Did Starbucks borrow East Village juice bar ideas?

According to Page Six today — yes! Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz reportedly hired away the manager of Liquiteria on Second Avenue and 11th Street to train staff in Seattle for the chain's new juice-bar concept. Liquiteria owner Doug Green had this to say about Schultz "He befriended us, asked about our concept, then took her. It is a huge slap in the face."

Schultz had been spotted checking out Juice Press on First Street and Liquiteria back in March.

Why the future of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge may be in doubt

Uh-oh. 75 St. Mark's Place hit the market yesterday. It's initial asking price: $4.6 million. Here's the Corcoran listing, which is full of passages that give us the fear:

This is a rare opportunity to own a premium mixed use building on St. Marks Place. Located between 1st and 2nd Avenues, and home to the famous Holiday Cocktail Lounge, 75 St. Marks Place stands out as an excellent and flexible financial investment. The building has been owned by one family since 1973, meticulously cared for and in excellent condition. It contains the Holiday Cocktail Lounge on the ground floor (scene of innumerable TV and film shoots), 4 free market, 1400 square-foot apartments, one of which was completely renovated this year. The remaining three residential units are 2 bedroom + home office, one bathroom apartments, and are substantially below market rent, offering significant upside potential. All are very attractive, with soaring ceilings, Southern exposure, and large enough to feel like a home to any occupant. Two apartments are month-to-month, with the third lease expiring early 2012 so the rent roll is poised to increase substantially. The commercial lease is controlled by the owner, so it can be delivered vacant or the Holiday Cocktail Lounge continued. It is a long-run financial success made all the more valuable by considerable additional income as a film location. In addition, with a 4.0 FAR, there are ample air rights to expand in the event of a condo conversion, a great alternative given the paucity of condos in the area.

Got all that? One family has owned it since 1973 ... rent increase ... delivered vacant ... condo conversion. Good lord. Might as well set up the dumpster out front tomorrow morning.

OK, OK so no reason to get all doomsdayish... yet. The listing does seem to flatter the Holiday, calling it "famous" and "a long-run financial success." Encouraging? Promising?

The Holiday kept going after Stefan's passing in early 2009. While the Holiday has undergone a few changes (some cheesy promotions, several new full-screen TVs that attract the sportos), it's still a classic bar rich with East Village history.

Stefan opened the Holiday here in 1965. (It had been a bar since 1936.) Read more about the bar at Jeremiah's Vanishing New York here ...

And now, a walk-off passage from an article by former East Village resident Mike Hudson in the Niagra Falls Reporter a few years back:

[L]ike many Manhattan dives the Holiday Lounge had its writers.

For years Allen Ginsberg had a large apartment in a building almost directly across the street, and he and other Beat writers like Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso and Herbert Huncke spent considerable time with the bookies, dope dealers, working girls and alcoholics for whom the Holiday was a second home.

[adm on Flickr via JVNY]

Please don't piss or urinate here

"please do not piss in this property. do not urinate. thank you" ... spotted off Union Square. Photo by Marisa Gertz via La Dee Dah, where she has a fine collection of Urban Etiquette Signs.

Noted

Duane Reade on 14th Street... the one near First Avenue... not the one at Third Avenue ... or at the former Virgin Megastore or... and this costs $19.99?

Steven Tyler checks into the former Morrison Hotel Gallery space

As we first pointed out, the Morrison Hotel Gallery checked out of 313 Bowery at the end of September. In recent days, workers have been converting the space into Riff...

[Bobby Williams]

...which will feature the new clothing line that Steven Tyler worked on with Andy Hilfiger (Tommy's Hilfiger’s brother) for a rock-inspired clothing line called Andrew Charles. Tyler's 22-year-old daughter Chelsea also appears in the ad campaign... and in the window at 313 Bowery.

The clothing line is for Macy's, where Tyler will be tomorrow or something. Anyway, it's our understanding that this is just a temporary shop ... so get your leopards and scarves while you can...

Can the meatballs be far behind?

Here on IHOP Way 14th Street at Second Avenue, the Meatball Factory awning has arrived. Workers will be attaching it to the corner space that once housed the Pizza Hut-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's combo. (Read more about the plans here.)

As you may recall from July ... a Meatball Factory rep told an EV Grieve reader that the meatballs here "will put the Meatball Shop to shame."

Thanks to Jennifer at Xoom for the photo.

Today in Joe Franklin sightings on Second Avenue

[Dave on 7th]

Joe looks to be picking up a copy of the Voice near 14th Street...

[UPDATED] Reader report: DOH temporarily closes Butter Lane Cupcakes

Multiple readers have noted this morning that the DOH has temporarily closed Butter Lane Cupcakes on Seventh Street...

[Dave on 7th]

The new inspection report isn't online yet... there were 5 violation points in May; 25 during a Sept. 14 inspection... Meanwhile, BL fans are sad...

[UPDATED] 4:03 p.m. A reader just walked by and reports that Butter Lane in back open. No mention of the closure on their Twitter feed.

Heathers lives

Last month, the CB3/SLA committee voted not to renew the East 13th Street bar's liquor license. So it was left up to the State Liquor Authority to have the final say. According to the Heathers Facebook page:

HEATHERS LIVES!
License is renewed, and in hand!!!

According to the SLA, the license now expires Oct. 31, 2013.

This is the second time in recents months in which the CB3/SLA committee voted not to renew a bar's license "with complaint history." ... only to have the State Liquor Authority give the OK for the renewal. (See TenEleven)

Behold the new hawk in town

Bobby Williams has been keeping tabs on a juvenile red-tailed hawk who arrived a few days ago in Tompkins Square Park...

You can see that this hawk does not have a red tail yet ... something about molting their feathers after their first year... Actually! Per roger_paw in the comments: "Red-tailed hawks don't develop their signature tail feathers until they've reached a certain age." Check out her hawk photos here.

And yesterday, the new hawk dined on a rat (entrails alert!) ...

The Chocolate Library is checking out of St. Mark's Place

We heard a rumor that the Chocolate Library on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue would either be closing and/or relocating.

A tweet dated Oct. 3 provides a lot of info ...

Been a tough go here. Do you remember all that nonsense late last year about the name? The owner had to change the shop's name to Chocolate 101 after the education department told him the law forbade the use of the word "library" in business names. In February, the education department reconsidered and allowed the owner to keep the "library."

Anyway, is the East Village the best place for speciality chocolate shops? We've now seen the Chocolate Bar, Bespoke and the Chocolate Library come and go fairly quickly.

Maybe Puddin' will stick?

Free Wifi arrives just in time for Occupy Tompkins Square Park

[Bobby Williams]

In early September, we noted that workers were in Tompkins Square Park doing whatever it is you do to install WiFi equipment... And according to Patrick Hedlund at DNAinfo, the free wireless service went live yesterday.

What you need to know, per DNA:

Users can connect to the "attwifi" network by selecting the network and then clicking a box agreeing to the company’s terms and conditions. No usernames or passwords are needed, and there are no limits on use.

Anyway, just in time for Occupy Tompkins Square Park Saturday...