Saturday, August 27, 2016

No, workers aren't dropping off the new Target store this morning on 14th and A



Big Crane Action is happening today on 14th Street and Avenue A... at the site of Extell Development's in-progress retail-residential plazaganza that will one day yield a Target flexible-format store.

Signs at the nearby MTA stop in Steiner East Village points to ConEd work...



Whatever! Just enjoy...

Sugar Cafe is back open

Sugar Cafe on the corner of East Houston and Allen Street reopened its doors yesterday.

As we first noted on Aug. 16, the cafe had to close for undisclosed plumbing issues...there was some thought that the closure was tied to the ongoing/never-ever-ending East Houston Street Reconstruction Project that has been hurting local businesses.

Friday, August 26, 2016

At the opening night of the Vector Gallery on 3rd Street



Last night, the Vector Gallery — aka the Official Gallery of Satan — made its debut at 199 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Founder JJ Brine (below in the camouflage jump suit) previously held forth on Clinton Street, East Broadway ... and in Los Angeles.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped early and shared a few photos ... there were various "Sermons/Situations/Soliloquies" later in the evening for the opening ...



















Previously

Twist and shout



The debut album from the Toronto-based Twist is out today... the above track is for "Can't Wait."

The band was at Mercury Lounge this past Sunday... and hopefully they'll be back around soon...

Steve Croman gift ideas for everyone on your list



An EVG reader shared the following... over at Redbubble, the online marketplace for print on-demand products, seller SansComicSans has created a series of gift items that feature landlord Steve Croman's mugshot.

There are throw pillows (above) ... as well as hoodies...



... iPhone cases...



... and travel mugs...



Find the whole gift gallery here.

Steve Croman, who's always in the discussion for NYC Landlord of the Year, was hit in May with a 20-count indictment on charges including grand larceny and filing false documents.

Croman, whose real-estate empire includes 47 buildings with 617 units in the East Village, is reportedly due back in court next month.

EV Grieve Etc.: Raphael Toledano's tenants come together; Feltman's is NYC's best hot dog


[Photo on 6th Street by Derek Berg]

Tenants sound off on notoriously shady landlord Raphael Toledano (Brick Underground)

Feltman's at Theatre 80 "is NYC's best hot dog" (Gothamist ... previously)

Haircuts, coffee and art at the Vacancy Project on East 10th Street (Sprudge ... previously)

A visit to Kingsley, "an inviting restaurant" on Avenue B (The Village Voice)

Corrupt lawmaker Sheldon Silver can remain free until appeal is heard (The New York Times)

Construction starts at the future home of the Essex Street Market (The Lo-Down)

Hawk action winds down in Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography)

Man busted for alleged heroin deal on 14th Street and First Avenue (Town & Village, 2nd item)

NYU study offers some L train alternatives (Patch)

Interview with Tim Murphy, author of "Christodora" (B+B ... previously)

Retrospective devoted to Catalan filmmaker José Luis Guerín (Anthology Film Archives)

Lady Bunny's new show (The New Yorker)

Madonnathon at the Metrograph on Ludlow Street (Official site ... read our Q-and-A with "Desperately Seeking Susan" director Susan Seidelman here)

Black Flag at Maxwell's circa 1984 (Flaming Pablum)

Random diversions: When David Lynch did daily weather reports (Dangerous Minds)

...and ahead of the Chi Snack Shop debut in the former Mamoun's space at 22 St Mark's Place... the branded ATM shelter has arrived...



... and at 2 St. Mark's Place, the Greek restaurant that is opening in the St. Mark's Ale House space is hiring ...




[H/T Steven]

Sept. 2 is the last day for New York Central Art Supply



New York Central Art Supply has set Sept. 2 as its last day in business...



On July 11, the Steinberg family, who has run the art supply store for three generations, announced that they were closing the 111-year-old business for good in September. They cited "poor business conditions" and the pending sale of the building at 62 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street as the primary reasons behind the closure.

"We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring and support of the community and our customers," family member Doug Steinberg told me via email. "We are continuing to see if we can find a new home for what's left of our inventory and our paper collection."

For now, there are items up to 60 percent off... they are also selling fixtures and furniture such as flat files.

As for who might be the new owner of the building, there isn't any transaction in public records just yet. One source claimed that the Lightstone Group had purchased No. 62, and that the developers would use the space for part of the Marriott sub-brand Moxy Hotel planned nearby at 112-120 E. 11th St.

Doug Steinberg said that he was not sure who was buying No. 62. "But I am 99 percent sure it is NOT Lightstone," he said. "They actually looked at it and passed. Whoever is buying it is — as far as we know — unrelated to the hotel mania around the corner."

Blink opens a sales office on Avenue A


[Photo via @edenbrower]

Blink Fitness is opening at 100 Avenue A this fall... ahead of that, the gym unveiled a temporary sales office yesterday nearby at 115 Avenue A ... The Blink website for this location shows a rate of $20 a month for an all-access membership ... and $15 a month for access to just the Avenue A gym.

The No. 115 space previously served as a sales office for Ben Shaoul's condoplex at 100 Avenue A.

Tompkins Square Park hosts the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival on Sunday


[Photo of Ron Miles in the Park last year by Stacie Joy]

Info on the 23rd annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival via the EVG inbox...

City Parks Foundation is proud to announce the 2016 Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. The festival is New York City's annual salute to the legendary saxophonist, featuring contemporaries of Charlie Parker as well as young jazz musicians that continue to shape and drive the art form.

In a world of modern music — not just jazz — few figures loom as large or cast as long a shadow as saxophonist Charlie Parker, best known as "Bird" (short for "Yardbird") to generations of musicians. He was born in 1920 and almost 60 years since his death in 1955, he is universally celebrated for single-handedly inventing bebop and bringing jazz into the modern era.

The festival is particularly significant this year given the upcoming centennial of the musical dawning of the term “jazz,” as well as what would have been the 100th birthdays of late jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Ella Fitzgerald.

On Sunday in Tompkins Square Park, audiences will be introduced to DeJohnette - Moran - Holland, the first-time collaboration of influential jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette, innovative pianist Jason Moran, and prolific double bassist Dave Holland.

Listeners will be delighted by performances from award-winning jazz vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Allan Harris and acclaimed saxophonist Donny McCaslin, who will perform his newest album accompanied by his group.

The complete Charlie Parker Jazz Festival schedule can be found on the City Parks Foundation website here.

The Festival is 3-7 p.m. here on Sunday. The Festival is in Marcus Garvey Park tonight and tomorrow afternoon.

Parker, who died in 1955 at age 34, lived at 151 Avenue B from 1950-54.

The $29.5 million triplex penthouse on Cooper Square


[Image via Streeteasy]

62 Cooper Square was home, starting in 1926, to sheet-music company Carl Fischer. The 12-story building was converted to condos (26 in total) in 2001.

The building's crown jewel, the three-level penthouse, hit the market back in the late spring. And, as I learned in a post at Luxury Listings (h/t The Real Deal) yesterday, the home remains on the market. Perhaps because the asking price is $29.5 million?

Here are some details via the listing at Stribling:

The Penthouse at 62 Cooper Square ... covers 15,781 interior square feet, with an additional 2,400 square feet of beautifully landscaped terraces. Located on the top three floors of the Carl Fischer Building, this triplex penthouse offers soaring 10'8 ceilings; 90+ windows; North, South, East, and West exposures; and includes 2 guest apartments and an adjacent guest suite. This truly extraordinary home currently consists of 8 bedrooms, 8 full bathrooms, 3 half bathrooms, 2 private terraces, a billiard room, library, and personal yoga studio.

And a photo or two...





Move in now and you'll likely be able to watch the last few years months of the Astor Place-Cooper Square reconstruction.

Images via Stribling

Thursday, August 25, 2016

The Village Pourhouse looks closed but it's not



An EVG reader noted late this afternoon that the Village Pourhouse on Third Avenue at 11th Street was looking rather closed with the brown paper in the front windows...

However! The sign out front notes they are doing some renovations or something...in conjunction with their 10th anniversary... as well as the new season (Fall TV? Hurricane season? Fall turkey hunting?)



A small request to clear the weeds from the 2nd Avenue explosion site



Last week, workers removed weeds from the empty lot at 123 Second Ave., one of three buildings destroyed during the deadly gas explosion on March 26, 2015.

There's now a new memorial sign on the fence of the adjacent properties, 119 and 121 Second Ave., which are owned by Maria Hrynenko, who faces various charges, including involuntary manslaughter.

A message at the bottom of the sign reads: "Somebody cut the weeds please!"

Nearby resident Lola Sáenz placed the sign this morning. "I made a new flyer. Since the weeds got cut on the right side lot, I'm hoping someone sees the note, and cuts them [at 119-121 Second Avenue]. It's starting to look like a forest."

In April 2015, Sáenz created an In Memoriam and left flowers for Moises Ismael Locón Yac, one of the two victims in the explosion. Sáenz said that she did it because his family is in Guatemala, and likely wouldn't have the opportunity to create a memorial at the site themselves.

RIP Richard Kopperdahl



Longtime EVG reader Scuba Diva shares the following...

After a long, 10-year-battle with cancer, Richard Kopperdahl died on Sunday afternoon a little after 4.

He was 83 and had managed to keep the cancer in remission for several years with the help of his oncologist, Dr. Hai Sun Park. ("Hi, Sunshine," Richard liked to call her.)

He was generally in good humor about it, and always managed to make it up the hundred stairs to his home. He had lived in the same sixth-floor apartment since 1976.

He went once, even twice a day to the Odessa on Avenue A — all the waitresses loved him. Yesterday morning I went to tell the waitress there he'd passed, and she said she had visited him when he was in Beth Israel last week. When she came into his room, he saw her, recognized her, and said, "Oh, I don't need anything else."

There's a viewing Friday evening at the Peter Jarema Funeral Home, 129 E. Seventh St., from 5-9 p.m.

One more month for The Edge

Earlier this month, we reported that The Edge, the 29-year-old bar at 95 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, was closing for good at the end of August.

"We'll just say [the landlord, Thermald Realty Associates] found an opportunity to sue us for a bunch of money that we can't pay," a bar rep told us at the time.

However, after a little legal wrangling yesterday, the bar was given one more month: The official closing date is now Saturday, Sept. 24.

Cava Grill opens today on 4th Avenue



Back in May we noted that a Cava Grill was coming to Fourth Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street. And now, the D.C.-based Greek-Mediterranean restaurant chain, which serves grain bowls, pita wraps and salads, opens its first NYC location today.


The Wall Street Journal had a brief preview yesterday:

“We want customers to have the ability to choose ingredients that fit their nutritional needs or dietary attributes,” said Cava Grill’s chief executive and co-founder Brett Schulman, adding that the average cost for lunch is about $10.

For its New York location, Cava Grill is hoping to keep things as local as possible, getting produce from Hudson Valley, Long Island and New Jersey farms.

The official opening is tomorrow (Friday). Cava is offering a free lunch today ... while encouraging diners to donate to Grow to Learn, an organization that helps NYC public schools set up gardens.

Cava sells various dips and spreads at retail outlets, such as the Whole Foods Market Union Square®.

The space here at 143 Fourth Ave. was previously Lan's Spa.

Cava Grill is the latest quick-serve restaurant to open along Fourth Avenue. PokéSpot debuted on Fourth Avenue and 12th Street on Aug. 12. And a Melt Shop is coming soon to 135 Fourth Ave.

Restaurant space that has been a lot of things lately ready to be something else



The for rent sign recently arrived at 189 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Since May 2014, the address has been home to Lumiere, Casablanca and Tut, which closed in February after just a few months in business.

Doomed location for a restaurant? It's interesting that the sign says "store for rent" and not "bar-restaurant for rent."

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

New Museum announces exhibition on the work of Raymond Pettibon



Via the EVG inbox today...

In February 2017, the New Museum will open a major exhibition focusing on the work of Raymond Pettibon. For over thirty years, Pettibon has been chronicling the history, mythology, and culture of America with a prodigious and distinctive voice. Through his drawings’ signature interplay between image and text, he moves between historical reflection, emotional longing, poetic wit, and strident critique.

Although Pettibon is unquestionably a pivotal figure of American art since the 1990s, he has never before had a major museum survey exhibition in New York. “Raymond Pettibon: A Pen of All Work” at the New Museum will be the largest presentation of Pettibon’s work to date, featuring more than 700 drawings from the 1960s to the present. It will also include a number of his early self-produced zines and artist’s books, as well as several videos made in collaboration with fellow artists and his musician friends. This unique collection of objects and distinctly immersive installation will provide insight into the mind of one of the most influential and visionary living American artists.

Occupying the three main floors of the New Museum, “Raymond Pettibon: A Pen of All Work” will be on view from February 8 to April 16, 2017.

The New Museum is at 235 Bowery between Stanton and Rivington.

You can check out a gallery of flyers Pettibon created for Black Flag here.

And here's a video on the art of Black Flag from 2013...

Report of a fire at 104 Avenue B


[Photo by Mike H. on 9th Street]

The FDNY is responding to a report of a fire at 104 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street ... (the building one south of where Vazac's/7B/the Horseshoe Bar is...)


[Reader submitted]


No word on the cause or the extent at this moment. The fire, which appears contained to the roof, did not make it to the @FDNYalert... One witness said that the smell of smoke is strong for several blocks.

Updated... via the comments: "according to neighbors who eye witnessed the event, an air conditioner caught on fire. firemen had to ascend through the adjacent building and douse the flames from the roof."

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher
Name: Craig
Occupation: Musician/Graphic Designer
Location: 9th Street
Time: 4:15 on Monday, Aug 22

I was born in Queens, but I’ve been here in this neighborhood since 1976. A lot of my friends lived here, and it was the East Village. It was a lot different than this. People didn’t east go beyond First or Second Avenue.

It was like not living in the city, because it was so desolate. It was very empty, because a lot of stuff beyond Avenue B was all abandoned. It was like a quiet neighborhood with hardly any people. I thought it was nice. The occasional gunshot; that was it.

I’ve lived in at least eight or nine different places in this neighborhood, uptown, on the west side. I’ve been all over the place, but mainly here. I mostly lived in storefronts because I liked having a backyard, but it wasn’t cheap so much. It was cheaper than other places, but it wasn’t exactly cheap. I think right about then, you could get a walkthrough for $75 a month before 1975, but then all of a sudden the prices just went up.

There were so many little clubs around here, especially the Puerto Rican social clubs, but they’re all gone now. There were so many of them, little bars... There was all sorts of little stuff around here. Sometimes they were open for a week; sometimes they were open for a couple months, but that was it.

I was a graphic designer, artist, musician — stuff like that. I started out in publishing. I was a graphic designer and then after about 10 years I went into advertising and then stayed in that for 10 to 15 years, but I didn’t really like that. So now I’m just hanging around. I had always been a musician since high school. I went to school for music. I play guitar and I used to play violin but I haven’t played that in years. I played in miscellaneous bands.

I don’t think anyone actually thought anything important was happening around here. We were just trying to survive and have fun. There was all sorts of stuff going on at the time, and I think people didn’t really have to stick to one thing to make a living. Now it’s just suburban. Once I saw all these people having kids here, I knew the neighborhood was gone. I guess that was around 1988 or 1991.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Former Dempsey's space transformed into the Gray Mare on 2nd Avenue


[Photo from Aug. 14]

In recents weeks workers have been transforming the former Dempsey's space into... something.

And yesterday, EVG correspondent Steven got a look at the new exterior here at 61 Second Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street... complete with new signage...


[Photo by Steven]

No word yet exactly what The Gray Mare will bring... at first glance it looks to have a similar pub vibe like Dempsey's owner Tom O’Byrne's other nearby establishments — Slainte at 304 Bowery and Cooper’s Craft and Kitchen on Second Avenue at East Fifth Street.

After 24 years, O'Byrne, who also owns the building at 61 Second Ave., decided to close Dempsey's in April. We reached out to O'Byrne last week for a comment on the new space, though didn't hear back.

Former wine and liquor store to become a wine store on Avenue A



The plywood tumor arrived late last week at 196 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

The DOB signage shows a storefront rendering...



... the sign on the door here shows a business named Convive...



We found a job listing for the incoming shop that offered a few more details about the business:

Convive is a new retail store in the East Village of New York City that believes the process of buying wine should be easy and enjoyable. We build strong relationships with clients because we enjoy engaging with them: we create and seek out shared experiences. Additionally, we provide our clients with excellent customers services, rare/allocated wines and vast expertise.

The previous tenant here, Avenue A Wine & Liquor, closed about this time last year.

Late last year, Dalan Management and real-estate investing firm Avenue Realty Capital bought 194-196 Avenue A and 503-505 East 12th Street for $16.8 million.

Another no for Cholo Noir



Renovation work carries on at 503 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B... where there are plans for Cholo Noir, a restaurant serving Southern California-style Mexican with a bar and art gallery.


[Image via Facebook]

In June, the proprietors, Lennard Camarillo and Arlene Lozano, appeared before CB3 in June for a new liquor license for the space.

CB3 recommended to deny the application for a variety of reasons, according to the official minutes from the June meeting. For starters, there are 25 full on-premises liquor licenses within 500 feet of the address... plus CB3 didn't see how a Southern California-style Mexican
restaurant was a public benefit given the number of places in the neighborhood to get the same kind of food. In addition, the applicants only collected seven signatures of support from neighbors, according to the CB3 minutes.

However, the Cholo Noir folks returned to face CB3 on Monday during the August meeting. As Bowery Boogie reported, the applicants made their pitch: "There would be an authentic vibe imported from the West Coast; street artist Chico would be the first artist in a monthly rotation of work. CB3 wasn’t so much feeling it, and denied the application."

The owners have put a lot of work into the space to date. Camarillo told DNAinfo that "his team will take its case directly to the State Liquor Authority in hopes the agency rules against the board’s recommendation." If granted a license, then they plan to be open in October.

As noted previously, in 2014, Camarillo and Lozano won the New York Public Library's annual business plan competition, scoring the top prize of $15,000.

No. 503 was previously home for five weeks to Long Bay, a Vietnamese restaurant, last spring. (I don't recall them serving any alcohol.) Several years earlier the space housed Gladiators Gym.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Learn some emergency preparedness tips tomorrow (Wednesday!) on Astor Place


[Call me Snake]

Via the EVG inbox this afternoon...

The New York City Emergency Management Department, Manhattan Community Board 3 and the Village Alliance will host a preparedness fair in the East Village on Wednesday, August 24. [Ed note: Tomorrow!]

NYC Emergency Management staff members, along with representatives from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), FDNY, Con Ed, Small Business Services (SBS), and local community organizations, will be on hand to share emergency preparedness tips ranging from how to beat the heat to gas safety. Residents can also learn basic CPR skills and participate in rock climbing.

NYC Emergency Management staff members will also distribute a range of emergency preparedness materials and show New Yorkers how to prepare for their unique needs. Representatives from the Health Department will distribute information about the Zika virus, DEP will discuss water safety, and FDNY staffers will share information on how New Yorkers can become one of New York’s bravest. FDNY EMS will teach residents basic CPR skills.

New Yorkers are encouraged to stop by to learn how to be prepared for any emergency, including steps to make a plan, gather supplies, and stay informed. Residents will also learn how to join their local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a program consisting of more than 2,000 volunteers dedicated to helping their communities during emergencies.

Where: Astor Place plaza

When: Wednesday, August 24, 11 AM – 2 PM

Fall TV preview underway



Busy week for filming in and around Tompkins Square Park. Yesterday, crews for the CBS drama "Blue Bloods" were filming scenes on Avenue B and 10th Street (and probably elsewhere) ... this afternoon, the NBC series "Blindspot" is filming in Tompkins Square Park... (some kind of press conference where someone pulls a gun...) The trucks are lined on Avenue B from Seventh Street to 11th Street...




[Bonus "Blindspot" dummy shot...or Margarita March survivor]

And tomorrow, there are posted signs around Avenue A and Fifth Street and Sixth Street for HBO's "The Deuce," which has already used East Village streets for some filming...

RIP Stephen Konzen, aka the East Village Magic Man



Longtime East Village resident Uncle Waltie shares the following...

Sadly, we lost an East Village original. Stephen Konzen, affectionately called "East Village Magic Man," was not able to pull one more rabbit out of his hat. He succumbed to his illness on Aug. 11, 2016.

Magic Man spent his entire adult life on 9th Street near First Avenue. In addition to his magic, he loved to cook for people. Every holiday he provided tons of food to friends and strangers at The International Bar on First Avenue.

A great many of his friends saw him off on his final journey this past Friday at the crematorium, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Though he's gone now, he leaves behind many happy memories and will live on in our thoughts. Thanks for all your kindness and generosity, Magic Man. The world is a sadder place without you in it.

Here's a clip of Stephen in action from 2013 on "Deprogramming Hour," a cable access show...