Hamilton Fish Park Library closing for a 2-plus year renovation

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

The Hamilton Fish Park Library at 415 E. Houston St. between Pitt and Columbia is set to close for "building improvements" through the end of 2026.

I stopped by and talked with managing librarian Brandon Korosh (below in the middle) ...

Korosh said that the $19-million gut renovation will include a new open concept with floor-to-ceiling windows for better lighting... workers will also strip the back wall to allow light through the (currently painted) panes.

The library was previously closed for two-plus years due to an "aging HVAC system," which will be replaced during this renovation. 

During the closure, patrons can use the branches at Seward Park, Tompkins Square and Ottendorfer.

EV classic B&H Dairy is back open with a new front door and windows

Photos by Derek Berg 

After a two-day storefront renovation on Tuesday and Wednesday, the great B&H Dairy is back in service at 127 Second Ave. ... (the B&H awning will return next week)...

As we noted on Tuesday (when the above photo was taken), the new restoration happened thanks to a Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. (The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the plans for the new doorway and front windows.) 

In 2020, someone broke the front door to rob the circa-1938 lunch counter. Earlier that year, someone smashed the front window with a bottle. 

B&H is open daily here between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

A new era for East Village mainstay Anna

Photo by Stacie Joy

After nearly 30 years in the East Village, the Anna brand has launched a new era in the Garment District.

Designer Kathy Kemp explains in an Instagram post from last month:

It's been almost 30 years, and so many friendships have started at the store with the Anna clothes. Those relationships have grown over the years and mean so much to us. We're hoping to bring that magic to the factory, and we're excited to see you at our new location in the Garment District on West 39th Street. It's our studio but also a store where we share ideas, design, manufacture and shop. 

The Garment District is a second home where all Anna pieces come together, and it feels right to fuse our worlds and share them with you in a place that inspires us so much.

The new location is at 257 W. 39th St. (7th floor) between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue.

This means that the boutique on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue is now vacant. This was Anna's third EV outpost, after spots on Third Street and 11th Street. 

For more on Anna, read this great interview with Kemp by James Maher from 2014. 

'Everything must go' as the New Yorkers Foodmarket sets Dec. 31 closing

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Updated 12/30: The grocery now appears to be closed.

Michael Schumacher, owner of the New Yorkers Foodmarket at 107 Second Ave., has moved up his closing date. The grocery will now close after the business day on Sunday, Dec. 31.

As we first reported on Dec. 20, ongoing financial challenges have forced Schumacher to close the store that he has been part of since 1987, when he and his brother bought what was an Associated.

Starting this morning at 11, Schumacher said that everything will be 50% off inside the grocery.

Business has dwindled recently, and new competition like the Wegmans nearby on Astor Place hasn't helped. 

Schumacher also cited some ongoing health issues that have prevented him from putting in the hours necessary to make the business more profitable. He also doesn't have any money to hire staff. His cashier, Rosa, is the sole employee.

A grocery store has been in this retail space (in a building owned by NYU) since the early 1970s.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• New Yorkers Foodmarket is closing soon on 2nd Avenue

Openings: Instant Noodle Factory on 7th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Instant Noodle Factory Downtown is now open at 130 E. Seventh St., just west of Avenue A. (First reported here.)

This is the second outpost for the husband-and-wife team of Tat Lee and Cierra Beck ...

The first Instant Noodle Factory is located close to where the couple lives in Long Island City. Both have resided in the East Village at some point and have a strong connection with the neighborhood. 

The two looked at several East Village storefronts before selecting the former Avant Garden space (AG moved around the corner to Sixth and A) for its layout and location.

Shop specialties include the beef birria noodle bowl and two new flavors: sweet-and-sour pork and ginger-scallion chicken. There are also vegetarian and vegan options.

The base price is $10.50, and it includes a noodle package, premium, classic toppings, and protein that you select. (The price goes up for additional proteins or harder-to-find noodles.) The team then prepares the bowl for you on the custom induction cookers and conveyance system. 

The two say they can make up to six bowls at a time. This differs from their largely automated system in the first location.

Lee speaks of the "infinite possibilities, so many noodles and options," with almost 90 noodles to select from currently, with more on the way. 

Many of the noodles are imported, and a new batch is en route from Korea. "We're always on the hunt for the best noodle, which is sometimes hard to procure," says Lee.

CB3 approved a beer and wine license for Instant Noodle Factory, and they plan to serve Japanese beer, soju, and sake cocktails.

The current daily hours are Thursday through Saturday, noon to midnight, and Sunday through Wednesday until 10 p.m. 

You can keep up with them on Instagram here. 

A look at the new home of 55 Express Tailor Repair on 4th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

We've been meaning to stop by the new home of 55 Express Tailor Repair at 246 E. Fourth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

The tailoring and dry cleaning business relocated here earlier in the fall from 55 Clinton St. between Stanton and Rivington.

I talked with Rafael, the longtime manager of the shop.

"We service clothes for men, women, kids — everybody. Alterations, tailoring, everything." 

The shop is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ... and it's cash only. (There is an ATM outside in case you arrive without any.)

And as the name implies, express tailoring is available while you wait. 

You can call (212) 228-8909 or email Rafaelexpresstailor [at] gmail.com with questions.

Suds Buds is the name of the rebranded Wash 'N Clean Laundromat on 14th Street

Photo by East Village Tours 

Those Wash 'N Clean Laundromat bags are now collector's items. 

The business at 540 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B changed names to... Suds Buds, which gives off that weed-beer shop vibe. 

However, it's still a laundromat with the same owners, as we understand it... it's also wackiest-name competition for the Bubbles N Go Laundromat on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Wednesday's parting shots

With Clint Mario as Scrooge on Grand and Ludlow... a Merry Clintmas to all!

Crowdfunding help for the residents displaced by Madison Reality Capital construction on 14th Street

The Cooper Square Committee helped establish a GoFundMe campaign for the tenants displaced from 642 E. 14th St. by a vacate order. 

On Nov. 28, as we first reported, the residents — most of them in rent-stabilized units — were abruptly vacated after ongoing excavation on a Madison Reality Capital-owned 24-story development next door on the SW corner of Avenue C destabilized the five-story building. 

The city gave tenants a short time on Nov. 28 to leave the premises. The Red Cross put up the residents in a Chinatown hotel through Dec. 3. During a rally on Dec. 14, several residents discussed their makeshift living situations, from the apartments of friends to shelters. 

The residents, local advocates, and elected officials have called on Madison Realty Capital to provide accommodations for the displaced residents from the firm's extensive LES portfolio. 

So far, according to the GoFundMe campaign: "Madison Realty Capital has offered up to 10 apartments, all one-bedrooms, but at rents that most of these modest income tenants cannot afford. Several households are families that need 2 bedroom apartments, which MRC says it can't accommodate." 

Here's more from the campaign:

Cooper Square Committee, local elected officials, and legal service organizations are assisting the tenants in their efforts to find affordable relocation housing as soon as possible and to get Madison Realty Capital and their landlord, Jack Lebewohl, to make repairs to their building so that they can return to their apartments at some point in 2024. 

With your help, the tenants can access housing they can afford while they temporarily relocate. We estimate it will cost about $95,000 to help the tenants cover the difference in rent at new apartments in NYC and to cover the cost of food since they can't cook in the shelter, and they have had to buy new clothes since they can't access their apartments. They will need to buy furniture for their relocation apartments as well. 

And from residents...

"This last month has been met with the most traumatic uncertainty for my neighbors and me, and while we should be celebrating the holidays or looking forward to the new year, we're instead couch hopping or living in shelters. We are exhausted and broken, and after almost 4 weeks, we're still left in the dark about what comes next." — Lindsey, Apt. 7 

 "I have four young children who miss their neighborhood, who miss their school, who miss our friends. I wish nobody would go through this, what we experienced in the last couple of weeks." — Mohamed, Apt. 13 

"We got kicked out of our home in the cold winter. We are homeless, and we are in pain. We need justice! Major Eric Adams and fellow New Yorkers, Please, Please stand with us. Josh Zegen of Madison Realty Capital and our landlord Jack Lebewohl are NOT getting away with this. " — Lin. Apt. 17 

"Please help us — we are homeless, in shelters, or staying on friends' couches. Neither our landlord nor Madison Realty Capital have yet to offer affordable long-term housing." — Susan, Apt 6 

You can find the campaign here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Residents ordered to vacate after excavation next door destabilized this 14th Street building 

• Displaced 14th Street tenants seek support after city orders them to vacate their building

Archie's Press is on the move (across 10th Street)

Photo from 2022 by Stacie Joy 

After nearly two years at 219 E. 10th St., Archie's Press is moving to a new space — directly across the street from its current home between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Ahead of the move to 220 E. 10th St. (the storefront to the right of the building's front door), the letterpress-printed retail art and map shop will be holding a sale — "including some from Archie's own personal poster collection, never before seen in the shop!" 

The sale is today through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. You can monitor the Archie's Press Instagram account for updates. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A visit to Archie's Press on 10th Street