Clearing out Third Rail Coffee

Workers were spotted clearing out Third Rail Coffee yesterday on 10th Street ... presumably bringing an end to the cafe here just west of Second Avenue.

There hasn't been any official notice about a closure. Third Rail Coffee had shut down at the start of the NY PAUSE in March.

Earlier this summer, we spotted a Termination of Lease notice on the door that stated rent was due for April, May and June on the storefront. (This despite the state’s eviction moratorium.)

Third Rail, an outpost of the original on Sullivan Street, opened here in the summer of 2013. It was a nice spot that offered views of the historic St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery across the street.

Thanks to Dan Scheffey for the photo!

The Other Music Documentary is now available on streaming services

The Other Music documentary makes its digital-platform debut today, streaming now on iTunes and Prime Video.

The film chronicles the 20-year history and legacy of Other Music, the shop on Fourth Street between Lafayette and Broadway, its influence on music in New York City and its closure in June 2016.

It was originally scheduled to have its theatrical debut in April at the IFC Center on Sixth Avenue.



Other Music's owners cited rising rents and the growing hardship of selling music out of a physical store as reasons behind the closure.

Turntable Lab closes its 10th Street storefront

Turntable Lab will not be reopening its storefront at 84 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

A for rent sign now hangs in the front window of the shop, which closed in March at the start of the COVID-19 PAUSE.

TTL partner Pete Hahn, an East Village resident, said that they "couldn’t come up with a viable deal with [the] landlord." He said the landlord came back to them recently with a more flexible offer, but their decision to close the brick-and-mortar part of the business was already made at that point.

The shop that sold vinyl, turntables, speakers, headphones and more for the DJ community as well as the casual music aficionado had its start while Hahn was still at NYU. Their first storefront was in a cramped space on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. They moved to the larger spot in early 2017.

While several local high-profile record stores have shut down in recent years (Other Music and Kim's among them), it's possible the TTL closure could be more short-term.

"We’re not ruling out a physical presence in the future," Hahn said. "We’re open to coming back when things return to somewhat normal, and hopefully rents are lower."

TTL, which celebrated its 20th year in business last year, will continue with retail sales online.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A visit to Turntable Lab on 10th Street

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space reopens today on Avenue C

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) opens today for the first time since mid-March with two new mixed-media exhibits highlighting social movements with downtown roots.

Here's info via MoRUS, which archives urban activism, about the exhibits debuting today:

"How Green Is My City?," curated by Green Map System's founder and director Wendy Brawer, traces the history of this locally led, globally linked sustainability mapping movement.

The exhibit explores the movement’s impacts via print maps and other artifacts that highlight local nature, culture, green living and social justice sites. Special events, including walking tours, online demonstrations of Green Map's new mapping platform, and an opportunity to put your favorite sites on the map will be announced by MoRUS.

And...

"Plywood Windows of SoHo: Black Lives Matter" captures images from June when shopping returned following the protests against George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police. The opportunistic, collateral looting that followed the peaceful protests prompted many high-end retailers to board up their glass facades with plywood.

Using these barriers as canvases, artists created murals and messages calling for racial and social justice. A wide selection of these images, which were captured by the lenses of James Hong and George Hirose and curated by Hong, are displayed on the museum’s lower level among actual portions of painted plywood discarded by building owners.

Both exhibits will be on display through the fall.

Located at 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street, MoRUS is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free with a suggested $5 donation. Per New York State guidelines, facial coverings are required and social distancing will be enforced.

After a five-month shutdown, museums and cultural institutions in NYC were allowed to reopen yesterday with attendance restrictions.

Yuba has closed on 9th Street

Yuba shut down on Ninth Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. A reader shared the news of the closure for the restaurant that offered up well-reviewed Japanese cuisine. Aug. 12 marked their last day in business.

Workers have removed the Yuba sign and menu from outside...



The restaurant opened in early 2011 and drew praise from the Times:

How spoiled we are in New York. Elsewhere a place like Yuba would be swooned over, with its intelligent takes on Japanese cuisine and its impeccably fresh sushi. On recent evenings, it was undeservedly empty.

It is not helped by a no-man’s-land address. Prices are too steep for the N.Y.U. students nearby, the setting too modest for the high fliers at Masa to defect downtown. This despite the fact that Yuba’s chefs and owners, George Ruan and Jack Wei, did serious time at Masa and Bar Masa, respectively.

Yuba had been open of late for takeout and delivery, but it wasn't enough to keep it in business during the pandemic.

Monday's parting shot

Carrying the Uck Rump couch today on Sixth Street ... photo by Derek Berg...

Local elected officials wants answers on the status of officer accused of police brutality on Avenue D

[Screengrab from video taken by Daquan Owens]

Local community leaders and elected officials gathered on Thursday afternoon to demand action against Officer Francisco Garcia for the violent arrest of an East Village resident on May 2.

During the press conference at Ninth Street and Avenue D, the group called on NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and Mayor de Blasio to stop delaying their investigation and fire Garcia ... and for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance to file criminal charges.

Garcia, who's stationed at PS4 on Avenue C, was put on a desk assignment following the ugly confrontation when an attempt to enforce social distancing rules escalated on a spring Saturday afternoon.

Garcia and his partners originally approached a man and a woman outside the corner deli on Ninth and D over a lack of social distancing, police officials previously said. This encounter reportedly led to an arrest on marijuana and weapons charges.

As seen in a widely circulated video shot by a witness, Garcia, who was not in uniform, then walked toward several bystanders, including Donni Wright, a nearby resident who works for the NYCHA. Police officials originally said that Wright took a "fighting stance," which led Garcia to shout the n-word and brandish a taser before wrestling Wright to the ground and kneeling on his head. (See top image.)

Social justice activists and local elected officials have pointed out the similar tactics in this arrest with that of now-former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on the neck of George Floyd for more than eight minutes before he died on May 25.

Wright was arrested and was initially charged with assaulting an officer, menacing, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct. The charges were later deferred by the DA's office. Wright has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the city.



In late May, The New York Times reported that the officers involved would face disciplinary charges.

Per the Times on May 29:

Investigators with the New York Police Department have recommended misconduct charges against three police officers, including one who sat and knelt on the neck and upper torso of a man he was arresting, a maneuver similar to the one used in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, two people familiar with the matter said.

It is unclear what charges the officers, including Francisco X. Garcia, will face in connection with the investigation of the May 2 incident ... one of several police encounters that led to accusations of racial bias in the enforcement of social distancing, according to the two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an internal police investigation.

While Garcia has been investigated by Internal Affairs, with a recommendation that departmental charges be filed, police officials haven't provided any updates or offered clarity on why further actions are taking so long. (A police spokesperson told amNew York Metro that "the disciplinary process is ongoing.")

"We shouldn't have to stand here almost four months later demanding justice from a system that's supposed to protect our community," said local City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera on Thursday. "When we ask for the firing and criminal charges for Officer Garcia, we're asking them to make it clear that police abuse is unacceptable in any form. It’s a disgrace that six years after the death of Eric Garner and his denied justice, the de Blasio administration continues to deny justice for Black and brown communities. This must end."

It’s been nearly 4 months since Donni Wright was brutally assaulted by NYPD Officer Francisco Garcia. Yet Garcia remains on the force w/ no explanation.

Today our LES community is gathering to demand justice - Tune In! https://t.co/w4VbtRzbhf

— NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera (@CMCarlinaRivera) August 20, 2020

And from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer: "Policing only works when police have the public's trust. Officer Garcia violated that trust when he knelt on Donni Wright's neck while attempting to arrest him for social distancing violations. The NYPD also violated that trust when they continued to have Garcia on the force even after multiple instances of prior misconduct. Officer Garcia must be held accountable: He must be fired from the police department and should face charges."

The city has paid out nearly $200,000 to settle lawsuits involving Garcia, an eight-year veteran, Gothamist reported.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• In aftermath of Avenue D arrests, pols want answers from city on how social distancing is being enforced

• Investigation for excessive force demanded after social-distancing arrests on Avenue D

• Caravan protest on Avenue C addresses racial bias and police violence in social-distancing arrests

Speculating about the future of John Varvatos in the former home of CBGB on the Bowery

The gate remains down at the John Varvatos outpost at 315 Bowery. The shop between First Street and Second Street has been locked up for the past few weeks.

Bowery watchers are speculating about what might be happening with the address, considered hallowed ground by some for being the home of CBGB from 1973 to 2006.

First, some background on what has been happening with JV, the menswear designer. According to the retailer's website, all of the brand's locations are currently closed. (The Bowery shop returned on July 2, and stayed opened for several weeks.)

As The Wall Street Journal reported on July 24, John Varvatos was in financial trouble long before the COVID-19 pandemic. The business filed for bankruptcy protection on May 6, with a buyout offer from an affiliate of Lion Capital of London and Los Angeles.

(The Journal article also outlines an Equal Pay Act class-action lawsuit that began in 2017 by female sales associates at the retailer. Earlier this year, the sales associates won a jury verdict in an Equal Pay Act class-action lawsuit. "Varvatos denied discrimination. The jury ruled against the retailer, awarding $1.7 million in legal fees, as well as the $3.5 million in damages.")

In late July, WWD reported that a Lion Capital subsidiary was expected to acquire the bankrupt brand and merge it into the AllSaints portfolio. (AllSaints the British fashion retailer, sells menswear, womenswear apparel, footwear and accessories in more than 230 stores.) Varvatos was also rumored to be leaving the company.

John Varvatos opened here in April 2008... the first tenant since the storied music club shut down on Oct. 15, 2006, after a losing a deal to renew the lease with their landlord, the Bowery Residents' Committee.

JV preserved part of the former CBGB space, keeping parts of the wall with sticker and flyers intact and preserved behind glass inside the shop.


[lisaamulvey/flickr]

At the time, there was debate about all this. Some were in the "it's-better-than-a-bank-or-a Fuddruckers camp." Others preferred that the old space was gutted rather than turned into a museum alongside $300 Cheap Trick t-shirts. (In 2008, Arturo Vega, creative director for the Ramones, told the Post: "I like it. I'm relieved. We were expecting a drug store in the space. So when I found out it was Varvatos moving in, it was a relief.")

For now, the speculation is on whether JV will ever reopen, and if not, will a AllSaints outpost open in the space, perhaps keeping the CBGB memory alive on the walls?

Kitchen Sink removes part of its roof to accommodate more outdoor dining

Back on Friday, workers removed the glass-enclosed front section of Kitchen Sink, the diner on Second Avenue at Fifth Street ... opening up space for a few more outdoor tables...



...to go with the curbside seats on the Fifth Street side...



Local restaurants are doing what they can to safely increase the number of patrons as there aren't plans for indoor dining in the city anytime soon.

Kitchen Sink is at 88 Second Ave. at Fifth St. (212) 420-8050.

P.S.

The old-look Kitchen Sink with a helpful arrow showing what workers took out...

A look at the larger Amor y Amargo on A; plus Soda Club signage arrives on B

As previously reported, East Village restaurateur Ravi DeRossi is turning 95 Avenue A into an expanded Amor y Amargo... the gates were up the other day here on Sixth Street, offering a look at the new signage in progress...





No. 95 previously housed three of DeRossi's establishments: Honey Bee's, Amor y Amargo and Mother of Pearl. Honey Bee's and Mother of Pearl closed to accommodate the larger Amor y Amargo, which will now also include a full food menu.

Amor y Amargo debuted in 2011 with just a handful of seats, and quickly became celebrated as the country's first bitters-based bar.

In other DeRossi developments, signage recently arrived for Soda Club here at 155 Avenue B between Ninth Street and 10th Street...



Soda Club will feature fresh-made pasta and "over 100 natural and inexpensive wines." No word on an opening date.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Mother of Pearl and Honey Bee's close to make way for a larger Amor y Amargo on Avenue A

• Ravi Derossi has Soda Club in the works for Avenue B