NYPD looking for this suspect in armed robbery of boutique on 7th Street

The NYPD is searching for a man they say robbed a boutique at gunpoint late Wednesday afternoon.

Here is info via Patch:

Police say the man entered the shop, located at 66 E. 7th St., at about 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday and began talking with an employee as if he was going to purchase something. The man then walked toward the store's counter, pulled out a gun and demanded money from the register, police said.

The man made off with $500 in cash and a cell phone, according to authorities.

The shop is Neon by Cheng between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

And via the NYPD...

The #NYPD is 👀 2 identify & locate this man #wanted for a commercial robbery. On Feb 14 inside a clothing boutique he displayed a handgun and demanded 💰. If you have any info we ask you 2 ☎️ #800577TIPS #EastVillage #NYC pic.twitter.com/7jKW5LXkXo

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) February 16, 2018

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mapping East Village pizzerias; power-washing with Christo and Nora

[Photo today by Peter Brownscombe]

City Council members push Cuomo to declare a NYCHA state of emergency (Curbed)

Mapping all the East Village pizzerias (Best Pizza NYC)

The latest on 85 Bowery (The Lo-Down)

Lanaza's old murals look intact at the opening-soon Joe & Pat's on First Avenue (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York ... previously)

The 2018 Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival is Feb. 23-25 at the Village East on Second Avenue (Official site)

Christo and Nora make the best of the rain (Laura Goggin Photography)

Theater for the New City on First Avenue announces Charles Busch's new show (Official site)

A new Safe Haven shelter is opening on East 17th Street in April (Town & Village)

The plan to fill in the East River in 1916 (Ephemeral New York)

Last year's subway outage will cost Con Ed $202 million (Bloomberg)

Shake Shack expects to open between 32 and 35 new restaurants in the U.S. in 2018 (CNBC)

The play "Imperfect Love" has been extended by a week (now to Feb. 24) at the Connelly Theater on Fourth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. The director, East Village resident Michael Di Jiacomo, described the work this way: "It's essentially the story of a little Italian theater troupe trying to survive circa 1898 — not unlike our situation." The play is presented by John Turturro, who did a film adaptation of the story in 1998. Find ticket info here.


[A scene from "Imperfect Love"]

And as recently noted, the Exclusive Smoke Shop and Deli on Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street became Vape and Smoke (which is not to be confused with Vape N Smoke on Second Avenue) ...



A tipster told us that they removed the sign because because passersby saw the bearded dude and thought this was a barber shop (for real) ... so now!

Former Trash & Vaudeville space on St. Mark's Place to become Wanyoo cyber café

Wanyoo, a Shanghai-based cyber cafe chain, has signed a lease for the two-level retail space at 4 St. Mark's Place.

The cafe, which has a location in Flushing, reportedly signed a 20-year lease for 2,600 square feet on the ground floor and 1,400 square feet in the basement of the under-renovation landmarked building between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.


[Via the Wanyoo website]

They optimistically hope to be open early this summer.

Until February 2016, 4 St. Mark's Place housed Trash & Vaudeville for 41 years. The store relocated to 96 E. Seventh St.

The Hamilton-Holly House (aka 4 St. Mark's Place), built in 1831, was once owned by Alexander Hamilton’s son. The building, which changed hands for $10 million in the spring of 2016 for $10 million, is currently undergoing a gut renovation and expansion.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: After 40 years, punk rock mainstay Trash and Vaudeville is leaving St. Mark's Place


[Via]

4 St. Mark's Place is for sale

More residential units and a 5th-floor addition in the works for landmarked 4 St. Mark's Place

Bareburger is leaving 2nd Avenue; new outpost slated for Orchard Street

Bareburger is on this month's CB3-SLA docket for a new beer-wine license for 173 Orchard St. between East Houston and Stanton. (Their questionnaire is online here.)

While Bareburger, which sells a variety of organic and all-natural burgers, is expanding with multiple locations in NYC and overseas, the East Village site on Second Avenue at Fifth Street will be closing in the weeks ahead.

Matt Kouskalis, who owns and operates a handful of the city's Bareburger outposts, confirmed the East Village closure. He said escalating rents at the location were behind the reason for the move.

"So we are moving to a slightly smaller and cozier spot on the Lower East Side," he said via email. "We are sad to leave the East Village but our new location is only a few blocks away and our delivery area will remain the same!"

He said he hoped to be open in late April on Orchard Street.

Bareburger debuted on Second Avenue in January 2012. The previous tenant in the two-level space was neighborhood scourge Sin Sin.

Previously on EV Grieve:
'The neighborhood will not rest until you are gone and Sin Sin’s license is revoked'

NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Why the president of the East Fifth Street Block Association carries a baseball bat

197 E.. 3rd St. is for sale — again

[Image via Massey & Knakal]

The building on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is back on the market. It went up for sale in March 2016 with a $7.5 million price tag.

According to public records, an LLC with a Midtown address bought the property for $6.3 million in a sale recorded in August 2016.

Here's more on the latest via the Massey & Knakal listing:

197 East 3rd Street consists of an occupied retail unit on the ground floor along with the majority of basement and 16 apartments above. All of the residential units are rent stabilized due to enrollment in the J-51 Tax Abatement program; however, 8 apartments are renting at market with high legal rents that permit preferential rents at market. The buyer can add value in a variety of ways including roof deck installation, retail expansion and future upside in the remaining 8 unrenovated apartments (half the building).

The 8 apartments renting at market were just completely gut renovated with upgrades including brand new floors, lighting, exposed/pointed brick walls, new tile work throughout the bathrooms and kitchens and a complete set of Bosch appliances (washer/dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves and gas ranges).

In addition to the 8 renovated apartments, the building underwent an extensive renovation which included lobby and common area renovations, a video intercom with Kerisys security key fob installation, façade upgrades, new electrical system throughout (800 amps with new conduit/cables and 80 amp electric panels in each residential unit), completely new lighting in the common areas and much more.

Due to all the work that was performed throughout the building, current ownership is in the process of applying for rent increases due to Major Capital Improvements which should go into effect mid-2018. These increases will result in approximately $10,000 in additional annual net income.

Asking price: $9.2 million.

The retail tenant is No Malice Palace, which eventually returned after the death of owner Phil Sherman. This past Christmas it temporarily served as Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge.

Thursday's parting shots

Christo in Tompkins Square Park late this afternoon... photo above by Steven... and below by Bobby Williams...

Bus drama on 9th Street

Earlier this evening, a USPS truck broke down on Ninth Street just west of Avenue A (top photo).

Meanwhile, a westbound M8 made the the turn onto Ninth Street... the bus driver determined that she couldn't make it through the space without hitting either the postal truck or the parked cars...



This was despite the fact that bystanders figured there was plenty of space to squeeze through... and so the bus sat there while the bus driver waited for someone from the MTA to show up to assist...



Some 45 minutes later, the MTA employee who arrived on the scene successfully navigated the tight space... and everyone was on their way again...



All the while, a resident who lives on the block directed traffic ... to keep vehicles from turning onto Ninth Street and getting stuck behind the bus.

Thanks to Steven for the photos and background!

31-33 2nd Ave. is on the market — for $40 million

A sales listing for 31-33 Second Ave. arrived on LoopNet earlier this month.

There's not much info about the property here between First Street and Second Street:

Fully occupied new construction mixed use building, consisting of 20 luxury residential units and 1 commercial unit, in prime East Village.

The prince tag is a whopping $40 million.

Developer Ben Shaoul bought this property for $5.6 million in 2011. At that time, it looked like this...



The generic-looking luxury rental that later emerged on the site with three extra floors was called the Luxe East.

In 2015, he sold it for $29 million to real-estate investor Sunny Yung, The Real Deal reported.

According to Streeteasy, the average rental in the elevator building with central air is $5,300.

The Unleashed by Petco in the retail space closed last month after two-plus years in business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ben Shaoul planning a 3-story addition at 31-33 Second Ave.

Bracing for 3 new floors at 31-33 Second Ave.

Checking in on the work in progress at 31-33 2nd Ave., where Ben Shaoul is adding 3 new floors

Ben Shaoul's bland new 2nd Avenue building is called The East Luxe

Maria Hrynenko due back in court on March 23

[The former 119-123 2nd Ave.]

On Tuesday, Nexus Building Development Group filed plans to build a high-end condo at 121 Second Ave., where one of three buildings were destroyed in the deadly gas explosion in March 2015.

Last June, Nexus paid $9.15 million for the empty lots at No. 119 and 121 between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. Public records show that Maria Hrynenko's companies — MAH Realty and Kiev Realty — were the sellers.

In February 2016, Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance's office charged Hrynenko and four others with manslaughter and negligent homicide for their alleged role in the blast that killed two men and injured more than a dozen other people.

News of the proposed condo prompted questions about the pending trial against Hrynenko and the others.

According to court documents, Hrynenko will be back in court on March 23 — almost three years to the date since the explosion leveled 119-123 Second Ave.

Records show that Hrynenko and the other accused have appeared in New York County Criminal Court 12 times since February 2016... the outcome was the same "adjourned/bail continued" ...



As previously reported, Hrynenko and her companies have been hit with at least 28 civil lawsuits.

Meanwhile, last June, Hrynenko filed a lawsuit, claiming that her management company was "careless and reckless" in its work. In the spring of 2015, as investigators focused on her actions, a lawyer for Hrynenko said that Con Edison bore responsibility for not shutting off the gas during the visit to the property earlier that day.

Vance's office charged Maria and her son, Michael Jr., along with contractor Dilber Kukic and plumber Jerry Ioannidis with manslaughter in the second degree, criminally negligent homicide and assault in the second degree, among other charges. (The final defendant, licensed plumber Andrew Trombettas, was charged with offering a false instrument​,​ for allegedly lending his name and license number to paperwork.)

The five were accused of installing an illegal gas system, which they hid from inspectors, at No. 119 and 121. All five pleaded not guilty.

An obituary posted last August at the Pizzi Funeral Home website stated that Michael Jr. died on Aug. 25. He was 31. A cause of death was not disclosed for Hrynenko, who was also called Mischou.

Kukic, Ioannidis and Trombettas will appear in court on March 23 with Maria Hrynenko.



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Read the previous coverage here.

Gutting Tarallucci e Vino

Tarallucci e Vino on 10th Street at First Avenue is currently closed (as of Monday) for a renovation.

As the sign on the Italian cafe notes: "After 16 great years ... it's time to spruce things up a bit."

Based on this glance inside the space yesterday, it appears to be more than a sprucing up, which suggests a coat of paint and some new chairs ...



The owners expect to be back in service by the end of March.

Thanks to Lola Sāenz for the photo!

UPDATED: The cafe reopened on June 12.

The former TakeMeHome Rotisserie Chicken space on Avenue A will be...

On Tuesday, we noted that the former TakeMeHome Rotisserie Chicken space was under renovation at 151 Avenue A between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

A sign for the USPS arrived on the front door yesterday ... complete with a business name. And it has nothing to do with (presumably!) dessert or beer/vape or vape/beer ... it's Quick Repair and Electronics...


[Photo by Steven]

The storefront has been vacant since the quick-serve TakeMeHome venture closed in the summer of 2016.

Wednesday's parting shot

A heartfelt delivery on First Avenue and Seventh Street this Valentine's Day via Derek Berg...