Photo by Derek Berg
When life imitates art (on a moving truck). Second Avenue and Fifth Street today.
Thursday, June 1, 2023
A slice of street art for Two Boots
Grab a slice and check it out...
On Avenue A, a golf-related shop fore people who might like golf
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
It's a Cinderella story, out of nowhere: Whim Golf is shaping up to open at 66 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.
Here's more about the company:
For people who might like golf. Founded in 2019, Whim Golf is an American fashion brand on a mission to democratize golf. Built to bridge the gap between art and sport, Whim designs timeless products, artful content, and immersive experiences that together build a community that shifts the narrative about who belongs in golf.
Or, as a 2022 feature in Golf Digest put it, "Taking the coolness from streetwear, the whimsy from fashion and the silhouettes from golf, [Whim Golf] is looking to refresh the sport's image."
And: "So the mission is twofold: make golf style everyday style, and increase golf’s visibility along the way."
If this sounds somewhat familiar, Whim Golf opened a pop-up location on the Lower East Side in the summer of 2019.
The Avenue A outpost will feature golf apparel and related accessories... as well as a putting green, which was under construction the other day when EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by...
Whim Golf is expected to open soon.
The retail space has been vacant since Lancelotti Housewares left in the fall of 2021 after 25 years in business. A collectible sneaker shop had been in the works here, but the business never materialized.
Concern about the future of the 188 Allen Street Gallery
The long-and-narrow space — in business for nearly 10 years — has been closed of late... and a for-rent sign hangs in the front window...
Google lists them as permanently closed. [Updated: Ownership says they are open for catering and private events.]
Meanwhile, a group of artists and some art fans are hoping the sidewalk dining structure can continue on as 188 Allen Street Gallery, an art space that has showcased a variety of artists since last summer (see here and here)...
The Department of Transportation has already issued a "Termination" notice for the structure.
NYC street artist SacSix, who has curated shows here as well as created murals on the storefront, appealed to the DOT in a recent Instagram post, inviting city officials here "to see how small business entrepreneurs can create incredible communities in unique spaces."
Said an EVG reader in an email: "This gallery has been a godsend for our community bringing creative artists together to showcase their talent. For many new artists, this is an opportunity to showcase their works ..."
Coming soon to this block of 5th Street: Duo Cafe and For You Laundry
No word just yet on who is behind this venture, which will offer desserts and tea, per the signage.
Also coming soon to this block (closer to Second Avenue): For You Laundry, providing the customary washing, drying and folding as well as dry cleaning...
Kuppi Coffee Company setting up shop on 1st Avenue and St. Mark's Place this summer
The coffee shop has been sharing photos of the under-renovation space...
The previous tenant at the address, AO Bowl, closed last August after an off-and-on 18 months in business ... and blaming Sen. Schumer.
In 2019, workers gutted this single-level structure on the corner ... and divided the storefront into several retail spaces. The other tenant here is the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop.
The former occupant, Foot Gear Plus, closed in July 2018 after nearly 40 years in business.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Wednesday's parting shot
Photo by William Klayer
A set late this afternoon by Twisted Wrist outside St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue and 10th Street... (check them out some time...)
6 posts from May
• Inside the East Village 'respite center' for asylum seekers (May 30)
• At the new home of The Joyce, which aims to be a hub for the performing arts in the East Village (May 23)
• This East Village resident is bringing a classic 82-year-old radio back to broadcasting life (May 18)
• With Community Board approval, Sammy's Roumanian Steak House takes another step to returning to the Lower East Side (May 16)
• Mayor Adams visits Tompkins Square Park (May 15)
• After deadly collapse, city issues vacate order at the Little Man Parking garage on 9th Street (May 2)
Missed meal deliveries and a need for basics: the developing situation at the East Village respite center for asylum seekers
Photos and text by Stacie Joy
Part two in our ongoing coverage of the asylum seeker
respite center in the East Village
respite center in the East Village
An asylum seeker asked me where he could get a job. He said his fellow asylum seekers are asking everywhere and are desperate to work — any kind of work.
Two people showed me immigration paperwork that had them set to appear in Texas and Philadelphia, respectively, tomorrow. I use Google translate to help me with complicated translation — and they ask how far Texas is and if it’s possible to “get a ticket there.”
Several people (most from Colombia) show me paperwork for BI SmartLINK. This immigration phone app can monitor them and provide case management, but they don’t have Wi-Fi or cellular service, so they can’t make their scheduled phone appointments. I asked some local businesses near the site — the former St. Brigid's School on Seventh Street and Avenue B — if they could share Wi-Fi passwords, but they all declined.
I am also told that meals didn’t show up again yesterday, and folks are hungry. C&B Café donates some items: croissants, focaccia, donuts, sourdough — and the bags are empty before everyone gets something to eat. I contacted EVLovesNYC again to plan for another Sunday delivery — but their funds are dwindling. They believe they can do 100 meals for Sunday, and we talk about how to maximize meal planning on a budget.
At this point, the site is being monitored 24/7 by officers from the 9th Precinct. None have been inside the site, and they tell me that the orders have come from high up the command chain, above the Precinct’s commanding officer — to monitor all the respite center sites, not just the one in the East Village. I ask if they can turn the flashing lights off, which they do. They seem mostly interested in being helpful but unsure exactly how to do so.
I had spotted a sign warning about a “men’s shelter” (misspelled as a “men shetler”) opening up in Tompkins Square Park, at the playground near Seventh Street and Avenue B. I ask the officers if they expect protests, but they say no; they have no reason to believe there will be any problems. They just want to make sure everything is calm on the street.
They keep him restrained even after they are made aware that he’s a local elected official representing the district the center is located in. Epstein explains that Mayor Adam’s senior advisor Diane Savino made the appointment for him, but no one seems inclined to allow him in, and he is escorted out. To date, he hasn’t been allowed to see the facility.
On Monday, we take all the community-donated clothes and supplies and set up a Free Store outside the center. Nearly 100 of the asylum seekers line up to receive supplies, and in a touching twist, they all step aside and announce “women first,” and the women come and claim their clothes and supplies before the men. I am charmed by that.
What starts as a line soon devolves into a free-for-all as people swarm the tables. We received dozens and dozens of bags of clothing and donated items, and after about 30 minutes, we had just a few leftover items. I explain that we’ll be back again on Thursday with more stuff.
I get requests for chancletas, sneakers, sweatpants, underwear, jeans, T-shirts, cell phones. I try to write down special requests (women’s underwear size small, jeans with a 32 waist), but I am also told that many people won’t be there when I return. They are being shipped upstate, and it’s hard for me to know if they want to go or have no choice.
One staffer lets me in to drop off the rest of the clothing, and I notice something optimistic: The coffeepot — previously deemed an unacceptable item — has finally been set up and is clearly being used by everyone. I smile; it’s a good sign.
If you’d like to help, donations of adult clothes (there are no children or infants at this location), bedding and towels, backpacks, and toiletries are welcome during four upcoming drop-off dates.
Items can be brought to Epstein’s office at 107-109 Avenue B at Seventh Street on the following dates and times:
• Thursday, June 1, 3-5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 6, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Thursday, June 8, 3-5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 13, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Avenue A deli news in review
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The East Village New Deli has gone dark at 115 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. Workers have been gutting the space and hauling out the shop's equipment in the past week.
Door signage notes that counter staff Joe and Munch are now working a few storefronts to the north ...
...at the 14-month-old Avenue A Deli and Grill...
Avenue A Deli's manager said that Joe and Munch will be at his shop for the morning shift, 7 a.m. until around 4 p.m., making sandwiches and working the grill.
No official word just yet on what might be next for the East Village New Deli space. (Bring back Alphabets!)
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