Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a Second Avenue mannequin photo by Derek Berg) ... 

 • 4 East Village development sites to watch in 2023 (Wednesday) 

• NYPD looking for 3 suspects in New Year's Eve stabbing on Avenue A (Wednesday) 

• Parting thoughts on being a small-business owner as Love Thy Beast departs the East Village (Thursday)

• The last days of Timbuktu (Friday) 

• A happy birthday mural for Ray on Avenue A (Monday) 

• A celebration of Three Kings Day (Saturday)

• The future of the unlicensed weed vendors (Tuesday)

• Hearth is starting its 20th anniversary year with a renovation (Wednesday) 

• Preview 2023: Target Union Square (Thursday) 

• Health scare: IG-Fit closes on 14th Street (Tuesday) 

• Bagel Market replacing Bagel Boss on 14th Street (Friday) 

• From Mikey's to Smileys on Avenue A (Tuesday) 

• A report of a small fire at Dua Kafe on 14th Street (Friday) 

• What's happening at the ConEd substation? (Friday) 

• On Astor Place, a yearn to spin again (Monday) 

• Spring cleaning this winter at B-Side (Friday) 

• Signage alert: Ankara #3 (Wednesday) 

• Belse has closed on the Bowery (Thursday) ... Blue & Cream has left the Bowery for Bleecker Street (Tuesday) 

• Signage alert: Wild Rabbit Coffee on 7th Street (Thursday) 

• The 13th Step is now going as Downtown Social (Wednesday) 

... and a parting shot of Chesney after the Gifts of the Magi" performance Friday at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery (photo by Derek Berg)

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From Mikey's to Smileys on Avenue A

Signage is up for Smileys, a "wellness shop," at 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

The business logo is of a smiley face with marijuana leaves for eyes (see the brand's Instagram account) ... presumably another unlicensed weed-related shop. 

Until early November, this storefront had been home to Mikey Likes It Ice Cream for nearly nine years. Founder Michael "Mikey" Cole announced that his company was undergoing a reorganization and that they would reopen a new flagship location elsewhere in 2023. 

In an Instagram post, Cole stated that the Avenue A store closed following the constant "day-to-day battle and hardship" during the pandemic. 

In other storefront news here, the psychic is no longer in the space next door (though the awning remains)...

Citing a reorganization, Mikey Likes It Ice Cream closes Avenue A location

As part of a brand reorganization, the Mikey Likes It Ice Cream outpost is now permanently closed at 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

Founder Michael "Mikey" Cole and his team made the announcement in an Instagram post ... with word of a new flagship store coming in the spring...

To all of our fans and supporters, we are so happy and excited to announce that Mikey Likes It Ice Cream is currently reorganizing the company to expand our products and services to the global market. Also, during this transition, we will be opening new locations, and our new Mikey Likes It Ice cream Flagship store in the spring of 2023.

The post stated that the Avenue A store closed following the constant "day-to-day battle and hardship" during the pandemic. 

We were just not able to recover fast enough and come to terms with our current landlord. Although we greatly appreciate the efforts to accommodate our needs, we understand how the pandemic itself hurt all business owners.

Although a bittersweet moment, we are very grateful for what this store has given us as a family. Over the years, we have had the opportunity to meet so many people from various walks of life and have been able to create friendships that we would’ve never had without having this store. 

We have become a staple in the community and have enjoyed watching the children of the community come to the store as children and grow into mature, responsible adults. From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank all of our customers and staff that have been loyal to Mikey Likes It Ice Cream over the years. 

Cole started the business from his parent's Stuy Town apartment, where he grew up. He later opened his first outpost here on Avenue A in 2013 and expanded to Harlem. You can read our 2013 interview with Cole here.

Ice cream aside, we enjoyed the changing artwork on the rolldown gate in the first few years ... where Andre Trenier created one of his 1980s-inspired murals corresponding with the shop's flavor of the month... favorites included Grace Jones... Teen Wolf ... Tootie from "Facts of Life" and ... Prince. 

Until a new outpost opens, you can still find Mikey's products for delivery online.

Image from the summer via @mikeylikesiticecream 

Mikey Likes It and Tompkins Square Bagels join forces for first collaboration

Two Avenue A mainstays — Mikey Likes It Ice Cream and Tompkins Square Bagels — have teamed up for a Black History Month special with part of the proceeds going to benefit the Loveland Foundation.

The two just debuted a new cream cheese flavor and specialty sandwich. For this creation, the two reinterpreted Mikey's popular Southern Hospitality scoop... combining TSB's cream cheese with chopped, candied praline pecans, chunks of mini pecan pies from Abu’s bakery in Bed-Stuy and pecan pie filling.

Thrill-seekers may also order the Southern Hospitality cream cheese on an everything bagel with strips of bacon (you have to ask for Mikey's Southern Hospitality sandwich). 

For the rest of February, 10 percent of the sales from these items will go to the Loveland Foundation, a therapy fund for Black women and girls. 

The two shops plan to collaborate more in the future. 

"Mike and I have been talking about doing something together for years. Running a small business alone can totally consume you, and no matter how many times Mike and I bumped into each other on my walks home from work, we could never find the time to pull it off," TSB owner Christopher Pugliese told me about Mikey's founder, Michael "Mikey" Cole. 

Pugliese called Cole about this idea last Wednesday, and by Friday, Cole was in the TSB kitchen on Avenue A. 

"We had a blast and plan to do more collaborations together as well as some other charities feeding the homeless and hungry on the Lower East Side and in Harlem. Mike does a lot of charity work and when I asked him if I could join in he was very welcoming to the idea," Pugliese said. "I have to tell you, at one point he was working with my guys and I was looking over at him and I was just so happy he was there and that his place is around. COVID has taken so many small businesses. I really hope people in the East Village will show their support for Mike's place. I can't stress enough what a great, kind, big-hearted guy he is."

Checking in on Mikey Likes It

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Mikey Likes It recently reopened at 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street after the COVID-19 PAUSE.

I stopped by to talk with owner Mikey Cole about his 6-year-old ice cream shop and love for the community.





"The time we're in is heavy," Mikey tells me, "and racial matters are on our minds. This isn't a one-day change. In racial situations, food is color-blind. If ice cream can be the medium to let tensions down, let it be. Let it be a slice of heaven in chaos."

Between serving customers, he talks about his experiences growing up in Stuy Town.

"The East Village is a mecca, a melting pot of different cultures, different ethnic groups," he says. "My parents are from Sierra Leone in Africa and my momma cooked dinners different from my neighbors. I learned about their cultures from visiting their homes after school, for example, tasting my friend’s parents Indian-food Thanksgiving dinner. And they learned about mine."

In pursuit of food experiences, Mikey went vegan for one month prior to creating his vegan ice cream so he could learn more about the process and experience a plant-based lifestyle for himself. This led to the Eat To Heal flavor, a vegan blueberry-hibiscus treat with pineapple and cayenne pepper swirl.

Mikey is also partnering with Kolkata Chai Company on Third Street for a vanilla chai with caramel swirl ice cream served, similar to an affogato, where the scoop floats in the hot spiced chai. Mikey Likes It has worked with other local shops, including Whitmans on Ninth Street for a bacon-vanilla-caramel bacon burger.

Mikey’s current favorite flavor is Southern Hospitality (a butter pecan with praline and pieces of pecan pie), which he says is like his store’s policy of offering wholesome family love.



The shop is currently offering deliveries, and pick-up pints and merch with online ordering only, plus a free scoop with every order. Mikey tells me that he shows his customers appreciation with the free treat, so people can eat their scoop on the way home and the ice cream makes it back to their freezers.



You can keep up with Mikey’s changing flavors and hours of operation on Instagram.

Mikey Likes It remains closed on Avenue A

[Photos by Steven]

Updated 7/16: Mikey's is back open

Last Thursday, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance seized Mikey Likes It for nonpayment of taxes, per the legal notices on the ice cream shop's front door on Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.



More than a dozen readers sent along photos of the closed gate ... the readers expressed hope that founder Michael "Mikey" Cole is able to get the shop up and running again.

Cole started the business from his parent's StuyTown apartment, where he grew up. He later opened his first outpost here on Avenue A in 2013 ... and later expanded to Harlem.

Mickey's took to Instagram to address the closure... noting the Mikey's truck is in action, though the shop will be closed for the rest of the July 4 holiday week ...

View this post on Instagram

We are restructuring our stores and will be closed this week until further notice. We will be updating everyone on the location of the truck daily. Sorry for the inconvenience. Stay Tuned! 🍦👍🏿

A post shared by Mikey Likes It Ice Cream (@mikeylikesiticecream) on Jul 1, 2019 at 3:12pm PDT

Mikey Likes It was back open this past weekend

After a three-plus-week closure, Mikey Likes It reopened on Friday evening at 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

On Friday afternoon, Mikey's posted the following message to Facebook: "After a few minor technical difficulties, our East Village location is back."

And by Saturday...


[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

Owner Michael "Mikey" Cole told EVG reader Brucie on Saturday that the machine they use to make the ice cream broke down, and it took weeks to get the right parts ordered and delivered — and to get the proper repair. (Mikey also said that they're looking into buying spare parts or another machine as a backup so this doesn't happen again.)


[Photo Saturday night at close by Brucie]

Saturday also marked the four-year anniversary for the shop.

[Updated] Mikey Likes It remains closed, and people are getting worried

Earlier last week, Andre Trenier created one of his 1980s-flavored murals on the gate at Mikey Likes It, 199 Avenue A near East 12th Street.

The murals always correspond with the ice cream shop's new flavor of the month. Unfortunately, the painting has been the only activity here of late. The storefront has been closed since at least May 1, and some readers/Mikey fans are concerned.

The shop, which is active on social media, hasn't posted anything on Instagram since May 1:

Sorry for the inconvenience both locations are closed today. We are finishing up spring cleaning, we will be right back in a couple days 👍

Meanwhile, the shop's phone is currently out of service. (Mikey's Harlem location is also closed.)

By the way, Saturday marks the four-year anniversary for Mikey Likes It on Avenue A.

You can read our two-part interview with Michael "Mikey" Cole from September 2014 here and here.

Updated 5/18

And they are back open!

The Facts of Life (Tootie!) at Mikey Likes It

Been awhile since we featured the gate at Mikey Likes It, 199 Avenue A near East 12th Street... Andre Trenier's 1980s-flavored mural always coincides with the flavor of the month ... this time around it's the "Facts of Life" — "a Prickly pear ice cream with Blood orange and Prickly pear swirl and Orange glazed cake pieces," per Mikey's Instagram account.

And that is Eastland's Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey (Kim Fields) from the long-running NBC sitcom "Facts of Life" on the gate.

And flashback to May, and "Good Times" with Jimmie Walker...

Chucky's in love at Mikey's

I always like (and actually look forward to seeing now) Andre Trenier's 1980s-inspired murals on the roll-down gate at Mikey Likes It, 199 Avenue A near East 12th Street.

This month it's Charles Lee Ray … aka Chucky from the Academy Award-winning "Child's Play."

And the flavor of the month: Child's Play: spiced pumpkin ice cream with cinnamon streusel, buttered pecan pieces and cheesecake chunks.

Gingersnap's Organic is leaving the East Village for the West Village

The vegan, gluten free and raw food specialists will be closing up their nearly 3-year-old home at 130 E. Seventh St. later this week ahead a move to the West Village.

Per an email that they sent:

We're taking Gingersnap's across the great island of Manhattan and are opening a WEST VILLAGE location! We're sad to see our East Village spot go, but with all the space we're gaining in the new spot, we'll be better able to serve ALL of our customers!

To keep you feeling your best, this location will have an expanded smoothie menu with special elixir shots, more options at the coffee bar, warm soups, a greater breakfast selection, and much more!

Gingersnap's fans can find the new storefront — described as more of a "juice-bar-meets-coffee-shop" — at 113 W. 10th St., between Sixth Avenue and Greenwich.

And East Village customers can still get delivery via Seamless.

Prior to Gingersnap's, the storefront just west of Avenue A was home to Mikey's Pet Shop ...

Out and About in the East Village, Part 1

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: Michael “Mikey” Cole
Occupation: Owner and Head Chef, Mikey Likes It Ice Cream
Location: 199 Avenue A (Between 12th and 13th)
Time: 1:30 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 17

Thirty-Five years ago, born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I grew up in Stuyvesant Town, across the way. My parents are from Sierra Leone, West Africa. [They came here] when they were around their late 20s or 30, I think.

They tried to teach me lessons that I didn’t really know. They tried to be very rigid when I was a child, which kind of also makes you want to venture off and see the crazy side of the world. My mom was a nurse. My dad worked at the supermarket and then he worked for the City of New York. He carried like two, three jobs and my mom had two jobs, so sometimes they wouldn’t see each other for two or three days. I see my parents work hard and that’s what instilled the value of working hard myself. They tried to get me what I needed. I wanted them Jordans, ‘You’re getting the Avias.’ Damn. But they’re sneakers, so, you know? I’m glad that they instilled a hardworking value in myself.

As a child the neighborhood was cool. You had to stay out of trouble. You went anywhere around here and there was trouble up and down. I remember Friday the 13th or Rookie Day, that’s what we used to call it. It was real. I would get out of school at PS 19 and would go outside and be like, ‘Man, this is some fake bullying holiday.’ There were like 60 kids waiting outside to pummel you. You were like, ‘Damn, I’m gonna have to pull the Barry Sanders off to get home.’ But it was definitely fun growing up.

From Avenue B, 14th and Avenue B, the Campos projects there, they always had problems with the kids from Avenue D, which was two blocks from there, so when you came down to this area people didn’t want to venture off past Avenue B. Even Avenue A was tough. You would get off the train and just stay on First Avenue until you’d find your street and then you’d turn left or right. People rarely wanted to come into these areas. On 14th and First, there was drug dealing going on and clashes between people. In the 80s, even the 90s, you’d come outside and there was always something going on. You’d walk outside and walk down 13th Street and there was a bunch of people hanging outside and drinking on the stoop.

What was cool was the competitiveness. Kips Bay, up on 28th Street, these guys played basketball. Then you’d get the kids from Campos, Avenue D, 12th Street, 6th Street, who would play basketball. So all of us would roam around with our own teams of five. You’d roll five deep. After you’d lose, ‘Okay lets pack it up, let’s go over here.’ That’s what the weekends were like. You’d get to know other kids because we were all playing basketball. We all did the same damn thing anyway. You might not know their names but you’d say what’s up walking by. I can’t really walk down the street without someone saying, ‘Hey Mikey, how you doing?’ Now I have the store but way before that it was like that.

I got into ice cream because of my aunt. [Yesterday] was her birthday. When I was younger she would take me to school in the morning. Her name was Luciana but I called her Lucy. She was on my mother’s side. My grandfather was a chef on cruise ships, so my aunt came over and all she wanted to do was learn to cook just like her father.

So when I was in the third, fourth, fifth grade, since my parents weren’t home, I would sign up for Boys Club and go there a couple days a week. But my parents still didn’t want me out, so I was forced to go to cooking school with my aunt. I was the kid in the corner who would sit at the table with a whipping bowl or something smaller. Because of that, I was intrigued with cooking at a young age.

When my parents left me at home, my mom would leave like five dollars. ‘Get some pizza for you and your sister,’ and I’d be like, ‘Let’s not get pizza today, lets go to the supermarket, see what we can get for five bucks and make something.’ I made some nasty tasting ramen noodle experiments. But one day I was like, ‘I’m not eating like this anymore, I’m going to eat good tasting food’ and I just sort of learned cooking. Growing up, I became the kid that, showing up at any barbeque, and people were like, ‘Pass Mikey the tongs!’ I would be anywhere. I would be like, ‘Hey guys, I’m hanging out today,’ and it would automatically become, ‘Yo, Mikey’s cooking burgers.’ Everybody’s running to the grill.

I went to high school in Rhode Island, and then I ended up going to Johnson and Wales culinary course out there when I was in high school. I wanted to cook all the time. My mom would leave and my dad would be like, ‘I’m glad she’s gone, you’re cooking tonight.’ Then my aunt Lucy passed away. When she passed away my parents sent me to her apartment to clean. So I’m cleaning up the apartment and I saw four or five cookbooks up in the shelf. I’m short and I tried to reach for it and all the books fell and one of them opened up to an ice cream recipe and she actually was writing one herself. The school would make her write menus and stuff.

So then I came home, went to the supermarket, bought all the stuff and tried making the ice cream. I didn’t have an ice cream maker, I didn’t have nothing, I just did it in a freezer with a bowl and would stir it every half an hour. The texture came out disgusting, but the taste was kind of old school. It was like Julia Childs type stuff, but it needed to get some Mikey [influence]. So I sat there and started researching.

That recipe from my aunt is actually the base of ice cream that I use to make all these ice creams. The flavor is me giving it flavor on the top.

Next week: Mikey Cole on starting the business from home. "We’d be at my house for hours filling up the freezer with ice cream until my mom was like, ‘You gotta get that shit out of here.’

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

We won't have Michael 'Bao' Huynh to blog about anymore

Via Eater, we learn that Michael 'Bao' Huynh is leaving town...

Per Gael Greene:

Serial restaurant dabbler and assassinator Michael “Bao” Huynh has given up on trying to make money after countless diehard efforts and is leaving tonight for Vietnam, the land of opportunity. Bao III, Obao, Mickey’s Burger, Bia, BaoBQ, Bar Bao, Pho Sure. Nothing really worked for Hunyh, at least not for long...

He left behind quite a trail in the East Village. Such as!

• Baoguette Cafe closed for a few hours back in September and never reopened...

• BaoBQ on First Avenue, which closed in August

• The infamous Barbao-DOB 111 whirlwind on St. Mark's Place back in 2010-11...

Then there was always the promise of something new... like the "Old School Style Philly" cheesesteak place called Mikey's Cheese Steak that never materialized at 23 Third Ave. ... or, better, Bao & Buny, the burger, fried chicken and waffles concept for 125 St. Mark's Place with former Playboy bunny Nicole Van Croft ...

And he probably had more fun with all this than we did.

Tahini closed for good on Third Avenue

[June 2]

Back on June 1, the DOH temporarily shuttered Tahini on Third Avenue at St. Mark's Place. According to DOH records, the city issued 79 violation points, including for:

• Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
• Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service

The restaurant never reopened.... and this morning, we spotted workers cleaning out the space...



The supervisor confirmed that Tahini was closed for good.

As you may recall, back in January, Eater reported that Michael "Bao" Huynh was taking over the Tahini space ... and opening an "Old School Style Philly" cheesesteak place called — Mikey's Cheese Steak. However, the Tahini owners followed up later saying that they had no plans to close.

Perhaps the new Bao concept is back in play then.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

[An EVG favorite]

Funding campaign under way for the Living Theatre (BoweryBoogie)

The mean rent for Manhattan in April: $3,429 (Curbed)

One reason why the 5 train sucks (Gothamist)

Why you won't be getting any more of those Mikey's Burger menus shoved under your door (Eater)

Another High Line victim (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

German bakery opening on Orchard Street (The Lo-Down)

And from the EV Grieve inbox...

The Here Kitty Kitty Titty show is a neo-burlesque extravaganza featuring crazy cat ladies, sexy kittens and of course, titties. We know everyone has a little cat love inside of them and we want to celebrate that naughty feeling through burlesque!

Tonight
The Kraine Theater
85 e. 4th Street
Doors at 10 pm, Show at 10:30 pm sharp

Zee's Pet Shop is now closed

[Bobby Williams]

Zee's Pet Shop on Avenue B just off East 10th Street had been going out of business for, well, a seemingly really long time...

As of yesterday, the store is officially now closed. I had a post in March 2010 about the space being for lease.

Mikey's on Seventh Street and Furry Land are other recent casualties... I don't own a pet. So, where do people shop these days for pet supplies in the neighborhood?

Say goodBao to Tahini on Third Avenue and St. Mark's

[Image via Google Street Maps thing]

So Eater had the scoop yesterday that Michael "Bao" Huynh is taking over the Tahini joint here ... and opening an "Old School Style Philly" cheesesteak place called — Mikey's Cheese Steak. He'll serve a Korean version, Mexican version and Italian version of the sandwich. He already owns Baoguette down St. Mark's Place next to the incoming 7-Eleven.

No word yet if he'll remove the "falafel" and "shawarma" painted on the front of the building.

Gingersnap's Organic opening at former Mikey's Pet Shop on Seventh Street

Back in July, Dave on 7th told us that the former Mikey's Pet Shop on Seventh Street near Avenue A...



... would become an "organic, healthy food market."

Well, Dave on 7th sends along a shot of the sign that just went up on the front door...

Gingersnap's Organic featuring "handcrafted conscious cuisine."

And they have a website, though there's isn't much info yet.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Mikey's Pet Shop closing at the end of the month

Mikey's Pet Shop space becoming an 'organic, healthy food market'

That's what workers renovating the space on Seventh Street near Avenue A told our Dave on 7th.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Mikey's Pet Shop closing at the end of the month

Mikey's Pet Shop mural neutered

Given the closure of Mikey's Pet Shop on Seventh Street near Avenue A last fall... it was inevitable that the Chico mural would one day vanish....

Before:


... which happened yesterday....



It's the second Chico mural to be painted over this week....