Saturday's opening shot

The Bowery Mural Wall this morning... with a new "Hooligan" tag... and with remnants left behind from a car fire at the intersection yesterday...

New storefront and interior reveal at the fire-damaged Essex Card Shop on Avenue A

Photos yesterday by Stacie Joy 

Workers have taken down the construction plywood from outside Essex Card Shop at 47 Avenue A ... revealing a new front door and windows...

EVG contributor Stacie Joy got an interior update as well... as the renovations are shaping up here at the shop destroyed by a fire in early January...

Supporters of the business have helped it raise more than $90,000 in a GoFundMe campaign. 

You can check out our previous posts on Essex Card Shop, located in the retail space of the Ageloff Towers between Third Street and Fourth Street, for more background on what has transpired to date.  

Italian favorite Via Della Pace opens in new East Village home on 4th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A new era begins for Giovanni Bartocci (above and below, left) and Marco Ventura at Via Della Pace. (The two also recently opened the small grocery Via Della Scrofa at 60 E. Fourth St.)

Last night, the restaurant had a soft opening in its new home at 87 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery... after months of delays while waiting for approvals on various permits and licenses. 

As Bartocci told us at the start of the year: "We are close — very, very close to opening. Close to opening sounds funny, but we have been almost ready since the end of July, but nothing is playing on our side. We are stubborn, and we don’t give up!" 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by Via Della Pace for the opening last night...

Via Della Pace, which first opened in 2002, lost its home during the devastating fire on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street in December 2020. VDP had been closed since a previous fire on Feb. 10, 2020. 

At the time, the owners were unsure if they would ever reopen on Seventh Street. The Dec. 5 disaster took care of that, as workers had to demolish the five-floor building. 

You can follow Via Della Pace on Instagram for updates.

No. 87 had been vacant since Cucina di Pesce closed in September 2018. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The first look at the all-new Via Della Pace on 4th Street

Openings: Little Myanmar brings Burmese cuisine to 2nd Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

Little Myanmar, serving Burmese cuisine, is now open at 150 Second St. at Avenue A. 

Eater had the scoop about Little Myanmar's arrival:

The lauded underground Burmese spot Yun Cafe — famously wedged among a row of shoebox-sized businesses inside the Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street subway station in Jackson Heights — is expanding aboveground. 

The family behind the operation — married couple Thidar Kyaw and Tin Ko Naing handle the cooking, while their daughter Yun Naing is the business manager — is opening a rare Manhattan Burmese establishment called Little Myanmar ... with a full-blown kitchen that expands on Yun Cafe's existing repertoire with tangy noodle soups, steaming hot curries, mala skewers, and baked cassava cakes.

Eater has more on the family here, including the fact that their convenience store burned down in March 2021 in a fire that destroyed six businesses in Jackson Heights.

Little Myanmar, which includes five tables for in-person dining, is open daily from 3-9 p.m. for now. You can follow them on Instagram via this link or call them at (917) 475-1183.  

Report: Alleged subway shooter held without bail after first court appearance

Photo at the 9th Precinct on 5th Street yesterday by Katie Godowski 

Frank James, accused of opening fire on a crowded subway train in Sunset Park on Tuesday, made his initial appearance in a federal courtroom this afternoon. A U.S. federal judge ordered the alleged gunman to remain in custody. 

Per CNN: 

In court, Assistant US Attorney Sara Winik described the attack as "premeditated and carefully planned" as prosecutors requested James remain behind bars. 

Defense attorneys told the federal judge they consented to him remaining in custody for now but may press again for bail later. The lawyers further asked for a psychiatric evaluation to determine James' medical needs. 

His attorney, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, had this to say: 

"We are all still learning about what happened on that train. What we do know is this: Yesterday, Mr. James saw his photograph on the news. He called Crime Stoppers to help. He told them where he was. Initial press and police reports in cases like this one are often inaccurate. Mr. James is entitled to a fair trial, and we will ensure that he receives one." 

James was arrested on the NE corner of First Avenue and St. Mark's Place yesterday afternoon. According to media accounts, James called the NYPD tip line and told authorities where they could find him. 

Two workers outside Saifee Hardware & Garden are also credited with alerting police after spotting James walking by the store on the SE corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street.

Owner: City's bureaucratic red tape forces business to close before even opening

Last August, Gurjaipal Singh and his partners took possession of a storefront at 75 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. 

They aimed to open Desi Stop, a deli serving Indian food, tea, coffee and snacks, in the fall. 

As of mid-April, Desi Stop remains in limbo, and Singh says he's gone bankrupt waiting for the city to OK the address to open and start serving food. 

"Unfortunately, after six months and spending thousands of dollars and meeting with all requirements of city departments, we are still waiting for clearance to open up," he said in a text message. "Slow working of city departments is killing small businesses like us even before they can open." 

The problems started in November when the Department of Buildings conducted the gas inspection. According to Singh, DOB officials said that they could not find any records in their database for the space after 1999. The DOB could not then approve the inspection. (It's not clear how the previous restaurants at the address, Nostro Ristorante and ZaabVer Thai, among others, were able to open.) 

So Singh said that they started from scratch with the DOB, which included getting clearance from the Landmarks Preservation Commission (the building is within the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District), submitting new drawings and applying for new permits. 

Singh also hired a fire suppression company. There was an initial delay by the company and then with the FDNY, Singh said. The certificate of approval remains in the review process. 

"They open the file only once in four to six weeks. Ask for the requirements, then again another six weeks of waiting," Singh said. "We have made all the investments. But now, we have reached our limits. It's a small-business startup, and we can't pay bills from our own pockets for months. And now it looks like we have to close it even before opening this business." 

Desi Stop's most recent, and perhaps last, Facebook post reads:

Going Bankrupt.  It's very unfortunate to share that we are going out of business without opening the business. Slow and unresponsive behavior of different city departments killed this small business.

Film notices: Getting down to 'Brass Tactics'

You've likely seen film notices up on various avenues and side streets for an Apple+ series titled — per flyers — "Brassed Tactics," which looks to be a big production.

We've spotted flyers along Avenue A from Third Street to 10th Street... and on Second Avenue from Third Street to Houston for filming on Tuesday and Wednesday...

An ad in Backstage describes the production like this:

Roman Candle Casting is seeking talent for "Brass Tactics," a new drama from Apple TV+ set in the year 2002. Talent, aged 18–45, is wanted to portray trendy New York City types, including punks, music geeks, and more. Talent must be available in April for filming in NYC. Pay is $165–$180 per eight hours of work.

The series is "City on Fire." Here's more about it via a recent article at Variety:

The series is based on the book [ed note: which is set in the 1970s] of the same name by Garth Risk Hallberg. In "City on Fire," NYU student Samantha (Sui Wonders) is shot in Central Park on the Fourth of July, 2003. Samantha is alone; there are no witnesses and very little physical evidence. Her friends' band is playing her favorite downtown club but she leaves to meet someone, promising to return. She never does. 

As the crime against Samantha is investigated, she's revealed to be the crucial connection between a series of mysterious citywide fires, the downtown music scene, and a wealthy uptown real estate family fraying under the strain of the many secrets they keep.

The cast includes John Cameron Mitchell and Jemima Kirke. "City on Fire" is written and executive produced by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, whose current credits include the "Gossip Girl" reboot.

Week in Grieview

Posts from the past week include (with a shot of 1st Avenue at Houston) ...

• A visit to Le Phin, the new Vietnamese cafe on 10th Street (Wednesday) 

• Essex Card Shop is now in its reconstruction phase on Avenue A (Monday) 

• Help for an East Village teacher who lost everything in an apartment fire (Thursday) 

• Bike-lane upgrade underway on Houston (Monday) 

• Commemorating International Transgender Day of Visibility on 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street (Friday) 

• Everytable bringing its fast-casual concept to Avenue B (Tuesday) 

• El Rinconcito makes it signage official at new Avenue C home (Monday) 

• Farewell to Holyland Market on St. Mark's Place (Thursday) 

• Bracing for new construction at the former B Bar & Grill space on the Bowery (Monday) 

• Demolition grinds on at 38-48 2nd Ave. (Thursday) 

• A 1-day strike at Anthology Film Archives (Friday)

• A look at the just-finished mural 'Ukraine: A History in Solidarity' (Wednesday)

• Remembering Taylor Hawkins as Iggy Pop in the 'CBGB' movie (Sunday) 

• Bar Veloce looking to open an outpost on the Bowery (Monday) 

• Openings: Avenue A Deli and Grill (Thursday) 

• Venus Over Manhattan opening a gallery on Great Jones (Wednesday) 

• Coddiwomple makes closure permanent (Tuesday) 

• Former Eileen Fisher space for rent on 9th Street (Tuesday) 

• Discarding an oversized photo of yourself: A cautionary tale (Friday) 

... and always been intrigued by this building on 14th Street near Third Avenue... especially with the new tag on top... 

On the topic of tags... a reader shared this photo... showing that someone tagged the entrange to the luxury Steiner East Village on 12th Street at Avenue A...

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

Help for an East Village teacher who lost everything in an apartment fire

Jean Finnerty, a teacher and co-founder of the Children's Workshop School on 12th Street, lost everything when her apartment caught fire on Tuesday. 

Maria Velez-Clarke, principal at CWS, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Finnerty replace her personal items and find long-term housing. 

Per Velez-Clarke: 

Over the years, Jean has served as a leader in our school and has taught nearly all grades at the school, and this year is serving as our health and wellness physical education teacher. She has mentored and supported thousands of children over the years and works to nurture the next generation of public school teachers as the student-teacher coordinator at CWS. 

You can find the GoFundMe here.

H/T Salim

Essex Card Shop is now in its reconstruction phase on Avenue A

An "Under Construction" banner went up on Friday at the fire-damaged Essex Card Shop at 47 Avenue A.

This marks the next phase of the reopening for the longtime East Village business that a fire destroyed on Jan. 10.

In an email, Saba Aslam, the daughter of owner Muhammad Aslam, told me they are finishing some interior demolition. The Aslam family has a meeting with the contractors in early April to better understand how long the reconstruction process will take.

The photos below, via Saba's sister Mehnaz, show the current state of the interior...  

We also asked Saba about Jayant "Jay" Patel, the shop's longtime manager: "Jay is safe and well. He is living with his family in New Jersey!"

Meanwhile, supporters of the business have helped it raise more than $90,000 in a GoFundMe campaign. 

You can check out our previous posts on Essex Card Shop, located in the retail space of the Ageloff Towers between Third Street and Fourth Street, for more background on what has transpired to date.  

Reports of suspicious fires this afternoon in Stuy Town

This afternoon, we received multiple reader reports of several small fires around Stuy Town, two of which destroyed golf maintenance carts on the property. 

ABC 7 reported these fires as being "suspicious" in nature. (The third fire was in a trash can near the Walgreens on First Avenue between 17th Street and 18th Street.) 

More than 60 firefighters responded to the scene.

So this was happening a few minutes ago in Stuytown. Fire trucks and sirens heard on 1st Avenue but thing burnt itself out before NYFD arrived, about 6 minutes in total. pic.twitter.com/WtTs2ZtmRf

— Jordan Lage (@JordanLage) February 23, 2022

Stuy Town management released this statement:

"We can confirm that three fires occurred here this afternoon. Thankfully, no people were harmed, and no major building damage occurred. We are grateful to the FDNY for their fast response and support. Our team is assisting them with their ongoing investigation."

A visit to CLLCTV.NYC

Text and photos by Stacie Joy 

I’m meeting with the CLLCTV.NYC (pronounced “collective dot NYC”) team behind the new flex space for events, art shows and pop-ups at 209 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Edward Rivera, Johanna Vizueta, Amir Hoskins and Kelly J. Glusovich are preparing the space to receive visitors for the Danny Cortes show, Big Time Miniatures, a nostalgic look at quotidian old-school NYC locations and objects.

Cortes and Rivera...

Fire hydrants, ice machines, dumpsters, mailboxes, bodegas and stoops all factor heavily into the miniatures hand-crafted by the artist. Since there is a line forming outside of folks waiting to get in, I try to grab a few minutes with Edward Rivera to talk about the space, the collective and the show.

How did the idea of the collective come about? What prompted you to select the space it’s in? 

As with all of our decisions, we came upon the name as we are a collective. We aspire to weave art, education and community into our work — collectively. 

Why is staying in the East Village/Lower East Side so important to you?

Three of the partners have deep roots in the LES. It ain’t hard to tell. We all very much respect and move fluidly throughout the LES with our own individual networks that combine (of course) to be yet another collective effort. 

Was this the first show you featured? 

Our first show effort was for our partner Kelly’s brand officialhipost.com. It served as much as a dress rehearsal as a pop-up and an opportunity to touch the community with far more than a retail event. 

As with many events we develop, we do a community-based Q&A during the show about the work and the artist/designer. We enjoyed a big success and turnout even though we were only 70% operational in November 2021. 

How did your collaboration with Danny Cortes come together? 

We approached Danny to do a show because his work is super dope, which is our lane of content and that which we wish to display, develop, and help blow up. We put him on our “hit list” and forwarded him a proposal regarding our abilities and future plans. He took our meeting, and the vibe was cosmic and well communicated from start to finish. 

How was the opening weekend of the Big Time Miniatures show? 

Big Time Miniatures was nuts! Danny’s VIP reception was packed and we saw better numbers each night. Individuals in attendance are not into identification as they honor a different code, which we respect, so name dropping is nil. We credit our individual networks’ ability to cross-pollinate, as we don’t rely on formal advertising and promotions.

You decided to extend the show? What are the dates and hours that it’s open to the public? 

We decided to open Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb. 22 and 23, from 1-8 p.m.) as Danny and the CLLCTV saw fit to offer additional hours. Info will be posted to our Instagram. 

What’s next for the space? 

Wish we felt like discussing it, but talent and entities we work with agree with our preference to remain mum until 4 to 5 weeks from any given event date, though our planning process is an intensive 8- to 10-week journey. We turn our modest 1,100-square-foot space into the world of the artist or entity, and we do it respectively; collectively.

Cleaning out and preparing to rebuild Essex Card Shop on Avenue A

Workers began cleaning out the fire-damaged Essex Card Shop late last week at 47 Avenue A. (The top two photos are courtesy of owner Muhammad Aslam's family).

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by on Friday...

The family is hopeful that the reconstruction process can start this week in the retail space of the Ageloff Towers between Third Street and Fourth Street.  

Unfortunately, we're told that the Essex Card Shop's insurance hardly covers anything — roughly $18,000, which is less than the cost of one of the store's copy machines. Meanwhile, the building's insurance will only cover certain parts of the reconstruction. 

The New York Times reported that the estimated loss was around $300,000; that the "aisles and its basement were bulging with inventory."

To date, supporters of the business have helped it raise nearly $90,000 in a GoFundMe campaign. 

Muhammad Aslam continues to express his gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community — residents and businesses alike...

A two-alarm fire destroyed the shop on Jan. 10. Authorities later charged a 13-year-old boy with second-degree arson.

City Council hosting public hearing on permanent outdoor dining legislation today

Top photo from Washington Square Park Saturday by Jeremiah Moss 

Updated 2/9

Per the Post: Julie Schipper, head of the city Department of Transportation's Open Restaurants Program, told City Council yesterday that the dining structures that popped up in the summer of 2020 won't be allowed to remain standing after the COVID-19 pandemic eases.

"We don't envision sheds in the permanent program. We are not planning for that," she said. "What would be in the roadway [are] barriers and tents or umbrellas, but not these full houses that you're seeing in the street."

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City Council will hold its lone (remote) public hearing today on the city's Open Restaurants program. 

City officials are looking to make then-Mayor Blasio's no-fee emergency measure launched in June 2020 when indoor dining was prohibited a permanent part of the dining landscape. The Department of Transportation (DOT) would oversee the new program with updated policies and procedures for sidewalk and curbside service. (The Open Restaurants text amendment entered a public review last June.)

Per an article on the hearing via the Post:

Under the current proposal, eateries seeking licenses to operate outdoor dining would have to shell out $1,050 each and then pay a $525 renewal fee following a yet-to-be-determined time period. It also sets up various safety measures and other restrictions for the pop-up, al fresco dining spots to follow, including prohibiting use of advertising signage. 

A permanent outdoor dining program drafted by the de Blasio administration was approved by the Planning Commission last November, but it never reached the Council for a vote before the term-limited mayor left office at year's end.

Streetsblog has a comprehensive preview of the hearing at this link.

According to various estimates in media accounts, the city claims about 100,000 jobs were saved through outdoor dining allowances during the pandemic. 

City Council will hold a final vote on the measure at an unspecified date later this year.

Meanwhile, there is opposition to these plans. This past Saturday, the Coalition United for Equitable Urban Policy (CUEUP) — an alliance of neighborhood and block associations, including several in the East Village — held a march and rally called "Chuck the Sheds" in the West Village to speak out against making the Open Restaurants program permanent. 

In the invite for Saturday's rally, the group noted:

Open Restaurants ... serves us noise, mounds of trash, rats, fire hazards, blocked sidewalks. Ambulances and fire trucks can't access our homes from these narrow and cluttered, impassable streets. The problems were there from the beginning for all to see, yet the Mayor and the City Council chose not to look or listen.

And from the group's website:

CUEUP supports our neighborhood restaurants, and wants them to not only survive, but thrive. However, we oppose making permanent the Open Restaurants and Bars program. Policies regarding the future of restaurants also directly impact the lives of residents and small shops, who must be part of the decision-making process. The top-down process that created the permanent program was unjust and undemocratic.

Nearly 100 people, including several local elected officials, such as District 1 City Councilmember Christopher Marte, attended the rally. You can find coverage at the Post ... Village Sun... and Bowery Boogie.

As part of the public review process, the DOT presented its proposed plan to all 59 Community Boards last year. (Find reaction from CB3's meeting from July here.) As Streetsblog pointed out: "The city's zoning dashboard makes it clear that there’s a lot of controversy. About 30 community boards rejected the city’s proposal; about 22 supported it or at least did not oppose it."

Meanwhile, we continue to hear complaints about the abandoned dining structure on Sixth Street at Avenue A. (Previously here and here.) This structure belonged to August Laura, which officially closed in mid-December. Neighbors say the space has become "a 24-hour shooting gallery."

One resident, who filed a complaint on Dec. 23, shared the 311 service request... and is still waiting for the city to do something about the abandoned structure.

In a tweet, the DOT says the structure has been scheduled for removal, though it didn't say when this would happen.

We've had discussions with other residents about the street eateries that belonged to restaurants that either closed or moved away, such as Ahimsa Garden on 10th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. The Indian restaurant decamped for Midtown East in November. Their former outdoor space remains boarded up on the street... a for rent sign is on the empty storefront...

Residents have asked who is responsible for this now. Should the restaurant have taken this down before moving? Is it the landlord's duty? Or does this fall to the DOT?  

Previously on EV Grieve:

Reports from CB3's public review of the Open Restaurants program