following comment:

It's a pretty exciting time for The Bean and we wanted to let the East Village community know what's going on.

The Plan: we're opening two more cafes around the East Village. We don't really think of this as an "aggressive" business move as The Bean remains an independently owned and operated neighborhood business. We haven't "sold out" or "gone corporate" and we've had this expansion in mind for sometime. Our cafes' walls will still feature the artwork and photography of East Village artists and photographers and we're super excited to ably to service more of our friendly & loyal customers in the East Village — old and new — whether they're just stopping in for a quick cup of coffee or penning the next great American novel sitting in one of our cafes.

Ultimately we'd rather open a business to service the neighborhood than have another bank or fast food restaurant further de-characterize the East Village.

The Bean remains committed to our customers, their dogs and — as always — we're open to suggestions. Just no poetry readings. :)

Guy
General Manager, The Bean

At Fork in the Road, our friend Rebecca Marx mentions Joe the Art of Coffee, an independently owned shop with seven locations in different parts of the city. "So while it's nice to see East Village storefronts being snapped up by a local business that isn't Duane Reade, one wonders if the Bean's owners would do better to spread out the wealth a little bit," she writes.

Some readers have chimed in on the topic on the previous post. A reader left this comment last night:

"2 new shops in the neighborhood opening simultaneously is clearly aggressive, especially since one is on the same block as Mud

The amount of money it takes to pull this off is huge. Market saturation is a ruthless corporate strategy, mom & pop shops don't have the resources and are usually a bit more sensitive to their neighborhood...no way is it independent."

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

Last week, we reported that the Bean was opening at the Crazy Landlord building on Second Avenue and East Third Street...

[Via The Bean on Facebook]

... and they just opened on Broadway and East 12th Street...

Now EV Grieve regular Esquared sends this along... sign went up today on First Avenue at Ninth Street, the former home of Anjelica's Herbs ...

The upper levels will soon be home to luxury apartments.

AND. According to their Facebook page, they will remain at Third Street and First Avenue, their original location.

The Bean is now open on Broadway and 12th Street

EV Grieve regular jdx notes that the new outpost of Bean is now open on Broadway at 12th Street...

Meanwhile, as we first reported yesterday, the Bean will open a new cafe in the "Crazy Landlord" building...