Best wishes to the owners of the March Hare on the shop's 1-year anniversary

The March Hare turned 1 on Ninth Street on Tuesday.

It's an anniversary to celebrate — especially with the difficulties of opening during the pandemic.

Unfortunately, the owners of the whimsical toy store here between First Avenue and Second Avenue are facing another major challenge: Karen McDermott, who runs the shop with her husband Jason McGroarty, was diagnosed with colon cancer last month.

McDermott, 31, who previously worked at Dinosaur Hill on the block, had surgery in late October. According to an Instagram post from the March Hare on Oct. 25:

Surgery went well and Karen is getting a little better every day. Once she is fully healed we will start chemotherapy and hopefully kick cancer out of sight!

You can help support the March Hare by keeping the store in mind with any holiday needs. The shop's hours are posted as 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 321 E. Ninth St. You might want to call ahead: (646) 422-7747.

There's also a crowdfunding campaign to help the couple pay for medical and living expenses. You can find that link here. 

As McDermott wrote in a GoFundMe update:

The outpouring of love I have received through this has been beyond overwhelming, I am so thankful and happy to have known such kindness in my life.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Toy story: The March Hare debuts today on 9th Street

Image via Instagram

Ringing in the holiday season at 3rd & B'Zaar

A seasonal holiday market returns today to 3rd & B'Zaar.

The mixed-vendor market and event space at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B will once again host a variety of local designers, artists, merchants and vintage sellers through Dec. 24.

The 3rd & B'Zaar social platforms — Instagram and Facebook — have been featuring the vendors each day. The space is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday with some later-evening events in the works.

3rd & B'Zaar debuted late last year with a month-long Holiday Market followed by Sex, Love & Vintage in February ... Spring Into Pride in May and June ... and Summer in the City in the, uh, summer...  with several art shows in between. 

Pictured above from left are 3rd curators Frank New, Delphine Le Goff, Delia Anne Parker, Maegan Hayward and Sara Ann Rutherford. Photo by Stacie Joy.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from Union Square by Derek Berg) ...

• The in-person tree lighting ceremony returns to Tompkins Square Park; save the date for Dec. 12 (Wednesday) 

• Shoring up the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church on 2nd Avenue (Monday)

• Random Accessories celebrates 25 years (Thursday)

• Dress Shoppe II will close in early January (Tuesday) 

• Q&A with local band cumgirl8 (Thursday)

• Gallery Watch: 'If Death Ever Learn' at Someday Gallery (Wednesday) 

• Your chance to check out Jimmy Webb's collection of iconic music photography (Tuesday) 

• Someone painted 2 swastikas on the barrier surrounding the 6th Street sinkhole (Monday) 

• Sidewalk bridge arrives ahead of planned demo of former Red Square storefronts (Wednesday) 

• A visit to Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive on the Bowery (Friday) 

• Surf's up for Patagonia on the Bowery (Monday) 

• Jiang's Kitchen is in soft-open mode on St. Mark's Place (Monday) 

• The Irish breakfast makes a triumphant return to St. Dymphna's (Thursday) 

• Openings: Bar Lula on 1st Avenue (Thursday)

• The longest partial moon eclipse in 580 years as seen from 2nd Avenue (Friday)

• Boarding up Papaya Dog (Monday) 

• A tradition like no other returns this holiday season on 9th Street (Sunday) 

• Drunken Dumpling returns (Tuesday) 

• Beyond Sushi will not be reopening on 14th Street (Tuesday) 

• Sweet Village Marketplace opens on 1st Avenue (Sunday) 

• At Key Food: Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more (Monday) 

• Blank Street debuts on Avenue A today (Friday) 

• A new florist for Sunny & Annie's (Monday)

... and a new mural arrived the other day on the NE corner of Sixth Street and First Avenue (outside the Dunkin') ... "Rise by lifting others" by Aída Miró ... thanks to Goggla for the photo...

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Update: the alarm on the BMW outside Sophie’s at 507 E. 5th St. near Avenue A in the East Village is still going off — now 24 hours in. People egged the car, stole the NJ plates and left a passive-aggressive note. pic.twitter.com/wQcRY8oCAr

— evgrieve (@evgrieve) November 15, 2021

A tradition like no other returns this holiday season on 9th Street

OK, maybe that headline is overselling it a bit. 

The Christmas holiday lights went up today on Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, as Steven points out... 

As we've said, it's always festive on this block during the holidays. This year shall be no different.

And new stores joining your familiar faves on the block in 2021 include A Sustainable Village... Art+Ray ... Pillow-Cat Books... Spooksvilla ...  and a new home for Duo NYC.

And for those keeping tabs of such things, the lights are not early — they arrived on Nov. 1 last year.

Updated: 

A few evening-time photos here by Steven...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a fall shot outside St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on 2nd Avenue at 10th Street) ... 

• Documenting the city's 'clean-up' along Tompkins Square Park on 7th Street (Monday) ... City removes tent encampment from 7th Street outside Tompkins Square Park (Thursday) 

• Speaking out for the return of the former P.S. 64 to the community (Wednesday) 

• There won't be a Cookie Walk this Christmas (Monday)

• Your chance to hear Citi Bike's expansion plans (Tuesday) 

• A new chapter at the 11th Street Community Garden with debut of a lending library (Wednesday) 

• First look at Lil' Frankies Grocery on 1st Avenue (Wednesday) 

• Italian specialty shop Via Della Scrofa debuts on 4th Street (Thursday) 

• Bar Veloce returns from pandemic hiatus (Monday)

• Work starts on the Union Square Holiday Market (Wednesday) 

• Cinnamon Girl bringing cake, pie and coffee to 2nd Avenue (Tuesday) 

• Ahimsa Garden is leaving the East Village (Thursday) 

• Lahore Deli — home of the world's best chai? — has closed on Crosby Street (Tuesday) 

• Miss Kita by the sea (Friday) 

• A look at Tiger Lily Kitchen, opening soon on 3rd Avenue (Thursday) 

• Plant-based Mexican cuisine next for 120 1st Ave. (Monday) 

• The new outpost of the Wild Son opens today (Tuesday) 

• Former Zum Schneider space now for lease on 7th Street and Avenue C (Wednesday) 

• Beyond the sea: Crab Du Jour shapes up on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)

• Holy smokes! Another accessories store setting up shop, this time on 2nd Street (Monday)

... and from the Citizen app late Friday night... anyone see burning golf carts here?

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Work starts on the Union Square Holiday Market

Staging for building the Union Square Holiday Market arrived yesterday (thanks to EVG reader Doug for these pics)...

As widely reported last month, the winter market, featuring 150 local and national vendors, returns to the southern portion of Union Square at 14th Street after a year off due to the pandemic. 

Things open here on Nov. 18 and run through 4 p.m. on Dec. 24. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a 7 p.m. close on Sundays. Find the vendor list here.

There won't be a Cookie Walk this Christmas

Organizers have decided not to host a Cookie Walk again this year at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on Avenue A and 10th Street. 

Although there wasn't an official reason given for the cancellation, concerns over COVID-19 certainly played a role in this decision. According to an Instagram post from Friday:

After careful consideration, we have come to the unfortunate decision that we must cancel this year’s St. Nicholas Cookie Walk. We hope to be back next year, better than ever. Please have a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Merry Christmas.

The always-festive event, held in early December in the church basement, offers about 75 varieties of homemade cookies and pastries each year. As the name implies, you take a walk around cookie-filled tables and pick your favorites. 

Last year's Cookie Walk, which would have the 12th annual, was also canceled due to the pandemic.

Friday's parting shot

Nice to see the windows again this holiday season at the 99-cent store at 73 First Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street... the sidewalk bridge came down here this past summer after nearly five years for the condoplex next door. 

Thanks to Goggla for the photo today!

Ho, ho, no! SantaCon slated for Dec. 11

Over the Halloween weekend, we spotted this discarded (or lost!) Santa hat on Avenue A. 

We noted this in our Instagram Stories ... wrong holiday, etc. Haha. A few people nervously brought up SantaCon. Haha. As in, That's not happening this year — is it?

As of now, yes. 

According to its website, SantaCon, which Gothamist describes as "the annual debauched meathead magnet bar crawl that floods certain unfortunate neighborhoods with blathering bro-chads in Santa costumes every December," the event is Dec. 11... 

The pandemic sidelined last year's SantaCon. Participating venues are announced shortly before the 'Con... and the East Village always seems to make this Santa's list.

EVG Etc.: Van Leeuwen's cashless ban fine; Halloween Adventure's last Halloween?

Photo on 3rd Street by Stacie Joy 

• Police looking for a suspect who robbed an 80-year-old man with a box cutter in an elevator on 12th and C (ABC-7) 

• Van Leeuwen fined for violating NYC's cashless ban (Eater) 

• About the five potential amendments to the State Constitution that are on the ballot this election (The New York Times) 

• NY Laundry service workers looking for the industry to clean up its act (The Indypendent) 

• A new report from the Department of Transportation reveals that a new bike lane — whether protected or simply painted — decreases the risk of cyclist injury by 32 to 34 percent (Streetsblog) 

• Bike parking shortage has remained a persistent problem in NYC; city adding 10,000 bike racks to the streets (The City) 

• A last holiday look (possibly!) at Halloween Adventure on Fourth Avenue (Gothamist ... previously on EVG) 

• Halloween at the Merchant’s House Museum on Fourth Street (PIX11) 

• More about Café de L’Enfer on Avenue A (Time Out ... first on EVG here) 

• A look inside Susan Alexandra's new bead emporium on Orchard Street (Vogue) 

• Verizon moving workers to space in Essex Crossing (The Real Deal) 

... and the coming-soon signage is up for the Le Colombe outpost at Whole Foods Market® Bowery ...

This Halloween, a celebration of Jack Terricloth's DIY art at C-Squat

On Halloween this Sunday, C-Squat hosts a daylong event titled "Cut, Paste, Tape & Terricloth."

The show will present "a modest selection" of the late Jack Terricloth's original cut-and-paste artwork. Terricloth, a former East Village resident and lead singer of the World/Inferno Friendship Society, died in May at age 50. 

Here's more background via the EVG inbox... 

Without fail for 23 years, Brooklyn circus cabaret punx The World/Inferno Friendship Society have faithfully raised The Great Pumpkin at their annual HALLOWMAS celebration. Sadly, due to the recent tragic passing of their lead singer, their version of Hallowmas will not take place this year, or ever again.

We cannot try to begin to replace that event, but we can do our part to help make sure that Jack is remembered on this sacred holiday. So, in honor of Terricloth, we are setting up a small pop-up exhibit as a tribute to our fallen Halloween-obsessed friend. 

Starting in the late 1990s, Jack used to make postcards for his band's cultish following. The cards would advertise the Inferno's latest shows, capers and misadventures. At a time when the internet was replacing how punk rockers mainly heard about gigs, Cloth refused to give up the art of the physical mailing list. He wanted some things to remain tangible. 

We will display the original cut-and-paste postcard collages in all of their wonderful disintegrating DIY scrap art glory. We will also have some original handmade punk show flyers and pages to a lyric zine that he made back in the late 1980s. 

A visual cut-and-paste elegy hoping to pay respect and send a message back to him about the work that he did. Because it mattered.

You can check out the show Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at C-Squat. You can enter through the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street. Find more info here.

Also, on Sunday ... back to the EVG inbox...

After the art show, a number of World Inferno fans will gather in Tompkins Square Park to play cover songs of their music. The band was booked to play a show in the park this Halloween. Obviously, the band will not be appearing but dedicated Infernites are still gathering around 5 p.m. to make sure the songs do not go unplayed this Halloween.

A night (on Thursday!) of live music and art at 3rd & B'zaar

The next holiday market at 3rd & B'zaar starts on Nov. 26... ahead of that, expect to find more one-off events... Such as! 

On Thursday evening from 7-9, EV-based artist/musician Alex Carpenter is headlining a night of art and music in the space at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Carpenter will be showcasing new video works as part of his performance, and will also be officially launching his new release "Chord From the Second Delphic Hymn." 

Other art and artists will be part of the show, including dancer Elayna Lopez...

Photo by Stacie Joy

Adult swim

 

Local singer-songwriter Vlad Holiday has a new EP out on Nov. 5 titled Write Me Off the Show. The video here is for the single titled "Skinny Dipping."

Also, today is another Bandcamp Friday, in which the platform foregoes its revenue and gives the bands all the $$$ from the day's sales.

A holiday break for B&H

In case you were thinking about going to B&H Dairy in the near future... may want to do it sooner rather than later: The kosher lunch counter will be going on an August break starting on Monday... returning to service on Aug. 25. 

B&H Dairy: 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. Phone: (212) 505-8065.

Also... Il Posto Accanto will be on a break after dinner service tomorrow, with a reopening date of Aug. 24.

Il Posto Accanto: 190 E. Second St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. Phone: (212) 228-3562.

Summer in the City returns to 3rd and B'zaar TODAY

Summer in the City is back today at 3rd & B’Zaar.

The mixed-vendor market and event space at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B is hosting another day-long pop-up today featuring more than 20 local artists, designers and vintage sellers indoors and out from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Jane's Exchange next door will be in on the action too!)

 Here are a few scenes from the first SITC on July 24 via EVG contributor Stacie Joy...

3rd & B’Zaar debuted late last year with a month-long Holiday Market ... followed by Sex, Love & Vintage in February and Spring Into Pride in May and June...  with several art shows along the way.

Summer in the City at 3rd & B’Zaar

Photos by Stacie Joy

It's time for Summer in the City at 3rd & B’Zaar.

The mixed-vendor market and event space at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B is hosting several day-long pop-up markets late this summer... starting tomorrow (Saturday!) where more than 20 local artists, designers and vintage sellers will be featuring their wares in the space from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sara Ann Rutherford, Delia Anne Parker and Maegan Hayworth (seen below) are among the merchants...

The folks at 3rd & B’Zaar also adopted the latest cardboard installation from East Village-based artist Tom Manco. He whipped up a picnic scene that was in Tompkins Square Park... the burger is now in the front window for Summer in the City.

After tomorrow, they'll be another Summer in the City market on Aug. 14. (And look for Drag Bingo here on Aug. 6 and Aug. 19.)

3rd & B’Zaar debuted late last year with a month-long Holiday Market ... followed by Sex, Love & Vintage in February and Spring Into Pride in May and June...  with several art shows for good measure. 

Attention Kmart shoppers: The Astor Place location is now closed after 25 years in business

After nearly 25 years on Astor Place, Kmart has closed this once-prime retail outpost. Yesterday was the last day in business for the struggling retailer (thank you to the EVG reader for the initial tip!) ...

We're told that employees weren't told of the Sunday close date until this past Friday. Signs announcing the last days were circulated throughout the store on Saturday.

Still, the closure isn't likely a complete surprise — at least to reporters covering the retail market. Earlier this year, Kmart's parent firm, Transformco, announced that it was closing several locations. (This outpost was not on a previously announced list.) 

In May 2020, they shuttered the Penn Plaza store, leaving Astor Place as the sole Kmart remaining in Manhattan. (There are two left in the Bronx.) 

Kmart and Sears were owned by Sears Holdings, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2018 and narrowly escaped liquidation in early 2019, per USA Today. "They were sold to their longtime investor and CEO, Eddie Lampert, who has kept them alive on a shoestring budget under the company name Transformco."

Rumors circulated in late 2017-early 2018 that the Astor Place shop, located in the landmarked 15-story building that was the original home of the Wanamaker department store on Eighth Street and Lafayette (officially 770 Broadway), was shutting down.

The Real Deal reported in January 2018 that 770 tenant Facebook and landlord Vornado Realty Trust were in talks to expand the social media giant's presence in the building.

Per The Real Deal:

Vornado ... recently paid roughly $46 million to Kmart – whose department store occupies about 30,000 square feet on the ground, mezzanine and lower-level of the building – in what appears to be a buyout of the retailer’s lease, according to city property records. Observers said it's unlikely that Vornado boss Steve Roth would take such a risk without a replacement tenant lined up, and speculated that Facebook could be looking to make a splash with a high-profile storefront, a la Microsoft's store on Fifth Avenue.

However, Kmart remained open and downsized, giving up the second level and moving everything to the main floor and basement.

Michael Lisicky reported on the Astor Place location for Forbes in March: 

Despite its current open status, the location suffers from the company's misfortunes and corporate misguidances. Employees express frustration that deliveries to the store have slowed. They cite the absence of blankets, pillows, and towels within its once-popular home department. Employees notice that its once-steady foot traffic tends to come and go.

After years of missed payments and unpaid bills, Kmart's relationship with many of its longtime vendors has evaporated. It has led to empty shelves and unusual selections of off-brand merchandise. ... Kmart is no longer a profitable and dependable outlet for suppliers.

Financial woes aside, other big-box shops such as Target and Marshalls have eaten away at Kmart's business. Not to mention Amazon.

I took a last look at the space yesterday...

Pinched for time, I didn't make it downstairs for the holiday supplies, but I did check out the Astor Place-branded underwear...

EVG reader Karen came across the store-closing signage while walking by yesterday: "Most other customers seemed equally shocked and dismayed. Shelves were fully stocked for the most part and there weren't really any big bargains — though with the longest line I've ever seen, seems people just wanted to have their last hurrah."

This Kmart arrived in November 1996. I worked nearby at the time and ate at the short-lived K Cafe a few times with co-workers to fill the void left by Woolworth's departure on 14th Street. 

I recall plenty of horrified WTF reactions from people about the Kmart opening here. People seemingly adopted a balanced don't-mind-it/hate-it relationship with Kmart through the years, especially as more big-box shops arrived. (My blogging friend Alex has written about this location numerous times. This post includes a video of U2's strange PopMart press conference here in 1997.)

At the time, the Astor Place store was one of over 2,100 Kmarts located throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories, according to Forbes. Today, there are less than 40.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports that fixtures and shelving will be sold this week — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting tomorrow. There will be security at the door — just let them know that you are looking for the fixtures.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Are Kmart's days numbered on Astor Place?

Monday's parting shots

For whatever reason(s) the gates were locked to the main lawn in Tompkins Square Park on this holiday Monday... which forced people to jump the fence... photos by Derek Berg...

The Cock is back open on 2nd Avenue

The Cock, closed since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, returned to service on June 24 here at 93 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

For now, the two-level bar-club is open Thursday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. For the holiday weekend, they will be open on July 4. Proof of vaccination is required to enter the establishment.

As we first reported, owner Allan Mannarelli, an East Village resident, was hoping to relocate the Cock ... and he appeared before CB3 this spring for a new liquor license at 112 Rivington St., the former Fat Baby space. However, CB3 denied the move. (BoweryBoogie has details on the licensing history.)

The Cock, once described as "the last filthy gay bar in New York," moved to No. 93 in late 2015 (you may recall the "Block the Cock" campaign) ... it first opened on Avenue A in 1998 before relocating to 25 Second Ave. several years later.

Today in photos of a sparrow and squirrel sharing a loaf of sourdough in Tompkins Square Park

Heading into the Fourth of July holiday weekend with the picnic pic so far of the summer... Goggla spotted the squirrel and sparrow breaking bread in Tompkins Square Park. 

Before the sparrow joined the feast, the squirrel was digging out the insides ...

 

Previously on EV Grieve:
• What other photos of squirrels eating things can we post?

• Meanwhile, a squirrel with a coconut drink this morning in Tompkins Square Park

• Today in photos of squirrels carb loading in Tompkins Square Park