Photo today by Lola Sáenz
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Report: Organic Avenue is calling it quits
[Photo by William Klayer from April 2013]
Eater is reporting that the juice-bar chain is shutting down all its locations in the city at the end of the business day today ... there's an OA on Third Avenue and East Ninth Street that opened in the summer of 2013.
This location always seemed pretty desolate most times — a surprise (initially, anyway) given its proximity to NYU dorms and the Death Star ... the photo here shows the place from a visit during the afternoon on Aug. 18...
The empty shelves weren't due to high sales volume.
Racked had more on the company's financial troubles back in August:
It's believed that Organic Avenue’s operational losses were at about $600,000 a month between all its stores by May 2015; it lost a whopping $1 million during its worst month, January 2015, including private equity fees to Weld North. Out of the company’s ten locations, only three are profitable, sources say, because of poor location choices.
Racked was told that most of Organic Avenue’s losses came from waste. Its foods and juices come with a short shelf life, and must be tossed after three days: it’s not uncommon to walk by an Organic Avenue at closing time and see bags and bags of untouched food being tossed.
This retail strip on Third Avenue between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street will even be more desolate now... perhaps prompting more speculation about Duane Reade taking over the entire block.
Report: Associated owners not having any luck shopping for a lease renewal on East 14th Street
The other day, an EVG regular was shopping at the Associated on East 14th Street in Stuy Town. Word there was that ownership was currently renegotiating a lease renewal ... but that management "didn't feel confident they will get a renewal they can afford."
Well, turns out that the Town & Village Blog has been on this story.
In post from Sept. 29, Sabina Mollot reported that while the end of the store's 15-year lease is still two years away, principal owner Joseph Falzon has been asking about a renewal because he wants to renovate the store.
As he told Town & Village, Falzon "wanted to make sure the store had a future before making the investment, which he feels is necessary given competition from places like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods in Union Square."
Apparently, though, Stuy Town landlord CWCapital Asset Management hasn't been interested in such conversations.
To Town & Village:
“I called up last June and said, ‘It’s time to talk about a lease. We’d like to revamp the store,’ and at that time they just ignored me,” said Falzon. He continued to call but was told to ask again closer to when the lease would be up. But Falzon didn’t want to wait, explaining, “The store needs a face lift right now.” In a recent conversation, when he asked, “’When the time comes for a lease renewal will you talk to us?”, the answer from a company rep was that he “wasn’t at liberty to say right now,” Falzon said. “Our feeling is that the landlord doesn’t want us to renew when it’s up. We’re good tenants. We pay our rent. I don’t know if it looks hopeful.”
Additionally, recently, a representative from a competing supermarket who Falzon declined to name, has also approached CWCapital about taking over Associated’s space.
“He offered double what we pay and they said no,” said Falzon. “I don’t know if they have plans for it. They’re not telling us, anyway.”
In April, the owners of this Associated closed Met supermarket on Third Avenue and East 17th Street after a rent increase. That space remains vacant.
Some day, the East Houston Reconstruction Project will end, but not anytime soon
The East Houston Reconstruction Project, which started in the heady early summer days of 2010, is now reportedly three years behind schedule.
On Tuesday night, reps from the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) provided CB3's Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee with an update. BoweryBoogie was there and filed a report.
An excerpt:
Blame the delays on unforeseen obstacles and the ensuing quibbling between city agencies and utility companies over responsibility. Apparently such “unforeseen utility interference” requires “specialty work” that can only be handled by one company over another. For instance, Con Edison or Verizon called down to relocate certain equipment or maintain abandoned gas mains before the water piping infrastructure goes in. But no one involved owns up to the responsibility when there are delays or issues encountered.
Per BB, the latest completion date is now September 2016, and with a price tag hitting $88 million. Head to BoweryBoogie here for the full story.
The DDC is reconstructing/replacing combined sewers, trunk main, water mains, catch basins, fire hydrants, sidewalks, etc., etc., along East Houston Street, from the Bowery to the FDR Drive.
[Photo of Ed Strians by EVG]
Previously on EV Grieve:
Coming soon to East Houston: Construction, hell, rodent control stations
Long-threatened East Houston reconstruction starting this month
East Houston Street construction will be a living hell for an extra year
Attention business owners with bicycle deliveries
City Council member Rosie Mendez is sponsoring this workshop Tuesday afternoon at Cooper Union for business owners relying on bike deliveries.
The commercial bike law was approved in October 2012 (and went into effect in April 2013) after complaints about bikers speeding and weaving down sidewalks
Per the law: Commercial bicyclists are now required to carry an identification card and wear helmets and reflective upper body clothing with the business' name and cyclist's ID number on the back.
Hitchcocktober movie of the week: 'North by Northwest'
As we continue to cut-and-paste... Hitchcocktober continues tonight at the Village East Cinema on Second Avenue at East 12th Street.
Tonight at 8! "North by Northwest"
And upcoming:
Oct. 22 — "Marnie"
Oct. 29 — "Rear Window"
You can buy advance tix online here.
Moishe's Bake Shop has a new front window
[EVG photo from April]
In previous posts (here and here, for example) about the new sign at Moishe's Bake Shop, several commenters wondered when the longtime bakery on Second Avenue would replace the graffiti-etched front window.
Well, you might be happy to know then that Moishe's recently installed a new front window, as this photo via EVG contributor Derek Berg shows…
For whatever reasons, the shop near East Seventh Street has always seemingly been a graffiti magnet… Here's a photo from 2001 by James and Karla Murray…
Fonda debuts sidewalk cafe
An EVG reader noted that the new sidewalk cafe is now operational outside Fonda, the Mexican restaurant at 40 Avenue B near East Third Street. (The sidewalk section apparently officially opened this past Saturday.)
CB3 signed off on the cafe application during its August meeting.
And this is how the sidewalk seating looks with people…
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Reports: Contractor under investigation for 2nd Avenue explosion guilty in unrelated bribery case
He reportedly admitted to paying an undercover investigator $600 last year to dismiss building violations at the properties. In admitting to the charges, he received three years probation, 200 hours of community service and a $4,000 fine.
Per the Daily News:
Kukic's lawyer Mark Bederow said he believed prosecutors refused to offer his client a misdemeanor deal, like they had for other defendants, because of his ties to the March blast on Second Ave., in which authorities were probing whether a rigged gas line was the cause of the deadly inferno which leveled two buildings.Per the Post:
Investigators are looking at potential murder charges and Kukic and five others are the prime suspects, the Post exclusively reported in April.
“Although [this case] has nothing at all to do with the terrible accident in the East Village, the district attorney sought to punish him for that,” said Bederow.
Kukic is cooperating with the investigation into the explosion, the lawyer said.
@NYPDTWEETTOWER recognized for serving and protecting the Twittersphere
Back in July, the arrival of the NYPD Patrol Tower in the middle of Tompkins Square Park prompted the launch of the (fake) @NYPDTWEETTOWER account... documenting the daily travails of Officer Tubbs and his tweeting partner as they kept watch over the land...
PLEASE REFRAIN FROM POSTING PHOTOS OF THE TWEET TOWER ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH THE HASHTAG #ASSHATS.
— NYPD TWEET TOWER (@NYPDTWEETTOWER) July 25, 2015Now, in its annual Best of NYC issue, The Village Voice has named @NYPDTWEETTOWER the best local Twitter account.
For about a week, @nypdtweettower gifted its few hundred followers with gems like "TO WHOEVER CALLED 311 TO REPORT A 'PIECE OF SH*T TRANSFORMER' IN TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK: NOT FUNNY" and "APOLOGIES TO THE OLSEN TWINS. WE HAVE A HARD TIME TELLING BOHO FROM CRUSTY." When the police department folded up the tower and hauled it away a week later, @nypdtweettower piped down — for the most part, anyway. Mission accomplished.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Why yes — the Tompkins Square Park patrol tower now has a (fake) Twitter account
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