RIP Carol Porteous-Fall

Carol Porteous-Fall, a longtime East Village resident, eco-activist and yoga enthusiast, died on July 20 after being diagnosed with leukemia in the spring.

An online memorial service is set for tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 1 at 3 p.m. You may find the memorial tomorrow at this link.

A GoFundMe campaign that was established by her friends in the spring is now being used to settle her estate and provide her son Lateef with some aid.

Carol had been a friend to this site, and contributed on occasion.

She wrote this about herself on LinkedIn:

I’m excited about music, yoga, psychology, social justice, dancing, reading, watching, community gardens, cultures, riding my bike around the city, and more ... just by experiencing life from various vantage points, really, and getting to know all kinds of people.

John's of 12th Street is back in action

[Photo from earlier this month]

After being sidelined for two-plus months for building "mechanical issues," John's of 12th Street reopens this afternoon.

Moving forward, they'll be open for takeout and delivery from 4 to 10 p.m. They'll have outdoor seating available — starting tomorrow, Aug. 1 — from 4 to 9:30 p.m.

John's, which first opened in 1908, is at 302 E. 12th St. just east of Second Avenue. Find the menu here.

CB3 hosting virtual town on workplace rights

Community Board 3 is hosting the following virtual town hall on Monday evening (Aug. 3) at 6:30:

Know your Workplace Rights During COVID-19 and the Reopening of NYC with Commissioner Lorelia Salas, NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection

You can register to take part and find more program details via this link.

Noted

Spotted outside the former Hells Angels Clubhouse on Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... homemade signage that reads:

Make 3rd Street the Hell's Angels again

The Hells Angels left here in March 2019. The building, as we just noted, is in the midst of a gut renovation to apartments.

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood — and perhaps the rest of New York.

Today is the last day for Bluestockings on Allen Street; new LES location in the works

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Updated 8/8: Bluestockings has a new home here.

As previously reported, Bluestockings, a volunteer- and collective-run bookstore, activist space and fair-trade café, is closing its 21-year-old Allen Street location.

Today (Thursday!) is the last day in business. From noon until 6 p.m. you can support the space by shopping its sidewalk sale and buying books, priced $1 to $5, or filling a bag for $10. Also for sale: fixtures, posters, shelves and equipment.

I stopped by to say goodbye during the sidewalk sale yesterday ...







I was allowed inside to take a last look at the now-empty store, which has been here at 172 Allen St. between Stanton and Rivington since 1999...





"We are negotiating for a new space, only a few blocks away and hope to stay in the neighborhood that fought for us," says Collective member Red Schulte. "We so appreciate our community that has stayed with us through thick and thin. We are committed to the Lower East Side and will stay here for as long as we’re wanted."


[Red Schulte]

They request that you wear a mask when you shop and pay via credit card or Paypal. Online sales will continue on at this link even after this location closes.

SOS: Local business owners discuss their COVID-19-related rent challenges

Save Our Storefronts (SOS), a coalition of East Village merchants and community members, is calling on New York State to enact commercial rent relief.

In this video, released yesterday, local business owners document the challenges they are facing with commercial rents during the COVID-19 pandemic...



Visit www.saveourstorefronts.nyc for more information on the campaign, including the petition that's in circulation.

Assemblymember Harvey Epstein and State Sen. Brad Hoylman are drafting a bill on commercial rent relief legislation, which they plan to introduce soon, to help create a path to small business and nonprofit recovery based on sharing the burden of the crisis.

According to a Hospitality Alliance survey, only 19 percent of New York City businesses paid June rent and only 26 percent of landlords waived any rent.

Van Đa returns to service this evening on 4th Street

Van Đa, which serves regional Vietnamese food at 234 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, reopens this evening after taking time off during the COVID-19 PAUSE. (The restaurant collaborated with chef Hannah Wong for a weekend takeout service here in the spring.)

For now, Yen Ngo, owner of the Michelin Bib Gourmand Van Đa, will be offering curbside dining, takeout and delivery Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m.

You can find the new summer menu here.

Parlor says goodbye to the East Village after 25-plus years

Parlor, the hair salon at 102 Avenue B, has officially closed after 25-plus years here between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

Moving forward, Gwenn LeMoine⁠, Parlor's owner and founder, will be working from her Brooklyn location.

Here's part of a message on Parlor's Instagram account:

We are so grateful for our Avenue B guests, and to provide more context, back in January of this year, I made the decision to bring both salons under one roof. Once the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, my decision was further solidified. In order to ensure the safety and health of our guests and team, our work lives became more streamlined and manageable by planning to reopen only one location.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
This decision is also about our passion for developing the next generation of talented stylists. The salon environment is essential to this process, and having all team members, new apprentices and seasoned stylists, at one location will allow this side of our salon to prosper and our team’s education and craft to grow. Our Brooklyn location, due to size, has the ability to pull everyone back together in one place and at the same time provide a more comfortable work environment for our team.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
After a quarter of a century of living in the East Village, raising my children within its community and growing Parlor to where it is now, I plan to continue to grow our craft and those that love it for a couple more decades, but it will be across the East River on Atlantic Avenue in what they are now calling Greater Downtown Brooklyn.

⁠⠀


[Image via Instagram]

⁠

RIP Annette Averette

Sad news from the Sixth Street Community Center today: Annette Averette, a longtime neighborhood activist, died on Sunday after a long battle with cancer.

Here's more information via the EVG inbox...

Annette was Howard Brandstein’s partner at Sixth Street Community Center for over 25 years. Together they developed programs in community supported agriculture, youth and environmental advocacy that continue to support our LES neighborhoods. In 2009, Annette founded our Organic Soul Cafe where she served as chef and manager.

Prior to working at Sixth Street, Annette was Executive Director of the LES Anti-Displacement Project, where for seven years she provided vital assistance to tenants fighting to secure their homes.

Thank you to all who have extended your support during this difficult time. Annette is legendary and her spirit will remain with us forever. There is so much more to say about Annette-Her wisdom, political activism, legal and financial savvy, great cooking and, above all, her beautiful and caring soul. We will miss her deeply.

Tomorrow (July 30) afternoon, the Sixth Street Community Center (638 E. Sixth St. between B and C) will be honoring her memory from 4-7 p.m.