August Laura has apparently closed on Avenue A and 6th Street

Multiple EVG readers reported that workers were clearing out August Laura on Monday evening and all day yesterday here on the NE corner of Avenue A and Sixth Street... some items were said to be bagged and tossed on the curb while others were loaded into trucks...

Several workers told readers that August Laura has closed for good. There isn't any mention of a closure on the bar-restaurant's website or Instagram account, though Google lists them as permanently closed.

The space was mostly cleared out last night...

August Laura opened here in October 2019. They seemed to have more irregular hours over the last few months, rarely open at the advertised 4 p.m. hour. Their ample outdoor space, including sidewalk seating and streetside dining structures on Avenue A and Sixth Street, sat unused on pleasant summer and fall afternoons and early evenings. 

August Laura took over the space from what some people considered an East Village institution — Sidewalk, the restaurant bar and live music venue (home of the Antifolk Festival) that closed in February 2019 after 34 years.

Pini Milstein, who retired, was the principal owner of the building and the operator of the Sidewalk. According to public records, Penn South Capital paid $9.6 million for the property in March 2019. The building's new owners added a one-floor extension here in 2020.

Gia Trattoria has closed on the Bowery

After four months, Gia Trattoria has closed at 334 Bowery between Bond and Great Jones.

The Italian restaurant had been dark in recent weeks, its website offline. Ownership confirmed the closure via an Instagram message but did not cite a reason.

Gia opened in late July with promises of "craveable Italian food, handcrafted drinks and much more.

Unfortunately, this space has been challenging to make work through the years. For starters, there was already a restaurant called Gia Trattoria at this address. Actually, there were a lot of places here for a brief time between November 2014 and June 2015 ... this is when the storefront was divided into two spaces, and Forcella, Espoleta, Gia Trattoria, Slice of Naples, SRO and Bowery Pizza came and went over six months. 

This space was Gino Sorbillo, the first U.S. pizzeria from "the Neapolitan celebrity super-chef" of the same name. The "temporarily closed for renovation" sign arrived here in early January ... after a November 2017 opening.

The storefront next door remains vacant too. Burkleman, a home and lifestyle brand based in Cold Spring, opened here in 2018. 

Late last year, a "closed for the winter" sign arrived on the door, which remains outside the now-vacant shop...  they relocated to Elizabeth Street between Houston and Prince. 

Dumpling N' Dips coming soon to St. Mark's Place

Signage is up on the storefront down the steps at 5 St. Mark's Place for a quick-serve concept called Dumpling N' Dips... 

Per the signage: "I have fillings for you." ("Fillings, nothing more than fillings...")

You can keep tabs on DnD via their Instagram account here. 

This space was previously Spot Dessert, which moved a few storefronts to the west here between Third Avenue and Second Avenue.

The other retail space at No. 5, the former Yakitori Taisho, is for rent.

Tuesday's parting shot

Santa practicing for Christmas Eve today on Union Square... photo by Derek Berg...

A coat drive at St. Dymphna's tonight

St. Dymphna's is hosting a coat drive tonight at the saloon at 117 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

Starting at 8 tonight, you can bring a new or used coat by the bar in exchange for a drink. (Not sure what happens if you bring in, say, 15 coats.) 

St. Dymphna's is taking all the coats to the Bowery Mission.

[UPDATED] Activists: Even with new court order city continues demolition of East River Park

Yesterday, Court of Appeals Judge Rowan D. Wilson issued a new order that stays the previous Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), halting the construction at East River Park until a hearing on Thursday afternoon. 

Judge Wilson also signed an order bringing on a motion to hold the respondent in contempt.

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 1000 people 1000 trees (@1000people1000trees)

Despite this, activists at the construction site south of Houston Street this morning report that city-contracted workers continue to demolish portions of the park — as they did around the clock this past weekend, even with the TRO in place on the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency project. 

Photos from the scene show an excavator in action at the amphitheater. 

In recent days, workers have focused on the now-closed section of East River Park from Stanton Street to Montgomery Street. Trees and amenities in this section have mostly been removed, witnesses say.

Photos of East River Park show a barren landscape with piles of tree stumps for those on the FDR to view (thanks to EVG reader John for this photo)...

The city's response to date has been: "The city has reviewed the Court's written order, and we do not believe it prevents us from continuing work on this vital resiliency project. 

Updated 3:30 p.m.

A group of activists has marched to local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office. Per a tweet, they are calling for her removal... 

Come to ⁦@CarlinaRivera⁩’s office now. We are blocking the street and calling for her removal from office. 4th and B ⁦@ERPAction⁩ #SaveEastRiverPark pic.twitter.com/GxQGkeaqaQ

— a thousand people a thousand trees (@1000treesNYC) December 14, 2021

Updated 7 p.m.

Here are more photos from outside Rivera's office via EVG contributor Stacie Joy. 

The activists tried to present Rivera with a copy of the latest order from Judge Wilson...

Although people were inside the office, no one would come to the door... and a copy was shoved under the door...

The group blocked traffic ...

...under the watchful eye of the NYPD. We're not aware of any arrests here.

Top photo by @benjaminshepard via @eastriverparkaction.

RIP Molly Fitch

Photo of Molly (above left, with Tyler and Billy the Artist) from early 2020 by Stacie Joy. Updated to include a comment from the Post.

Molly Fitch, a longtime East Village resident and the owner of the International Bar at 102 First Ave., died last night, Dec. 12. She was 51.

The bar's Instagram account confirmed the sad news. Details about the cause of death have not been made public.

We lost the most valuable, most authentic, most mythical creature in our lives last night. We are terrified of saying goodbye and putting our love and heartbreak into words. We celebrate the life of our owner, our friend, and creator of our little East Village family at the International Bar — an institution open to those who need a place to call home.

We remain open 7 days a week at regular hours. Please give our team the love we need to continue to serve the East Village community with Molly's legacy.

The International Bar has had several iterations in the East Village, first at 119 St. Mark's Place in the 1970s then later at 120 1/2 First Ave. In 2008, Molly and Shawn Dahl reopened the International and kept the downtown spirit going until the landlord didn't renew the lease. In November 2017, the International merged with its sister bar, the Coal Yard, at its current location, 102 First Ave. at Sixth Street. 

"She was an embodiment of the old East Village, a pre-commercialized downtown New York where small businesses and punk rockers and individuals could make it," former bouncer and bar manager David O'Donnell told the Post.

I spent time at both the International and the Coal Yard and had the opportunity to get to know Molly. I always thought she was one of the kindest and coolest people I've ever met.

We were also neighbors for a while on Eighth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. I've long been a very early morning person, and I'd run into her outside: me on the way to work and her coming home from closing up the bar.

Once, on a frigid January Monday morning, she insisted on driving me to Astor Place so I could catch the 6 train for work. We got in her rustic pickup truck, and I remember it was warmer outside than inside. We laughed the whole way to Astor Place.

At the annual Tompkins Square Park tree lighting

The annual (no. 30!) holiday tree lighting took place late yesterday afternoon in Tompkins Square Park. 

Albert Fabozzi, the founder of the lighting ceremony, was on hand for the ceremonies...

Entertainment included the Carolers of Olde New York from Theater for the New City and music from the Mandel & Lydon Trio ... (with refreshments via Veselka and C&B)...

There was a nice turnout. EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos of some of the attendees...

And as noted last night, the Parks Department apparently forgot to wire the tree... and so organizers had to scramble to hire an electrician at the last minute. In the rush, the bottom portion of the tree was not lit, so to speak... but a good time was had by all [of the people we talked with]...

At the rally for Casa Adela

Dozens of residents came out on Saturday morning to show their support of Casa Adela, the 45-year-old LES institution on Avenue C that's facing an uncertain future with a pending rent hike.

As previously reported, the building's landlord— a Housing Development Fund Corporation — is looking to increase the rent from $1,350 to, eventually, $6,750, a number that the current owner Luis Rivera, the son of founder Adela Fargas, says is not feasible.

Rent negotiations are underway, though the two sides reportedly agreed to postpone the discussions for a month that would keep the popular Puerto Rican restaurant at 66 Avenue C between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.

Community members created a Save Casa Adela Committee, which helped organize Saturday's rally. People shared their feelings for the restaurant and its importance as a cultural anchor to the Puerto Rican community in the neighborhood.

Here are some photos via EVG contributor Stacie Joy ...

Artist Danielle Mastrion is creating a mural on the gate next door of founder Adela Fargas, who started serving her Puerto Rican cuisine here in 1976. She died in January 2018 at age 81.

EVG regular Peter Brownscombe shared these photos from Saturday...

Noho Market debuts on the Bowery

Noho Food Market opened late last week at 352 Bowery between Fourth Street and Great Jones. (First reported in May.) 

The market offers a variety of grocery items and beverages (including beer and hard seltzer)  ... with some necessities such as paper towels and toilet paper. There's a small deli counter offering breaking and lunch items. 

Noho Food Market is currently open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Dry cleaners and laundromats make a return

The dry-cleaning business was hard hit during the pandemic.

In early 2021, the National Cleaners Association reported that one in six dry cleaners had closed or gone bankrupt in the United States. In the East Village, 10 dry cleaners went out of business.

Perhaps the worst is behind for the owners who offer these services. E3 Cleaners recently debuted at 82 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. E3 offers dry cleaning, tailoring and drop-off laundry service.

Meanwhile, a combo dry cleaner-laundromat has opened at 31 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street (thanks to Stacie Joy for this photo from Friday). This had been in the works for this NYCHA-space for some time — we first spotted this in August 2020.

A laundromat is also coming soon to 60 Avenue B between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.