Oh yes the former Caffe Bene storefront is still for rent

In recent weeks the for rent sign was no longer in the front window at 24 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, in what was the former Caffe Bene space. A few Former Caffe Bene Watchers wondered if the space had been leased.

However! The sign made its triumphant return this week, as the above photo shows.

Plus! The listing is finally now online at Eastern Consolidated. In case you are curious, the asking rent is $14,000 a month.

Caffe Bene closed back in April after 17 months in business.

Retail rent at 190 Bowery is $2 million a year

The news yesterday was that fashion emporium Totokaelo has signed a lease for 8,918 square feet at the landmarked 190 Bowery.

Totokaelo, which sells designer lines such as Acne Studios and Jil Sander, plans to open a pop-up shop from this fall to March 2018. A rep for owner Aby Rosen’s RFR said that he hoped it would turn into a longterm deal.

Whoever the tenant will be needs deep pockets. According to the Post: "the asking rent for the retail space on the ground floor, mezzanine and basement was $2 million a year." Or roughly $166,000 a month.

Rosen bought the landmarked building from photographer Jay Maisel for a reported $55 million in 2014.

Previously

Michelle Alteration & Boutique now open on Avenue C

An alterations/tailoring shop recently opened on Avenue C just north of 10th Street...



... and there's a 50-percent off deal now though Aug. 11...





Photos from July 16

The blanding of Union Square West

Bloomberg files an article on the escalating rents on Union Square West that are forcing restaurants such as the Blue Water Grill and Republic to close or relocate.

Some passages from the piece...

Rising rents and real estate turnover are hardly new phenomena, but Union Square West, along with other desirable residential areas of New York ... have seen their rents become so prohibitive that most of their restaurants — with the exception of chains, or flagship “loss-leaders” — are forced to move elsewhere.

And!

“When rents go up, it makes the viability of restaurants harder,” said Stephen Sunderland, the senior managing director of Optimal Spaces, a tenant broker in the city. “You have to think of restaurants as artists, or neighborhood pioneers,” he explained. “They come into a neighborhood, it becomes hip, and that’s the source of their demise,” he said. “They create the trends that undo them.”

80 E. 10th Street rises, teases

The broker bunting is up on the sidewalk bridge surrounding the new development on the southeast corner of 10th Street and Fourth Avenue.

As previously reported, a 10-story, retail-residential condoplex is on its way up on the property that was formally a one-level structure of businesses.





The address here is officially 80 E. 10th St. And there is a teaser site up for the 12 condos. Sales are expected to start this fall.

Incoming rendering!



Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Demo permits filed to raze southeast corner of 4th Avenue and 10th Street

The 'tremendous retail potential' of East 10th Street and 4th Avenue

10 stories of condos in the works for the long-vacant corner of 4th Avenue and East 10th Street

With new building OK'd, corner of 4th Avenue and 10th Street finally ready for razing

98/99 Favor Taste opens on St. Mark's Place

98 Favor Taste is in Grand Opening Mode now at 37 St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue. (They opened on Saturday.)

As noted back in February, 98 Favor Taste is from the operators behind the 99 Favor Taste restaurants, which include locations in Sunset Park and Grand Street.

The restaurants specialize in traditional Korean-style barbecue and Chinese hot pot meals. You can find their menu here.



Upon opening on Grand Street, the Voice gave 99 Favor an enthusiastic review... calling it "a feastly orgy: trays heaped with raw meats and fishes, feathery greens and fungi, boiling and bubbling pots, and popping and sizzling meats top every table. Diners crowd around, heads-down, slurping noodles and soup with chopsticks, only looking up to tend the meat, cooking at arm's distance away."

And as you may recall, the hot pot hotspot went through some signage changes during construction...


[Photo from February by Steven]

These storefronts had been vacant going for nearly five years. Timi's Gelateria Classica™ closed at the end of 2011 in one of the spaces… while Michael "Bao" Huynh's Baoguette Cafe shut down at summer's end in 2012.

The Pourhouse might be in the poorhouse with back rent due in excess of $60k

The Village Pourhouse vacated the premises at 64 Third Ave. at 11th Street back in April after 10-plus years in business.

Over the weekend, the landlord placed some legalese on the front door... giving notice that the establishment owes $65,046.29 in back rent (which includes some legal fees...)



Take a look at the notice... the combined rent (for "store west" and "store east") is more than $30,000 a month.

Meanwhile, the owners of the Ainsworth, an upscale sports bar with multiple NYC locations, have been vying for the space.

This week at the Village East Cinema

[Random City Cinemas Village East marquee shot]

A few screenings to note this week at the Village East Cinema on Second Avenue at 12th Street.

On Wednesday night, its the 50th anniversary of the Oscar-winning "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" with Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn.

On Thursday night, Hedda Lettuce hosts a viewing of "American Gigolo."

Find ticket info here.

The Village East is also showing "Dunkirk" in 70mm.

[Updated] RIP Neftaly Ramirez

The cyclist who was fatally struck by a garbage truck early Saturday morning in Greenpoint has been identified as Neftaly Ramirez, 27, who lived in East Village, according to published reports.

Ramirez was biking home following his shift at Paulie Gee's, the pizzeria on Greenpoint Avenue.

About the collision, per DNAinfo:

Ramirez was riding on Franklin Street about 12:30 a.m. when the garbage truck driver, heading south on Franklin, turned right on Noble, fatally struck Ramirez, and kept driving, NYPD officials said.

The truck was green and had white and yellow writing on it, police said. Investigators were still trying to find the driver Monday morning, police said.

Authorities said they believe the truck belongs to a private company.

The Daily News talked with several people who knew Ramirez.

“He was such a nice, quiet guy,” said tearful neighbor Emily Yambo, 43.

“He was a good, hard-working person,” the pal said, adding he was loved animals and video games. “They need to find the person that hit him.”

Last night our beloved staff member Neftaly Ramirez tragically lost his life as he was struck down on Franklin Street by a hit and run garbage truck driver while bicycling home after his shift. We are all heartbroken and will miss him very much. Please be careful out there on the roads. They are a very dangerous place these days. RIP Neffy.

A post shared by Paulie Gee (@pauliegee123) on Jul 22, 2017 at 3:23pm PDT

Updated:

Gothamist talked with Paulie Gee proprietor Paul Giannone about Ramirez:

"He washed dishes for a while and he was engaged to be married and he was very excited about that, and he wanted the opportunity to make more money," Giannone said. "And I just recently had the opportunity to promote him to a bar back, and he was very excited about that. And the staff was very supportive about him, and helped him."

Updated 7/31

The truck that struck and killed Ramirez reportedly belongs to New Jersey-based Action Carting.

Per DNAInfo:

Action Carting, the city's largest private garbage company which has been lugging waste since 1999 and picks up garbage from more than 16,400 private restaurants, offices and companies across the city, has settled a handful of cases in which its drivers have struck and injured people.

Updated 8/11

The NYPD declined to charge the garbage truck driver who struck and killed Ramirez, per Gothamist.

1st LinkNYC kiosk coming to St. Mark's Place

[Photo Saturday by Steven]

There was a ceremonial groundbreaking on Saturday (following the ceremonial sawing down of the pay phones) on St. Mark's Place just west of Second Avenue ... where workers have started the prep work for what will be the first LinkNYC kiosk on St. Mark's Place.

The other pay phones remain up for now on this block between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, where the LinkNYC will sure to be put to good use.


[A Clint Mario special]



Despite LinkNYC's tech advances (Wi-Fi, device charging, access to city services, maps and directions), they do not provide ample space to, say, mix or hold beverages like the pay phones on the block ...



Previously