East Village volunteers expand their outreach to feed more neighbors in need

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

A team of East Village residents who recently formed East Village Loves Queens, a volunteer-run mission to help feed our neighbors in Queens, has branched out to also supplying meals to individuals and families in the East Village.

I stopped by to talk with Sasha Allenby, one of the founders, and to see the team’s work at its new location on Sixth Street.

How did it come about that East Village Loves Queens moved from Ali’s kitchen at C&B Cafe on Seventh Street to the Sixth Street Community Center? What’s the operation like at the new location?

We moved to Sixth Street when Ali’s shop was recently vandalized. Howard [Brandstein, executive director] was kind enough to open his doors to us. There is much more space at the Community Center so we can have more volunteers. We could only have a handful of people in C&B and still practice social distancing.

Since we have moved to the center, we have increased our numbers. At C&B we could make a maximum of 800 portions in a day. On a recent Sunday we made 2,000 portions, plus 500 sandwiches! With the extra space we are able to have several different production lines going.

How long do you plan to provide meals for East Village residents?

As long as our fundraising continues, then we will continue the project. We cook on Saturdays for the residents of Queens, and Tuesdays for East Village residents.







How many meals are you making and how often?

For the Hungry Monk project in Queens we make around 2,000-2,500 meals per week. For the East Village residents, we made 350 this [past] week. We made chicken parm with pasta, and summer vegetable pasta. We always try to have both a vegetarian and a meat-based option for local residents.

Where are you getting your supplies from? If folks wish to help, how best can they do that?

Restaurant Depot. However, some supplies are donated by local residents or businesses. Sunny and Annie’s, C&B Café, Kafana, and Tompkins Square Bagels have all donated to us.

If people want to help they can donate at this link or get in touch with us at evlovesqueens@gmail.com if they have any goods or services that they can offer. [East Village Loves Queens has just joined Instagram too.]











Previously on EV Grieve:
These East Village residents are helping feed families in Queens during the COVID-19 crisis

An art collaboration to help support the Sixth Street Community Center

Report: These 12th Street residents are going on 5 months without gas for cooking

A handful of residents at 327 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue have not had any gas for cooking since February, the Daily News reported.

The article focused on longtime building resident Georgina Christ.

[She] hasn’t been able to use her stove since February. And for her, that means no home-cooked bone broth — and more trips to the grocery store for provisions at a time she’d rather stay in.

"It makes me have to go out more," said the 70-year-old, who's lived on the fifth floor of a sixth-story walk up since 1971. "I find I'm having to walk in the middle of the street to avoid people who are drinking and hanging out on the sidewalk without face masks."

Christ and at least four other tenants are without cooking gas.

Last week, local elected officials — Sen. Brad Hoylman, Congresswoman Carolyn Mahoney, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Assembly Member Deborah Glick and City Council Member Carlina Rivera — sent a letter to the building's management, Silverstone Property Group.



The letter reads in part:

The provision of reliable gas service is a crucial responsibility for property management companies and landlords regardless of the circumstances, but especially during the ongoing pandemic. Additionally, four of these tenants fall squarely within the demographics proven to be most vulnerable to COVID-19, and it is wrong to require them to continually risk exposure to the virus simply to secure meals.

We strongly urge Silverstone Property Group to restore gas service to these tenants as soon as possible and provide them with a 15% rent abatement, standard for diminution of services of this kind, for the period of time that they have been without gas service. These are stressful, difficult times for everyone, and these tenants shouldn’t have to worry about how they will be able to cook their meals on top of the other burdens that so many tenants are currently facing.

Silverstone did provide hot plates, though they reportedly aren't too functional.

A Silverstone spokesperson told the News that they are "ready, willing and able to repair the gas lines at the property as soon as possible."

However: "In order to do so, the property must be vacated according to engineering experts Silverstone has consulted."

Christ said that she is skeptical, and thinks this is "a ploy to empty the building and jack up rents."

No. 327 was among the many East Village properties that disgraced landlord Raphael Toledano owned at one point during his local building grab. He had been accused of harassing rent-stabilized tenants in a bid to vacate and deregulate units in them.

In 2017, a subsidiary of lender Madison Realty Capital took over the portfolio. As of January, Toledano was still mired in bankruptcy proceedings with Madison Realty Capital, per reports.

The listing at Streeteasy describes the building this way:

Most units have been gut-renovated with innovative and luxury finishes. Our design team works to create a rustic/modern look to appeal to a vast array of tastes and lifestyles. 327 East 12th Street is a building combined with beautiful high ceilings that provide an abundance of natural light and fresh air into each residence. Amazing Features Include:

•Wall-mounted 40 inch flat screen TV and soundbar pre-installed in every residence
•Washer and Dryer in every residence
•Ambiance-setting light dimmers

A sister property at 325 E. 12th St. has also suffered cooking-gas blackouts.

[Updated] Julie's Vintage has closed

In recent weeks you've likely noticed that not one but three for rent signs hang in the storefront that was Julie's Vintage on Second Street just west of First Avenue ...



... and yesterday, the remaining mannequins inside the shop (and other items) were shown the curb...



No official word on the status of the shop, whose website domain has expired. There aren't any recent posts on the shop's Instagram account either.

Julie Erinc, a former designer, debuted here during the winter of 2016. By the summer of 2018, store closing signs arrived outside... but they ended up staying open until the start of the COVID-19 PAUSE.

Updated:

Erin confirmed the closure in an Instagram message, which read in part:

"Yes, I closed permanently. Rent is too high. And [the landlord] refused to negotiate. I can not pay rent on the months I was ordered to close! My landlord wants back due rent in all the months I was closed. It’s ridiculous.

It’s really a shame. All the small businesses will close and only the monopolies like Amazon and Walmart will get bigger and bigger. They were allowed to stay open while small businesses were ordered to close ... Meanwhile your landlords want back due rent while you were closed. Nothing really makes sense at all."

Re-openings: Juicy Lucy returns to 1st Street

Juicy Lucy reopened yesterday for the warmer-weather months at its tropical-looking shack on First Street and First Avenue.

For now, their hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Monday... where you can find a variety of to-go items, including juices and coffee – similar to their outpost on Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

The Juicy Lucy at First and First opened in 1996 (the Avenue A location in 2000).

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A visit to Juicy Lucy on Avenue A (May 6)

An LES blood drive tomorrow (Thursday!)

An EVG reader shared this flyer... one of many around for a blood drive tomorrow (Thursday!) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clemente Center on Suffolk and Rivington sponsored by the New York Blood Center.

The nonprofit has put out an urgent call for blood donations. You need to make an appointment by calling 1-800-933-2566.

June 17

Not one but two discarded Christmas trees spotted this afternoon on Avenue A at Sixth Street by peter radley, who asks: "Is that 'Jingle Bells' i can hear?"

Michal Gamily’s 'Mashawsha to go' from an East Village fire escape

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

During the COVID-19 PAUSE this spring, Michal Gamily got creative and launched an old-school "mashawsha to go" business from her fire escape.

"You will find it a very unique East Village experience," Gamily says. Indeed.

I recently texted her to make an appointment and meet neighbors Roni and Peddy Pery there when they were picking up their mashawsha (hummus in the Israeli and Palestinian style). The homemade vegan treat is sold by weight — a medium-size container (you bring your own) is $10.







She started the side business while temporarily out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is an actor, series director and curator at LaMama.

Gamily makes it fresh every day and sells it from her Avenue C fire escape via basket — a contact-free experience. It’s a traditional Middle-Eastern treat made here with organic chickpeas, garlic, homemade tahini, olive oil, cumin, lemon, parsley, and other spices plus the soaking liquid from the chickpeas. She recommends serving it with pita bread, but says it’s also great with pickles, vegetables, falafel, in a lafa (wrap) or served with hard-boiled egg.





Roni and Peddy, who, like Gamily, originally hail from Israel, tell me that the mashawsha "really respects the bean, that she lets the chickpeas speak and be celebrated." Mashawsha or msabbaha means both to mix and swimming in Arabic, and in this style the whole chickpeas are swimming in the hummus.

Gamily asks for a 24-hour order notice, and you can place your order by text at 646.221.5082 or email at gamilym@icloud.com.

She reminds me that she only sells mashawsha, nothing else. And classic style, "No fava bean or one made with pine nuts. The real deal only."

Popeyes getting nearer to unleashing the chicken combo deals on 1st Avenue

Renovations continue inside (and out!) the long-vacant 39 First Ave. here between Second Street and Third Street.

As we noted back in November, a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen was said to be the new tenant.

While there isn't any exterior signage at the moment, EVG reader Ace A Acekin did get a look inside ... and saw that workers have hoisted the sandwich combo deal menus behind the counter...



Popeyes emerged victorious last summer during the Chicken Sandwich Wars, simpler times when people cared about things like this.

No word on an East Village opening date for this Popeyes. There are more than 15 in the metropolitan area.

This retail space has sat empty for four-and-a-half years ... ever since NY Village Deli moved to a smaller storefront on the block.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for 1st Avenue?

Fortnight Institute leaves 4th Street

When more organizations continue to reopen after the COVID-19 PAUSE, Fortnight Institute will not be among them.

Co-founders Fabiola Alondra and Jane Harmon announced this week that they have left the space, which they billed as a public salon here on Fourth Street.

Via an Instagram post: "Fortnight Institute will continue in a new reiteration and location, by-appointment-only. We look forward to this next phase and finding a new home when it is safe to re-open publicly."

Fortnight Institute opened between Second Avenue and the Bowery in April 2016. The Institute "was the beginning of wanting to do something that was unconditional and a space for artists and books and collectors and ephemera," Alondra said at the time.

Tuesday's parting shot

ICYMI: This has been up the past few weeks on Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C ... Kermit's word of the day — mask... (thanks to Mark White for the photo!)

Low fly zone

Derek Berg had a close encounter this morning with one of Amelia and Christo's juvenile red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park...

Designer Darrell Thorne is 'Under Glass and In Color' on Avenue A

Darrell Thorne, the Brooklyn-based designer and performance artist (and onetime East Village resident!), is the centerpiece of a new exhibit titled "Under Glass and in Color" in the pop-up gallery on Avenue A and Fourth Street.

The folks behind ChaShaMa, a nonprofit that transforms empty storefronts into galleries, and the National Endowments for the Arts are presenting the work of Thorne, who has collaborated with Madonna, Jennifer Hudson, Blondie and others...



Thorne and his work, including a bespoke mask created for Madonna in the "Living for Love" video, will be on display for sidewalk viewing. Here's more via the official release:

"Under Glass and In Color" combines an exhibition, a residency, and a durational performance into a vibrant celebration of life through costume, makeup, dance, and transformation.

Against a backdrop of feathers, flowers, metal, and mirrors, Thorne will create original headpieces, apply makeup and body paint, perform dance pieces, sing songs and perform lip-synchs, write his memoirs, interact with passersby, and juxtapose everyday mundane activities with transformation, ritual, and elevation.

Additionally, a digital art exhibit featuring video projections of Thorne and his dancers edited and manipulated by multimedia artist Morgan Freeman will play on a loop.

In a moment where we all must live with barriers, "Under Glass and in Color" invites viewers to observe an artist under glass, in a world of his own creation. 24/7 exhibition window viewing, performances happening periodically.

Thorne provided EVG contributor Stacie Joy with a look inside the space ...













The current preview period continues through the official opening on Thursday (June 18!). The exhibit is here through July 12.

Essex Card Shop is moving to a new space on Avenue A

Essex Card Shop, home to one of the neighborhood's greatest business signs — film developing! art supplies! luggage! — is on the move... they are in the process of relocating here on Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street ...



... one block to the north, where the short-lived and currently closed Essex 99-Cent Store (same owners!) was for about nine months...



And here's another look at the Essex Card Shop sign from the personal collection of EVG...

PSA: Today is the deadline to request your absentee ballot for this month’s primaries

Yes, as the headline states: Today is the deadline to request your absentee ballot for this month’s primaries on June 23.

To prevent the community spread of COVID-19, all registered voters — courtesy of the Governor’s Executive Order 202.15 — may apply for an absentee ballot.

You may put in the request at this link.

Per the instructions:

If you are affected by COVID-19, please check the box for “Temporary Illness” on the application. The definition has been temporarily expanded to include those affected by COVID-19 and/or the potential of contracting the virus.

Also! The website can be used only by registered New York City voters to apply for an absentee ballot for the June 23, 2020 elections.

Meanwhile, polls remain open through June 21 for early voting. Find a voting guide here.

Ramen and dim sum for 9th Street

It was signage day yesterday over at 350 E. Ninth St. just west of First Avenue... where workers made the new restaurant official — a ramen-dim sum shop... not sure at the moment what the exact name is... O Ramen Dim Sum M?



The previous tenant, beQu Juice, closed here last November after nearly six years in business. Until 2012, 9th St. Bakery had been in this storefront since 1926.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Updated: Reader intel from the comments: "This is an extension of New Mizu Sushi next door."

Monday's parting shot

Thanks to Jeanne Krier for the photo...

Ninth Street Espresso (on Ninth Street) reopened today

Vinny & O share the news that Ninth Street Espresso reopened today over on Ninth Street just east of Avenue C.

For now, the coffee shop will be serving from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 10th Street location (between A and B) will return next week.

East Village businesses reopen their doors for curbside pickup

[Gizmo, 1st Avenue]

As part of NYC's entry into Phase 1 last Monday, retail outlets are OK'd for limited operations — mainly curbside pickup of purchases.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy walked around the neighborhood and shared a sampling of the East Village businesses open (with social distancing and other safety protocols in place)...


[Casey Rubber Stamps, 11th Street]


[Azaleas, 2nd Avenue]


[Meg, 9th Street]


[Love Thy Beast, 5th Street]


[Exit9, Avenue A]


[Lancelotti, Avenue A]


[Jane's Exchange, 3rd Street]


[SneakEZ, 9th Street]


[White Trash, 5th Street]


[an.mé, 9th Street]


[Alphabets, Avenue A]