A belated farewell to a familiar fixture of St. Mark’s Place

For years, the southwest corner at Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place buzzed with several sidewalk vendors selling everything from cheap sunglasses and floppy hats to wigs, umbrellas, and novelty holiday fare — items that were more functional than fashionable but always there when you might need them. 

The vendors disappeared earlier this year. (Photo below by Steven from 2020.)

We haven't seen the vendors since late February or early March here in the spaces outside the current tenant, Poetica Coffee.

A reliable source informs us that the newish landlord plans to demolish the structure that housed these vendors. 

In a sale announced last July, Ryco Capital purchased the three buildings at 127-129 Second Ave. and 36 St. Mark's Place from Jonis Realty (which is run by Citi Urban Management, also owned by the Helegua family) for $29 million. 

For decades, until 2020, the corner housed Gem Spa, the candy shop-newsstand. The wall was lined with payphones in the 1970s and 1980s... (and well-known for New York Dolls photo shoots)...

 

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We attempted to establish a more precise timeline of how the corner space evolved but only came up with fragments. 

Ray Patel bought Gem Spa in 1986, and he eventually removed a wall, replaced it with glass, and began selling goods such as T-shirts and hats outside. The adjacent kiosk was said to have arrived about the same time. (Photo below from 2019 by Stacie Joy.)

Buying something here was a bit of a rite of passage — mostly touristy, the kind of stop longtime residents might scoff at or avoid altogether. But in a sudden downpour or after a few drinks, it was often where you found yourself. And you knew that you could get the $20 asking price in half by starting to walk away. 

You can still find sidewalk hats and scarves from the kiosks that remain on the southeast corner of St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue (as well as outside Funky Town mid-block). 

Still, for those who remember the cluttered charm of that southwest corner, its absence leaves the block feeling just a little less alive — and familiar. 

9th Precinct now issuing tickets to anyone parking in Neighborhood Loading Zones

Here's a warning for anyone who continues to park long-term in Neighborhood Loading Zones. 

The NYPD is now writing tickets for anyone who uses the Department of Transportation's recently added Neighborhood Loading Zones around the East Village for anything other than quick pick-ups and drop-offs.

From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, these spaces are reserved for activities such as: 

• Package deliveries by commercial vehicles 

• Taxi and car service pick-up and drop-off

• Active loading and unloading of personal vehicles 

However, given the number of people parking long-term in these spots during the week, the 9th Precinct and the Manhattan Traffic Enforcement Unit recently started enforcing violations to noncommercial plate vehicles in these spaces. 

"We'd rather educate and inform people than write summonses," Officer Eugene Adeleye at the 9th Precinct told EVG correspondent Stacie Joy. "We've been getting complaints from residents and we will be actively writing summons to violators." 

Previously, the NYPD would issue tickets in these spots, but it was mainly at the discretion of the officer/traffic agents. 

As for commercial vehicles that continue to double-park on the street and block a bike lane, Adeleye said: "The trucks loading and unloading are not supposed to interfere with bike lanes, and if they do that is a violation, and they may get tickets themselves." 

Adeleye also said that he was sympathetic to residents upset at the loss of parking spots in recent years, from outdoor dining structures to Citi Bike docking stations.

"We are only doing this based on complaints we've received with no intention of giving anyone a hard time — that's why we are trying to educate people as much as we can," he said. "I feel like if people are aware, then they might be able to avoid getting an unnecessary summons."

Drawing lines ahead of the new Avenue C bike lanes

From this past week... workers from the Department of Transportation started marking Avenue C for the new bike lanes. 

Dave on 7th shared the top photo from between Ninth Street and 10th Street. He notes that on this stretch, there are also new "No Standing" signs installed. 

The new bike lanes will eliminate some free, non-metered street parking, which was the focus of a story this morning on NY1. Local Uber driver Myen Uddin told the station that he is concerned about being able to find a place to park.

"I already earn so less," Uddin said. "How can I afford a garage? $400 a month. No one can afford that!"

And...

... with outdoor dining structures and Citi Bike stations already replacing what used to be non-metered parking spaces near Avenue C and East 9th Streets, concerned residents like Uddin believe if the free parking spaces go away, he'll soon have to move outside the city.

"It's too much challenge for me for me right now," said Uddin. "I gotta leave the city. Go somewhere else."

NY1 also spoke with a local resident, Thomas Grenier, who welcomed the changes.

"The city is historically centered and organized around cars, so anything that will make the city more friendly to renewable energy and bicyclists is a good thing," Grenier said.

Meanwhile, other markings along the avenue show the buffer zones that will protect cyclists from cars and trucks.

As previously reported, DOT flyers along Avenue C provide details of the coming changes...

Improvements along C include: 

• Curbside bike lanes between Houston and Fourth Street 

• Parking-protected, bollard-protected and curbside bike lanes between Fourth Street and 18th Street 

• Updated parking regulations to provide truck loading zones 

• Neighborhood loading zones on select side streets 

• Painted pedestrian islands between 11th Street and 15th Street 

• New left-turn bays at 10th Street and 14th Street 

You can find many more details in the presentation that DOT officials made to CB3 back in April. (PDF here)

As reported last fall, the DOT is adding the protected north/south bike lanes on Avenue C and East Houston Street to help offset the upcoming closure of the East River Park greenway.

A new home for this Citi Bike docking station

An EVG reader told us that the Citi Bike docking station on the east side of First Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street has been moved (as of yesterday) ... from the sidewalk to the roadway. 

The station with 51 docks arrived here in December 2019. At the time, some residents complained that the docking station took up too much sidewalk space. 

Now, as the reader noted, the docking station takes the place of several parking spaces ... including a spot for the fruit vendor's van, which was spotted around the corner...

H Mart is open! H Mart is open!

[Photo from 8 a.m.]

The H Mart on Third Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street opened its doors today around noon (H/T Steven!)...

And there's an unconfirmed report that @sukebornloose was first in line...


[Photo by Steven]

This location of the Asian-American grocery will also carry BBQ chicken...



And the hours of operation...



More, much more, later... and previously.

Updated 1:15 p.m.

A few interior shots via Steven...











We first spotted the branding for the Asian-American supermarket here last August. This is the third H Mart in Manhattan (the others are on West 32nd Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side). Overall, H Mart, based in Lyndhurst, N.J., has more than 70 outposts in the United States and Canada.

Workers combined four retail spaces on this block in the base of NYU's Alumni Hall to fit this H Mart — the former Birdbath and Citi Habitats office (both of those businesses left in the summer of 2014 ... as well as a Subway (sandwich shop) and Saint's Alp Teahouse.

H Mart will open very, very soon on 3rd Avenue

[Photo Saturday by Steven]

The H Mart is looking very close to opening here in the retail space of NYU's Alumni Hall on Third Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

How close?

An H Mart manager told EVG correspondent Steven that they could open as soon as today, though more likely a little later this week. Updated: It's now June 3.





We first spotted the branding for the Asian-American supermarket here last August. This will be the third H Mart in Manhattan (the others are on West 32nd Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side). Overall, H Mart, based in Lyndhurst, N.J., has more than 70 outposts in the United States and Canada.

Workers combined four retail spaces on this block to fit this H Mart — the former Birdbath and Citi Habitats office (both of those businesses left in the summer of 2014 ... as well as a Subway (sandwich shop) and Saint's Alp Teahouse.

L-train non-shutdown fallout: Bike lane battle shaping up along 12th and 13th streets

[Photo on 13th Street near 4th Avenue from early January]

The newish unprotected bike lanes on 12th Street and 13th Street have become a battleground following Gov. Cuomo's sudden cancellation of the L-train shutdown.

The lanes arrived back in late October and early November, part of the city's plans to help move people when the L-train was to shut down in April 2019 for 15 months for Sandy-related repairs between Eighth Avenue and Bedford Avenue.

Now, though, the 14th Street Coalition is asking the city to remove the bike lanes and the newly painted dedicated bus lanes on 14th Street. (The Coalition also sued to stop the bike lanes and busways in October.)

Streetsblog was first to report this past Thursday that someone spread broken glass along parts of the bike lanes on 12th Street and 13th Street on the west side. Per Streetsblog: "[C]yclist Jonathan Warner noticed that the lanes on 12th and 13th streets were covered in patches of broken glass, which he believed was an intentional attack on cyclists."

Gothamist has a good recap at this link. Read Streetsblog's follow-up report here.

At the same time, Transportation Alternatives launched a petition drive to retain the bike lanes (as well as the 14th Street bus lanes). Per the petition:

With M14 buses traveling at barely above walking speed, 14th street sidewalks fill to the brim with pedestrians, 12th and 13th street bike lanes adding a safe way for people to bike crosstown and upcoming infill expansion of Citi Bike, these improvements were needed before the announcement of the shutdown, are going to be needed during the partial shutdown, and will be needed after the repairs are finalized.

These improvements will help provide faster, safer and more efficient modes of transportation for New Yorkers to travel crosstown and alleviate congestion in our streets.

There were also signs up along the bike lanes... an EVG reader shared this photo from Thursday night on 12th Street between Fifth Avenue and University Place...



Per the EVG reader: "Funny thing is, the NYPD does a shit job of policing the lane so there were, as usual, many cars parked right in the green stripe on several other blocks, rendering the bike lane unusable. But that’s normal, whereas broken glass and nasty NIMBY notes are a little more novel."

The arrival of the broken glass and signs drew a strong response from city officials...

This is unacceptable. In my district. Shame on whoever did this. All New Yorkers are entitled to safe streets and shared spaces, on two wheels or on foot. https://t.co/xTAl9c6Sry

— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) January 11, 2019

A statement from DOT Commissioner Trottenberg and @NYPDTransport Chief Chan. pic.twitter.com/XobA6Xr8jV

— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) January 11, 2019

In a statement to Streetsblog, the 14th Street Coalition said they "had no involvement in, nor condoned, the defacing of bike lanes."

Meanwhile, also on Thursday, someone painted "Bring back our parking" on 13th Street just east of Avenue A...

Today would be a good day to appoint a Bike Mayor. https://t.co/6pMW9KxgNw pic.twitter.com/wIPdttHY7U

— Transportation Alternatives (@TransAlt) January 11, 2019

The DOT painted over the message on Friday morning, as these photos via Steven show...





Last Tuesday, Andy Byford, CEO of the New York City Transit Authority, told attendees of CB3's Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment Committee meeting that the fate of the bike lanes is up to the Department of Transportation while the future of the 14th Street Select Bus Service will be a joint decision.

In other post-L-train-shutdown developments... residents are asking what impact Cuomo's new plan might have on the construction on 14th Street between Avenue B and First Avenue.

One longtime 14th Street resident, who has spoken out on the numerous quality-of-life issues the construction has created in the past year, told me this:

"We're not sure if this will affect us at all much. We do hope, however, that the pols will call for an immediate stop to the night time and weekend work. There is no need to subject our neighborhood to these hours now.

Also, the MTA needs to be pressured to finish [the new entrances on] Avenue A. There is no reason it can't be finished now. They were just stalling the use it as the entry/exit for their infrastructure. An exit doesn't take three years to build."

Town & Village has more on this story here.

T&V also noted that workers removed some of the L-train renderings from 14th Street after Cuomo's announcement. A few remain for good measure, though...



The MTA is now holding an emergency public meeting tomorrow to discuss the L-train's reconstruction future.

Prepping for the new protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets

[Click to go big]

Back on Sept. 20, we noted that — presumably — DOT officials distributed the above flyers to residents who live on 12th Street and 13th Street... providing information about protected bike lanes that are in development on 12th Street and 13th Street (as well as Horatio Street and Greenwich Avenue) ahead of the April 2019 L-train shutdown.

As reported in June, the DOT decided against its original idea for a single, two-way bike lane on 13th Street in favor of two separate, one-way lanes for 12th and 13th streets.

The city is putting in a bike lane on the north curb of 12th Street from Seventh Avenue to Avenue C, and the south curb of 13th Street from Greenwich Avenue to Avenue B separated from traffic with a painted buffer and flexible delineators.

Multiple EVG readers have pointed out that this work has started in recent days/weeks (painted buffer and flexible delineators still to come).

Here's a look at 13th Street, starting at Avenue B... where the "No Stopping Anytime" signs are now posted on the south side of the street ...



... at Avenue A...



...a view to the east from First Avenue...



...at First Avenue...



...a view to the east from Third Avenue...



... looking to the west between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...



The work is just underway on 12th Street, where the "No Stopping Anytime" signs arrived ... here are two photos (thanks Brian K!) ... at 12th between Avenue A and Avenue B...



... and between Avenue A and First Avenue...



This link takes you to the DOT's overview for these bike lanes.





During the L-train outage, DOT officials expect these bike lanes to handle a surge in people bicycling. Cycling advocates have applauded this development, citing the lack of protected bike lanes going crosstown.

While the bike-lane work is moving forward, another lawsuit is aiming to put an end to this plan, as well as other L-train related planning. As Gothamist reported on Oct. 2:

On [Oct. 1], West Village resident and attorney Arthur Schwartz filed his second lawsuit against the MTA and the DOT, calling for yet another environmental assessment, as well as last minute changes to the agencies' sweeping mitigation plan. Specifically, Schwartz and his allies are opposed to the creation of a dedicated busway on 14th Street and an adjacent sidewalk expansion for pedestrians, along with the addition of protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th Street.

"The goal is to eliminate those bike lanes as designed, to make them not protected bike lanes or not do them at all," Schwartz told Gothamist, adding that his preference would be for the lanes to be restored to parking spaces. "I just don't think there's any genuinely demonstrated demand for people who used to take the L train who are all of a sudden going to hop on a Citi Bike."

H Mart coming to 3rd Avenue in base of NYU's Alumni Hall

H Mart, an Asian-American supermarket chain based in Lyndhurst, N.J., is opening an outpost on Third Avenue at Ninth Street in the long-vacant retail space of NYU's Alumni Hall. (H/T Upper West Sider!)

Signage arrived this week in the front window of the former Birdbath space and Citi Habitats office next door. (Both of these businesses left in the summer of 2014, and have sat empty ever since.)

Based on the work permits filed with the DOB, the market will encompass at least 3,800 square feet.

Not sure how much space that means along these empty storefronts...



Most of these spaces have been vacant now three to four years.

When M2M closed on Third Avenue and 11th Street in February 2017, the owners of the Asian market posted signs that they'd be opening a new outpost in the former Birdbath space. (Those plans obviously never materialized.)

As for H Mart, this will be the third location in Manhattan (the others are on West 32nd Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side). Overall H Mart has more than 70 outposts in the United States and Canada.

I'm familiar with the store, though I've never been inside one... if anyone wants to chime in about H Mart in the comments.

Updated 9 a.m.

West Side Rag has photos and insights (link here) from the H Mart grand opening on Broadway back in February.

Avenue A bank-branch free for the moment with Santander's closure

This Santander outpost closed on Friday here on Avenue A at Fourth Street. Workers had removed the signage by the end of the business day.

A letter to Santander customers in January explained that the bank was consolidating this branch with the one at 841 Broadway.

This departure makes Avenue A bank-branch-less for now. The Chase closed at Second Street in November 2015 ... while the Citi shut down between Third Street and Fourth Street in January 2017. Both of those spaces remain on the rental market.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Santander branch closing in April on Avenue A

M2M has closed for now on 3rd Avenue; new storefront coming 2 blocks away

As we reported, M2M was closing on Third Avenue at 11th Street at the end of the business day yesterday.

This morning, the owners of the Asian market put up signage with an announcement about their new East Village location ...



As you can see, M2M will eventually be moving two blocks to the south ... to the long-empty spaces in the retail strip of NYU's Alumni Hall...



The corner space was home to Birdbath Bakery until the summer of 2014. Next door, Citi Habitats moved out in June 2014. No word how many of these storefronts M2M will take. There are two other empty slots that the Subway sandwich shop and Saint's Alp Teahouse previously rented.

As for the former M2M space, Wagamama, the London-based chain of Japanese restaurants, is coming here soon. Before M2M opened in 2002, the storefront housed an OMG jeans outlet.

For now you can get your M2M fix at their Waverly Place store.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Spin cycle: Flywheel Sports opening next month in 51 Astor Place

[EVG photo from the other day]

Yesterday, we noted where we thought the incoming Flywheel Sports was going to live behind the plywood at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star.

And just like that, signage arrived yesterday noting an opening next month...



This indoor cycling location will feature a stadium-seating studio with more than 70 bikes.

There hasn't been any research just yet to see how Flywheel compares to the Citi Bikes stationary workout.



Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place (22 comments)

You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

3 new retail tenants for 51 Astor Place: Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports

Chopping soon signage up at the Death Star

Here's the Bluestone Lane Coffee signage at 51 Astor Place