[Updated] After 18 years, Jill Anderson closing shop on East 9th Street

Several EVG readers passed along word that the Jill Anderson boutique at 331 E. Ninth St. is closing for good Sunday after 18 years in business. There isn't any reason given for the closure on the store's blog, which first announced the news.

So far, some 60 people have left comments about the closure on the Anderson store blog.

A little about Anderson via the store website:

Jill’s loyal clientele are hardworking, intelligent, and fashionable women who know they can rely on her clothes to feel their best no matter the season or occasion. They also believe in thinking globally by buying their finery locally, and supporting independent, woman-owned businesses!

Jill Anderson debuted her collection in 1989 in Athens, Greece, and six years later opened the Jill Anderson boutique at 331 E. Ninth Street in New York’s East Village. Her uniquely tailored designs have garnered praise from Elle, Marie Claire, Brazilian Vogue, The New York Times Magazine, Women’s Wear Daily, and more. In addition to managing a thriving business, Jill has collaborated on costume design with dance companies such as the Wally Cardona Quartet and the Philippa Kaye Dance Group.

Most recently, Jill Anderson designed and created the dress for writer/director Debra Granik, whose film Winter’s Bone was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Updated 10:13 a.m.

Serena Solomon at DNAinfo spoke with Anderson about the closing.

Anderson said a combination of bad luck, high rent and the day-to-day difficulties of running a business recently made her decide to close the shop.

"This was like the heart here — this beautiful store," said Anderson, in between hugging a stream of well-wishing customers who came into the store as much to see the designer as to buy her wares. "I loved making people happy. I loved to sew."

Apartment listing photos of the day

There's a new listing for an apartment at 264 E. Second St. Per Streeteasy:

Newly gut renovated 3 bedroom apartment on East 2nd street, right off of Avenue C. Apartment features include hardwood floors, high ceilings, large bedrooms and separate kitchen.

The "high ceilings" part is accurate... Ceilings go any higher this might be a duplex...





Maybe the brokers will post new photos once workers finish the ceiling. Price: $3,400.

A quick word from the Dept. of Well Being

Shawn Chittle spotted this yesterday along St. Mark's Place near First Avenue... via the Dept. of Well Being.

... and on Second Avenue near East Ninth Street...

Tonight's sunset from First Avenue

At St. Mark's Place...

Why there were 20 women having fake orgasms at Katz's

For comedy, of course ... via Improv Everywhere:

For our latest mission we recreated the famous fake orgasm scene from When Harry Met Sally with 20 women in Katz’s Deli. This was staged without the knowledge of the restaurant, though thankfully they all seemed to love it.

This project is part of our new series, Movies in Real Life. Every Tuesday, we’re releasing a new video that brings an iconic movie moment to life in the real world.

As you may recall, the so-called "prank collective" had some 100 people camp out in front of the 99-cent store on First Avenue next to the Rite Aid last Black Friday. Hijinks ensued, sort of.

H/T Gothamist

Typhoon Haiyan fundraiser tonight at Ugly Kitchen

In addition to the Typhoon Haiyan fundraiser tonight at Jeepney, there's a relief event at Ugly Kitchen at 103 First Ave from 5-11.

According to the Facebook event page, all profits from the bar-restaurant tonight will go to The Philippine Red Cross. There will also be Red Cross donation boxes in the restaurant, according to the organizers.

Mid-afternoon red-tailed hawk break

In Tompkins Square Park, where some pigeons got a good fright. Photo by EVG regular peter radley.

Typhoon Haiyan donations drive tonight at Jeepney on First Avenue

From the EVG inbox...

Join us tonight for our Typhoon Donations Drive w/ Jose Antonio Vargas, 6-9p! Sponsored by Tiger Beer, we'll be donating all beer sales to The Philippine Red Cross. Please come out and support the relief effort with canned food and monetary donations. Help heal our Philippine nation.

Jeepney, a self-described Filipino Gastropub, is at 201 First Ave. near East 12th Street.

A quick look at the first snowfall (well, sort of) of the season

Thanks to @TravisHuggett for this photo on East 14th Street near Avenue C... and how much longer before the 12 Days of Con Ed?

A bad sign at the Yippie Museum

A "for rent" sign now hangs above the 40-year-old home of the Yippie Museum at 9 Bleecker St. near the Bowery.

Tough times here of late at the headquarters of the counterculture group … Back on June 10, Colin Moynihan at The New York Times reported that Yippie leaders have been locked in an ongoing legal battle … fighting an attempt by a lender to foreclose on their home.

In addition, the Harmony Kitchen, the food vendor at the Yippie Museum Cafe, closed at the end of June. The space was closed during July for a "re-calculating" … eventually reopening at the end of the month.

This past Friday, the Yippie Museum Facebook page offered up the latest on the legal wrangling here:

The October court action fended off a summary eviction of Dana and Co. and Atty Noah Potter has arranged a court date for January where he will present documents in his possession that will help save #9. If justice may be had in today's courts...

Yippie leader and activist Dana Beal is currently serving a four-to-six year prison sentence after being caught hauling 150 pounds of pot in a van in Ashland, Neb., in 2009.

Back to Facebook:

Even a win there won't fully save #9, though. What is really needed is more people to come to #9 for meetings and events to raise funds and consciousness. This space is NOT a relic of the past but a living historical site for today's activist generation. USE IT OR LOSE IT has never had a better object lesson than at #9!!

For now, events continue to take place in the space…



Meanwhile, the building is on the market. According to the Corcoran listing:

Exceptional opportunity to rent an entire building in prime Greenwich Village / NoHo. The bottom two floors feature bars that are built out already. But these could also work well for retail. And the top two floors can be used for either residential or office space. Each of the 4 floors is approximately 1600 square feet.

This is truly an unbeatable Greenwich Village / NoHo location, on a block with high and brilliant visibility for business. Original details still in tact - including exposed brick, and a cast iron honey comb curved skylight which graces the ground floor, with 13' 6" ceilings. Old world charm ready for a new world establishment…

Asking price: $25,000

As the Yippie Museum Facebook page says: "time to save the yippie museum from the crapitalist wrecking ball..don't let 9 bleecker street turn into a gentrified yuppie boutique."

H/T @JonSpiegler

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Yippie Museum Cafe is in financial trouble

The Yippie Museum Cafe will reopen next Wednesday

With move to East 7th Street, Oaxaca Taqueria closes Extra Place location

With the new location at 125 E. Seventh St., Oaxaca Taqueria has closed its Extra Place location, as this photo via EVG reader xomars shows.

So until Momofuko Ko opens in its new home, Extra Place is currently restaurant free…

And the East Seventh Street space between Avenue A and First Avenue was previously home to the Butter Lane cupcakes classroom.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Oaxaca Taqueria opening a new location on East Seventh Street

Looking again at St. Mark's and 2nd Ave., and more photos of the former St. Marks Cinema

8-Bit and Up, the retro video shop, recently moved away from the second floor of 37 St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue. (Read about the new 8-Bit space on East Third Street here.)

This prime corner space is now mostly without tenants… (save for the newish Verizon Wireless store).



The building won't be empty too much longer. As we first noted back on Oct. 17, a retail outpost of DF Mavens ("The finest dairy-free ice cream in the world. Made in NYC.") is taking the former Eastside Bakery (.net?) location. Winick has the listing with the available retail slots here.

Anyway! All this is all just an excuse to trot out these new-to-us photos of the corner … when it was home to a single-screen movie theater… eventually called the St. Marks Cinema … a movie theatre was in operation here roughly from 1916 to 1985, according to Cinema Treasures...



… this shot is dated 1936 ...



We've written about the theater before here. Maybe you drank beer here and got high once. And there was that time you may have seen "Return of the Jedi" here in 1983.