A.K. Shoe Repair has closed

[EVG file photo]

Earlier last month, we heard that A.K. Shoe Repair on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue was facing a rent increase, which would leave the proprietor, Albert, either finding a new space or closing the shop that he took over from his father.

Unfortunately, the shop closed for good yesterday.

DNAinfo had more details about the situation here in an article titled "Cobbler Craft Dying Out As Rents Rise, Cheap Shoes Proliferate, Skills Wane."

In the case of A.K. Shoe Repair, Albert P. says his landlord plans to more than double the monthly rent for his space at 350 E. 9th St. from $2,000 to $4,500. Adding that to the cost of electricity and gas, $500 a month, and the price of a month's supplies, $1,500, the price of keeping his business open would amount to roughly $270 a day. With those expenses, it's no easy task to turn a profit charging no more than $20 for rubber heel replacements.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A.K. Shoe Repair needs a new home

1 floor down, 12 to go at 347 Bowery

The last time that we checked in on 347 Bowery in March, a cheap Penistrator knockoff saw fit to degrade the renderings on the plywood here at East Third Street by drawing a large [redacted].

We've come a long way since then. The building is now visible above the plywood…



A quick recap: Workers demolished the Salvation Army's former East Village Residence that was on this corner … to make way for a 13-story, 30,000 square-foot mixed-use residential development.

Per developer Urban Muse, the project will feature five 3-bedroom homes ranging from 2,100 to 4,000 square feet, two 2,000-square-foot commercial units and one 6,800-square-foot retail unit.

Annabelle Selldorf, who designed the nearby 10 Bond Street, is listed as the architect of record.

The lone rendering that we've seen looks to give neighbor 52E4 — the 15 stories of condo on the Bowery and East Fourth Street — some skyline company. The lot adjacent to 347 Bowery at 1-3 E. Third St. is also for sale as a development site.



Previously on EV Grieve:
The Salvation Army's former East Village Residence will be demolished on the Bowery

Looks like 347 Bowery will be home to a 13-floor mixed-use residential development

The future of 347 Bowery (sorta!) revealed

New name, but the doors remain the same at 189 E. 3rd St.

The bar-restaurant space at 189 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B has been a carousel of late… there was the short-lived Lumiere that debuted in May 2014, followed by Casablanca, which just opened in February.

We're not sure when Casablanca closed… but a new sign is up for a restaurant-lounge called Tut …



Unfortunately, we don't know anything about Tut… the only other sign here features variations of coming soon written in multiple languages…

This interactive map lets you track the neighborhood's sidewalk cafes

In case you didn't see this news earlier today (DNAInfo, The Lo-Down and Crain's, among other outlets), the Department of Consumer Affairs has launched an interactive map that shows the locations of the city's 1,300-plus sidewalk cafes.

The map also shows pending applications, license status and health grades. Per Crain's: "The goal is to boost transparency and reduce confusion surrounding the licensing process, said Julie Menin, commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the licensing of sidewalk cafés."

In our Community Board 3 area (covering the East Village and Lower East Side), there are currently 97 sidewalk cafes, many of them not even on Second Avenue or East Third Street and Avenue B.

Check out the map here.

Subway riders preparing for all scenarios now when taking the L train

Because an avalanche hasn't caused delays on the L... yet.

Photo at the First Avenue L stop this morning by Andrew Adam Newman on Ave C.

202 1st Avenue is for sale, 'a prime East Village asset'

The 6-story building between East 12th Street and East 13th Street is new to the market.

Here's part of the listing via Cushman & Wakefield:

The building consists of a ground floor retail unit, 17 free-market apartments and three rent stabilized apartments. A majority of the units are two-bedrooms and multiple apartment lines have the ability to be converted into three-bedrooms apartments. The average in-place rent is approximately $58 per square foot which is well below market.

The retail unit is currently leased to No Relation Vintage, which has a lease until March 2017. The building features recently renovated common areas, a new boiler, and new electrical systems. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a prime East Village asset with upside potential and over 39’ of frontage on 1st Avenue.

Price: $21.5 million.

Image via Cushman & Wakefield

Updated at noon with correct address.

Also, we posted about the building being for sale in 2013. At the time the asking price was $13 million./

Psychic coming soon on East 4th Street

During the weekend, EVG reader Alexis noticed some activity in the retail space that Bikes, By George! previously occupied on Fourth Street just east of Avenue A… a sign then arrived in the front window noting "Psychic coming soon."



That almost sounds like a warning.

George Philbert closed up his 7-year-old shop here at the end of June. He told customers that he couldn't afford the new higher rent. I do not know what he was paying, but, according to the listing, the asking rent is $3,750 monthly for 340 square feet.

These days you can find George selling bikes on East 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Avenue A Wine & Liquor has closed

The shop at 196 Avenue A between East 12th Street and East 13th Street is now closed.

We're not sure exactly when they shut down. A call to the shop reveals a disconnected number.

There had been some difficulties in the past. The Marshal seized the storefront in February 2012.

Wine, brandy and French-Mediterranean cuisine in the works for the former Luca Bar

[EVG photo from June]

The former Luca Bar space at 119 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue hit the market in the early summer.

And there's a taker for the space. Reps for Le Delice are on tomorrow night's CB3/SLA committee meeting docket for a new liquor license. The bar-restaurant will serve French-Mediterranean cuisine, according to the PDF on file at the CB3 website.

The notice on the front door refers to Le Delice as a "wine and brandy establishment."



The application shows a configuration with 10 tables good for 24 seats and a bar with 15 stools. The proposed hours are 5 p.m. to midnight Monday-Wedneday; until 1 a.m. Thursday-Saturday… and there are opening hours of 11 a.m. on the weekend for a likely brunch service.

The SLA meeting is at the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Luca Bar closed back in late April.

East 14th Street Dunkin' Donuts shuffle complete

[Copyrighted photo by EV Arrow from July]

As we've been pretty much exclusively reporting, the Dunkin' Donuts at 218 E. 14th St. was moving a few storefronts to the west toward Third Avenue (see above photo).

That move is compete with the Grand Opening of the new (smaller) DD at 208 E. 14th St….



Meanwhile, back at No. 218, workers are dismantling the old DD space… Unfortunately, we were unable to save the Eli Manning "Smoke the Competition" ad for the smoked sausage breakfast sandwich…



This storefront had been for rent at $144 a square foot … the listing notes the space is now off the market.