Activity at the former Jules Bistro on St. Mark's Place

Interior renovations continue at 65 St. Mark's Place, the former Jules Bistro between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

We haven't heard just yet what might be coming to this space (the address hasn't shown up on the CB3-SLA docket for a new liquor license).

Jules never reopened after the March 2020 PAUSE. Workers cleaned out the space last September.
 

The casual French spot, which opened in 1993, offered free live jazz every night... and with its French film posters on the walls and red leather booths, always offered a throwback getaway on St. Mark's Place.

Well-regarded restaurateur Georges (Café Noir, Bar Tabac, Cercle Rouge) Forgeois said that there wasn't really much room for outdoor dining here and running the place with 25-percent indoor capacity at the time last fall wasn't going to cut it. 

We're curious to see what might be taking over this high-profile space...

(Thanks to Steven for the pics yesterday!)

Wrapping up the summer hawk season

Photo of the fledgling atop St Nicholas of Myra on Avenue A by Goggla 

Seems like it's officially time to say happy trails to Amelia and Christo's 2021 fledging... the young one was last seen around the Tompkins Square Park home base eight days ago.

Goggla has a nice summer hawk recap, with photos and observations, right here. As previously reported, two of Amelia and Christo's three offspring did not make it this year.

And you can find some EVG hawklet coverage here ... here and here. 

'We're still here' — charming video highlights the longtime relationship of Billy and Jane at Katinka

LimeLight is a new documentary series created by East Village-based photographer-filmmaker Josh Charow.

His first local pick is a classic: Katinka, the unique, closet-sized shop that opened in 1979 at 303 E. Ninth St. just east of Second Avenue. 

In the 4-plus minute video, proprietors Billy Lyles and Jane Williams discuss keeping their shop — full of handmade items from India — and their relationship going strong after all these years. (They've been together as a couple for 48 years.). 

Check it out below...

 

Construction watch: 650 E. 6th St.

Here's a progress report on the 6-story, 5-unit condoplex rising at 650 E. Sixth St. just west of Avenue C.

This project has been a long time in the making.

As New York Yimby noted in January 2016: "The 8,491-square-foot project will include 7,761 square feet of residential space, which means units will average 1,552 square feet apiece, indicative of condominiums."

The four-story apartment building that previously stood here was demolished in early 2018... two years after the condoplex plans were initially revealed. 

Combined Architecture has a rendering of the new building...

This will be the second new building in the corridor ... joining the one starting on the northeast corner of Sixth Street and Avenue C.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Report: Plans in the works to convert 650 E. 6th St. to condos

A place to store your Stuf on 3rd Street

Stuf is a new-era self-service storage facility at 176 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The company has locations in several cities with two outposts in NYC. The East Village location debuted this past weekend. Co-founder and CEO Katharine Lau (above left) and her husband gave EVG contributor Stacie Joy a quick tour of the space...

Lau secures unused spaces in residential buildings and strikes a revenue-sharing deal with the landlords. Stuf aims to be closer to residents who may want more frequent access to their stored items. And you can enter your unit via a mobile app. 

This TechCrunch piece from December has more about the Stuf business model. Find more info at the Stuf site here.

Appreciation post: The tree pit garden on 1st Avenue at 7th Street

On the NW corner... thanks to the resident gardeners who keep this flourishing...

Lotto love for the East Village in this TV spot

Back on July 21, crews were filming scenes for a New York Lottery commercial in Tompkins Square Park and on 10th Street at Avenue A. (Top photo by Derek Berg!)

That TV spot for Twice Daily Draw Games is now out in the wild... (Thanks, Upper West Sider, for letting us know!) You can check it out below...

 

'Blue's' explosion!

You've likely seen these posted film notices along Avenue A and some side streets for something titled "BC&Y," which is obviously more gratuitous mayhem about dope fiends and Nazi vampires corrupting our youth and/or society. [Shaking fist at sky] 

Anyway, "BC&Y," turns out, is short for "Blue's Clues & You!" — "a live-action/computer-animated interactive educational children's television series." It's a reboot of the 1996 Nickelodeon series. (Thanks to Vinny & O for the pic and show title!)

Still, what's up with the blue puppy?

Retail shuffle continues at 250 E. Houston St.; Subway and Dunkin' next to leave

The storefront shuffle continues along 250 E. Houston St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

We previously mentioned that the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center was moving into a newly renovated space a few doors away. 

Meanwhile, Kapri Cleaners is staying in this strip, as EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports...

They'll be moving at the end of the month...

The Subway (sandwich shop) doesn't have a sign up, though workers told Stacie that this is their last week. They do not know if a new location is in the cards.

The Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins combo is closing. Workers said they hope to move nearby but do not know where just yet.

Lastly, China Town has not been open ... there wasn't any signage about a move or closure for patrons...

The Mattress Mart previously shuttered along this corridor. 

So why all the movement? We've heard rumblings (via several EVG commenters) about a new residential building for this strip — perhaps something like EVGB that swallowed up the small businesses along 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B a few years back. 

However, this is speculation at this point: Nothing about a new building or demolition has shown up in DOB records.

The 13-floor residential building at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square, changed ownership in the fall of 2016 ... and underwent extensive renovations.

Apparently, not all of the retail space was part of the deal. You can tell by where the new paint stops — right at the former Mattress Mart, as seen in the top pic.

Thanks to Stacie Joy for the photos!

The 13th Street Blick is moving to a familiar art-supply spot on 4th Avenue

If you've been to the Blick Art Materials outpost on 13th Street between University and Fifth Avenue lately, then you've likely seen the moving notice on the storefront. (Thanks, Doug, for the pic!)

In the spring, the art-supply shop is moving to the currently vacant 111 Fourth Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street...

Until early 2019, this storefront was home to Jerry's New York Central. 

If we have all this straight: This location was an offshoot of Jerry's Artarama, a 15-store chain headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. Jerry's opened on Fourth Avenue in late 2013, taking over the space from Utrecht Art Supplies (now Blick), who moved into the current space on 13th Street. 

Tuesday's parting shot

RIP Charlie Watts. The drummer for the Rolling Stones has died. He was 80. 

The above is a grainy screengrab from the “Waiting on a Friend” video ... when the Stones played inside what was the St. Mark’s Bar & Grill on the SE corner at First Avenue. 

Read more about the video shot on St. Mark's Place in July 1981 here.

The East Village Neighbors Community Fridge is up and running again after vandal strikes

The East Village Neighbors Community Fridge and Pantry outside S'MAC at the NW corner of 12th Street and First Avenue was briefly out of commission thanks to a vandal. (The top photo, by Lola Sáenz, is from Sunday.)

Over the weekend, someone tore off the plug to the refrigerator's power cable...

The vandal also used a weight to smash the adjacent pantry for canned goods and other nonperishables ...

Despite the vandalism, S'MAC's management was able to get the refrigerator repaired late yesterday. The pantry was expected to be back as soon as this morning. 

S'MAC co-owner Sarita Ekya told this to EVG contributor Stacie Joy yesterday:

[I]t is disheartening and shocking that someone would vandalize a community fridge. However, we will move forward ... Thanks to ALL for the support. We are in continual need of food/monetary donations to fill the fridge so we would rather the community focus on that. We got the equipment covered.

The fridge's motto is "take what you need, leave what you can," and is made possible by S'MAC, Change Food and East Village Neighbors. It first arrived here last fall. (This is also not the first time it was vandalized.) 

In an Instagram post yesterday, East Village Neighbors report that more than 2,000 people access the community refrigerator every week. "Some fridge guests say this is the only food they get."

They also launched a new fundraiser yesterday.

We've been absolutely floored by the neighborhood's generosity in donating money for food and also in stocking the fridge — but we're almost out of funds. We've been organizing large, weekly deliveries of fresh food in order to make sure residents have a selection of healthy food, but we'll have to stop them in a few weeks if we don't raise more money.

You can find the new fundraiser at this link.

Top photo by Lola Sáenz; the others by Steven

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A Visit to the East Village Community Fridge and Food Pantry