The 3rd Avenue outpost of the Bean has closed

Photos by Stacie Joy 

H/T William Klayer 

Several EVG readers were surprised to find the Third Avenue outpost of the Bean closed for good this past Friday morning. 

Closure notices directed patrons to visit the Bean locations on Second Avenue and Third Street, or on Broadway and Ninth Street. 

There was also an equipment auction here on Saturday...

This branch at 31 Third Ave. at Stuyvesant Street opened in September 2017... taking over the space from St. Mark's Bookshop, which moved out in 2014 after struggling to stay in business here. 

At one point, the coffee shop/cafe had five NYC locations.

Openings: Cafe Skye on 14th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Cafe Skye just opened a second outpost ... this time in the East Village. 

The neighborhood bar-café is now up and running at 520 E. 14th St., between Avenue A and Avenue B. The original Cafe Skye debuted in 2021 on Clinton Street on the Lower East Side.

Pictured above is owner Cameron Bean, who opened the concept with his wife, Caitlin. 

Cafe Skye offers wines, beer, cocktails and bar food (menu), with a mix of public hours and private events. 

Here's a look at the 14th Street space (formerly Dua Kafe)...

... and bartender Lexi Walicke

Public hours are Wednesday through Friday from 4-7 p.m., with additional hours reserved for private bookings.

Week in Grieview

Posts that past week included (with some buds on Ninth Street at Stuyvesant)
Never miss an EVG post with the weekly EVG newsletter. Free right here. 

• What it's like living among 2 fraternities in 1 East Village building (March 18) 

• Dana Beal, longtime marijuana activist, serving months-long prison sentence in Idaho (March 16) 

• The empty lot on 2nd Avenue between 2nd and 3rd streets is for sale (March 19) 

• Report: Tenants displaced by deadly 2015 2nd Avenue blast sue over unpaid stipends (March 18) 

• The Patricia Field ARTFashion Gallery has quietly closed on the Lower East Side (March 16) 

• ICYMI: 7 Bleecker St., longtime home of Robert Frank and June Leaf, is on the market (March 21) 

• Works by Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh on view at Ki Smith Gallery on the LES (March 19) 

• Former Sixth Street Specials building wrapped for gut renovation (March 16) 

• Opening day scenes at Metro Acres Market on 1st Avenue and 5th Street (March 16) 

• Victory Tattoo NYC leaves storefront in former Hells Angels clubhouse on 3rd Street (March 17) 

• Pre-St. Patrick's Day scenes at Mary's O's on Avenue A (March 15) 

• Signage alert: Tang Sushi on 2nd Avenue (March 18) … The Hungry Bean on 1st Avenue (March 17) 

• Reader report: Pinnacle Cleaners closing on 11th Street (March 18) 

• Milling the night away on Avenue A (March 17) 

• A Tonight to remember: Julia Cumming's solo debut on Fallon (March 21) 

This past week, longtime East Village resident Felton Davis presented the new Metro Acres Market with a large print of the mural, created by the Royal Kingbee UW, a Bronx-born graffiti artist, that once graced the space... the mural had been nicked up through the years to the point where it couldn't be restored...

A Tonight to remember: Julia Cumming’s solo debut on Fallon

 

On Thursday, local singer-songwriter Julia Cumming performed "My Life," a song from her forthcoming solo record, on "The Tonight Show." 

She has been fronting the power-pop trio Sunflower Bean in recent years... this will be her first solo project. 

As we've noted, Julia was born and raised in a building on 14th Street and Avenue B. Her parents, Alec Cumming and Cynthia Harden, were in the band Bite The Wax Godhead. 

Julia shared on Instagram that "this was truly one of the best days of my life! It's been a huge dream of mine to play late night…and to get to do @fallontonight as my national TV debut AND my first ever solo performance was unbelievable." 

"Julia" is out on April 24 on Partisan Records.

Signage alert: The Hungry Bean on 1st Avenue

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Signage arrived on Friday for The Hungry Bean at 45 First Ave., just south of Third Street. 

As the signage indicates, the business will sell deli items and juice. 

The logo features a coffee bean wearing a bib, holding a large burger and an iced coffee, surrounded by various sandwiches and a bounty of fruits and vegetables. 

The previous store here, which underwent several name changes including Organic & Convenience, closed earlier last year... and looked ransacked by the fall.

All or 'Nothing'

Sunflower Bean is back with the trio's fourth full-length release, Mortal Primetime. 

The video here is for the single "Nothing Romantic." 

The band is now touring in support of the new record. (Last night was the official release show out at Warsaw.) 

P.S.

As we've mentioned, bassist-vocalist Julia Cumming was born and raised in the neighborhood.

Star's Revenge (and friends)

Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy 

From left on 2nd Street: Olive Faber and Emily Green 

This past Thursday night, Star's Revenge — Olive Faber and Emily Green — held a record release party at Berlin on Avenue A for the duo's latest single, "Me and My Friends." Joining them on the bill were Talli Sow and EVG faves Genre Is Death. 

"The Berlin show was the best Star's show yet — bringing a bunch of friends under one roof is what it's all about," Faber, who has played drums for Sunflower Bean, told us. "Our next show is April 16 at Mercury Lounge, and we're planning something really special for summer."

You can check out the band's music — spare, off-kilter indie pop that sticks with you — on all the usual streaming platforms. You can follow them on Instagram here.

Star's Revenge with friends...

Bluestone Lane has closed on Astor Place

The Bluestone Lane outpost in the Death Star at 51 Astor Place has closed. 

An EVG reader shared these photos, with one showing an empty storefront.

There isn't any closing notice for patrons on the door of the Australian-inspired coffee shop. However, a Bluestone Lane rep confirmed the closing with EVG.

This Bluestone outpost (the eighth in NYC at the time) opened in April 2016.

We thought they might have seen an uptick in business after Starbucks closed on Astor Place last summer.

Still, many coffee choices are nearby, including two branches of the Bean, Astor Plate, the Madman Espresso airstream trailer outside the Uptown 6 stop, Hidden Grounds around the corner on Third Avenue, Think Coffee on Fourth Avenue, and Irving Farm New York on 10th Street. To name a few in the immediate area.

'Number' cruncher

 

Local trio Sunflower Bean is back with a new catchy EP titled Shake.

The video here is for "Lucky Number." 

You can catch the band live at the United Sounds NYC Festival on Oct. 25 in Red Hook. (The bill includes The Dismemberment Plan and Model/Actriz.)

Openings: YGF Malatang on 3rd Avenue; Conor's Goat on Avenue A

YGF Malatang has debuted at 92 Third Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street.

Per the brand's Instagram account: "The restaurant specializes in malatang, a type of hotpot very popular in the streets of China, often confused with ramen. But make no mistake, malatang is a totally different concept."

The chain is said to have more than 6,000 outposts in China, Japan and Korea ... this is the first in NYC.

Signage out front explains how it works... and what you'll pay, roughly...

Hours: Daily from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Meanwhile...

Conor's Goat is now open at 23 Avenue A between Houston and Second Street. (First mentioned here.)

The Irish pub from Mike Droney, whose credits include the now-closed Gleason's Tavern on West 41st Street, serves various bar food, including a Cubano sandwich, tomato soup with grilled cheese, and French dip beef sliders. 

The hours are below...      

The last tenant in this space, Brooklyn Bean Roastery Cafe, closed in July 2021 after 15 months in business. And previously, we had Yerba Buena, which shut down at the end of 2017.

Conor's Goat image via Instagram

Patis Bakery bringing the bread to Broadway

ICYMI: Patis Bakery is opening a café on the SE corner of 12th Street and Broadway (the Bean was here a few years ago before moving down Broadway to a larger space).

The bakery-café chainlet sells pastries, sandwiches, soups, salads, etc., at 15-plus locations in and around the NYC metropolitan area... this outpost might make for a decent post-Strand-splurge spot. (The bookstore is right across the street.)

Blank Street is down to 1 East Village location

Photo by Steven

The Blank Street outpost on Third Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street closed earlier this month.

After an expansion tear, the V.C.-funded coffee chain launched in 2020 has closed two of three East Village locations (not including the kiosk in the Bowery Market). The space on First Avenue at 13th Street closed to the public in May and is now a "training + innovation lab."

The Blank Coffee on Avenue A between Ninth Street and 10th Street remains in service.

As previously noted, not everyone is a fan of the company. Per the Times last year: "When word got out that Blank Street is not an independent chain like Variety or Bean & Bean, but an enterprise with global ambitions backed by private equity financing, many became curious — and sometimes suspicious."

Across the Atlantic, Blank Street opened in London last year and is debuting its first shop in Manchester next month.

The Earth School's Fall Fair is TODAY

Photo by Steven

The Earth School (PS 364) is hosting its annual fall fair today (Saturday!) from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is a makeup date for the Oct. 20 rainout.

You can find all the activities in the schoolyard on Fourth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. 

As a reminder, per the EVG inbox... 

Open to all families! Come join our community and enjoy: 

• A bouncy house
• Music with a live D.J.
• Arts & crafts, including slime making, beading, costume making, trick-or-treat bags, cupcake and pumpkin decorating 
• Affordable food, homemade and from local restaurants
• Games — mini-golf, bean bag toss, basketball and more 
• Rummage sale (child & adult clothing) 
• And more family fun! 

Admission is free; tickets are $1 each and most activities and food cost 2-3 tickets. All proceeds from the Fall Fair are used to fund enrichment classes, supplies, and more for the students of the Earth School. 

Thank you to the following for the generous donations: Bibi's, Gemma, Iggy's Pizza, Peter Pan Doughnuts, Veniero's, Trader Joe’s, Key Food, Guitar Center...  

About the Earth School's Fall Fair on Nov. 4

Updated 10/20 to reflect the rain date — Nov. 4!

The Earth School (PS 364) is hosting its annual fall fair on Nov. 4 from 12:30-4:30 p.m. 

You can find all the activities in the schoolyard on Fourth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. 

Per the EVG inbox... 

Open to all families! Come join our community and enjoy: 

• A bouncy house
• Music with a live D.J.
• Arts & crafts, including slime making, beading... 
• Affordable food, homemade and from local restaurants
• Games — mini-golf, bean bag toss, basketball and more 
• Rummage sale (child & adult clothing) 
• And more family fun! 

Admission is free; tickets are $1 each and most activities and food cost 2-3 tickets. All proceeds from the Fall Fair are used to fund enrichment classes, supplies, and more for the students of the Earth School. 

Thank you to the following for the generous donations: Bibi's, Gemma, Iggy's Pizza, Peter Pan Doughnuts, Veniero's, Trader Joe’s, Key Food, Guitar Center...  

Signage alert: Conor's Goat on Avenue A

Photo by Stacie Joy

Signage went up late last week at 23 Avenue A for Conor's Goat.

The last applicant for this space just south of Second Street was Mike Droney, whose credits include the now-closed Gleason's Tavern on West 41st Street.

CB3 approved a liquor license here in October 2022 for the then-unnamed establishment. According to the questionnaire (PDF here), the bar-restaurant will feature 18 tables spread out over the main floor and cellar... with a 10-seat bar. 

The sample menu with the application is from Gleason's, so Conor's Goat will presumably serve a like-minded variety of burgers, sandwiches, salads, etc. 

Per the CB3 minutes (PDF here), the approved hours were opening by 11 a.m. all days and closing by midnight Sunday to Wednesday and 1 a.m. Thursday to Saturday,

Conor's Goat has an Instagram account (set to private now) right here.

The last tenant in this space, Brooklyn Bean Roastery Cafe, closed in July 2021 after 15 months in business. And previously, we had Yerba Buena, which closed at the end of 2017.

Stuyvesant Street storefronts return to view

Photo by Steven 

On Tuesday, workers removed the sidewalk bridge and remaining construction netting along 29 Third Ave. (home of the Bean) and the empty storefronts at 8-14 Stuyvesant St.

Asbestos abatement notices arrived back in April at the storefronts. Work permits at the DOB showed permits for "retail store white box interior renovation."

We're curious if for-lease signs are next.

As previously reported, Village Yokocho, Angel's Share and Panya closed in these spaces in April 2022. Another restaurant, Sharaku, in the corner space at 14 Stuyvesant St., shuttered earlier in the pandemic. (Sunrise Mart in a separate building next door on the second floor also shut down.)

Cooper Union, which leased the buildings from their owners and had subleased them to the Yoshida Restaurant Group for more than 25 years, said it was the tenants' decision to move on. (This post has more background. Yoshida had not paid rent since 2020.)

There haven't been any public statements on what the landlord, believed to be 29 Third Ave Corporation c/o Casabella Holdings, LLC, has in store for the spaces. A Cooper Union rep told us previously that no new building was planned on this site. Based on the reveal this week, it looks as if the storefronts were just receiving an interior-exterior renovation.

By the way, Angel's Share reopened in the West Village in June. 

Baker Falls shapes up

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

If you walked by 101 Avenue A this week, then you may have seen local artist Antony Zito at work outside the recently opened Baker Falls ... adding hand-painted lettering on the façade and front windows...

The venue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street had its soft opening on July 13. When fully operational, the two-level space will feature an all-day cafe, bar, room for community events, and a stage for live music under the Knitting Factory at Baker Falls moniker.

Zito also added the old-school KF logo at the entryway to the ground-floor music space... 

As we've noted (see links below), East Village resident Nick Bodor, who has owned and operated several local businesses in the past 25-plus years, including the Library and alt.coffee, is behind Baker Falls.

Meanwhile, live music via the Knitting Factory at Baker Falls started on July 20 in the main room with Sunflower Bean.

We bought tickets for our first show here last Friday night for a concert featuring headliners cumgirl8, who were back in NYC after an extensive tour in recent months, including several nights opening for Le Tigre.

We hadn't seen cumgirl8 — Veronica Vilim (guitar), Lida Fox (bass), Chase Noelle (drums) and Avishag Rodrigues (guitar) — since late 2021 at the now-closed Knitting Factory in Brooklyn.

The hypnotic neon punk band continues to impress ... playing an exuberant set featuring songs from their forthcoming (Aug. 18!) 4AD EP titled phantasea pharm...

From our vantage in the back of the looked-full performance space, cumgirl8 received an enthusiastic Friday night welcome, complete with a mini mosh-pit.

While the venue is still working out the kinks in these opening weeks, we'll certainly be going back. You can check out the Baker Falls website for upcoming events.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Baker Falls set to debut this week on Avenue A (July 10)

• Generation next: Baker Falls will bring together a cafe, bar and the Knitting Factory at the former Pyramid Club on Avenue A (Nov. 28, 2022)

• The next iteration of the Knitting Factory coming to the East Village (Aug. 24, 2022) 

Details about some upcoming shows via the Knitting Factory at Baker Falls on Avenue A

Baker Falls had its soft opening last week at 101 Avenue A ... first with a release party for Jesse Rifkin's book "This Must Be the Place: Music, Community and Vanished Spaces in New York City" as well as Lach and Friends Anti-Folk/Anti-Hoot, a nod to the now-closed Sidewalk Bar and Restaurant. 

Starting tonight, the performance space — Knitting Factory New York at Baker Falls — will ramp up with the first of many concerts to come... Sunflower Bean (below) headlines a bill with GIFT and Slow Fiction. 

Steve Gunn (and friends!) performs on Friday...  and there's an all-ages matinee on Sunday featuring a handful of bands, including EVG favorite Jade Tourniquet (photo below by Stacie Joy)...

Other upcoming shows include cumgirl8 on July 28...

There are several bands — local, national and international — a week on the calendar now. Check it out here.

These select shows at Knitting Factory New York at Baker Falls are curated by Knitting Factory Talent Buyer Carson Ehlert with support from Senior Talent Buyer James Irvine. The duo is reprising their roles from Knitting Factory Brooklyn in Williamsburg, which closed last August.

As previously reported, East Village resident Nick Bodor, whose past and current establishments have included the Library bar, alt.coffee and the Cake Shop music venue, serves as the managing partner and creative director of Baker Falls.

In the weeks ahead, you can expect a coffee shop, all-day cafe, bar and community events at the two-level space between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Generation next: Baker Falls will bring together a cafe, bar and the Knitting Factory at the former Pyramid Club on Avenue A (Nov. 28, 2022)

• The next iteration of the Knitting Factory coming to the East Village (Aug. 24, 2022) 

• Baker Falls set to debut this week on Avenue A (July 10)  

Sunflower Bean and cumgirl8 photos courtesy of Knitting Factory at Baker Falls

Baker Falls set to debut this week on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

A new era in East Village day- and nightlife gets underway this week with the soft opening of Baker Falls at 101 Avenue A.

As previously reported, the venue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street will feature an all-day cafe with coffee service and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as a bar and performance space with live music, DJs and readings. 

This performance space is also home to what will be called Knitting Factory New York at Baker Falls. (The Knitting Factory Brooklyn in Williamsburg closed last August.) The first gig under the Knitting Factory brand is July 20, featuring Sunflower Bean with GIFT and Slow Fiction. 

East Village resident Nick Bodor, who has owned and operated several local businesses in the past 25-plus years, including the Library and alt.coffee, is behind Baker Falls, scheduled to debut with a soft opening on Thursday evening. (Details on the first few gigs are below.)

Leading up to the opening, Bodor provided EVG's Stacie Joy with a work-in-progress sneak preview of the former Pyramid Club, which closed last October after a decades-long run. 

On the main floor, beyond the original bar, you'll find the stage area — now painted black and with upgraded audio-visual production and soundproofing — for the live music, DJ sets, and readings. The lower level will feature seating for coffee and drinks in a setting that Bodor has called a "fever-dream" or manor house in terms of décor with vintage lamps and other odds-n-ends. 

Helping him realize this vision downstairs is Deb Parker (seen below with Bodor), a thrift aficionado who is/was behind EV spaces like Beauty Bar, Barmacy and No-Tell Motel...

The inaugural event here Thursday evening, which Bodor said is inspired by the very first flyer for the Pyramid Club stating: "DOWNTOWN FOR DOWNTOWN," is a release party for Jesse Rifkin's book "This Must Be the Place: Music, Community and Vanished Spaces in New York City."

The evening features special guest DJ Dany Johnson of Club 57, Pyramid, Mudd Club and Wah Wah Hut fame. Cover is $5. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The rest of the soft opening weekend includes what Bodor describes as "Nick's fuzzed out, drone-y, noodle-y, psych-rock guitar freak-out... just setting up a bunch of guitar amps and starting a reverb-ed out guitar strum and then have other invited guitar players come in and out as they see fit to play leads and make shit up in real-time as the night goes on... could be 20 minutes or could be 8 hours...who knows, we are just jamming out on a Spacemen 3 vibe."

Saturday features Lach and Friends Anti-Folk/Anti-Hoot, a nod to the now-closed Sidewalk Bar and Restaurant across the street... and Sunday will see stand-up comedy featuring Erik Bergstrom and friends.

You can find the Baker Falls calendar with info on these and more shows here.

Opening hours for coffee service is 10 a.m. Visit the Baker Falls website for more details on programming. And if you're on Instagram.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Generation next: Baker Falls will bring together a cafe, bar and the Knitting Factory at the former Pyramid Club on Avenue A (Nov. 28, 2022)

• The next iteration of the Knitting Factory coming to the East Village (Aug. 24, 2022) 

This East Village outpost of Blank Street coffee will be a barista training lab

Photos by Steven 

The Blank Street outpost on the NE corner of First Avenue at 13th Street is now closed to the public. (Thanks to the EVG commenter who pointed this out yesterday.)

According to the door signage, this space will become a "training + innovation lab" for the fast-growing brand. 

And the small print: "Over the coming months we will also open the door to anyone who wants to come try some of the fun things we are working on. See you soon!"

Blank Streeters can still hit up the other two EV locations on Avenue A and Third Avenue. 

The First Avenue Blank Street opened last summer. 

As previously noted, not everyone is a fan of the company. Per the Times last year: "When word got out that Blank Street is not an independent chain like Variety or Bean & Bean, but an enterprise with global ambitions backed by private equity financing, many became curious — and sometimes suspicious."