The Tompkins Square Park holiday tree lighting is Dec. 9

[Photo from last year's lighting on Dec. 10 by Steven]

The 27th edition of the Tompkins Square Park tree lighting happens on Dec. 9 from 4-5 p.m.

The East Village Independent Merchants Association (EVIMA) made the announcement yesterday on Instagram...



Per the invite:

The humble evergreen was planted in 1992 in the memory of Glenn Barnett and other neighbors who have died of AIDS. Glenn Barnett was an East Village local and a fierce advocate for the park's value to the community. Over the years, this event has turned into a beloved tradition. The evening will include carolers, refreshments, official tree lighting and raffle giveaways.

Will post more details on the tree lighting 12-13 times before Dec. 9.

The EVIMA is also look for local businesses to help sponsor the event. Details at this link.

H/T Jimmy Carbone!

Vacant lot at 14 2nd Ave. sells for $7 million; will yield to 10-floor condoplex

That empty parcel at 14 Second Ave. between First Street and Houston has a new owner who plans on building condos on this spot adjacent to First Street Green Art Park.

According to a real-estate transaction posted yesterday, Evan Blum, who owned the previous business on the property, Irreplaceable Artifacts, sold the parcel to developer Daniel Vislocky of Station Companies for $7 million.

The site offers 15,042 buildable square feet as of right. In a news release on the sale, Vislocky said his firm plans to build a 10-story residential building with full-floor luxury condominium units on the property.

To date, there's nothing yet on file with the Department of Buildings for the address. (And there are still Stop Work Orders dating to 2009 and 2000.)

The deal for 14 Second Ave. was part of a bankruptcy proceeding. In a separate transaction, 212-216 E. 125th St., also owned by Blum, changed hands for $10 million.

In July 2000, the city demolished the four-story building that housed Irreplaceable Artifacts at 14 Second Ave. According to the Times, a wall and two floors collapsed at No. 14, which forced the evacuation of 51 apartments in three nearby buildings.

The Times reported that a construction crew was making alterations to the first floor of Irreplaceable Artifacts in defiance of a stop-work order.

On Oct. 26, an EVG reader spotted workers at 14 Second Ave. removing several artifacts that remained on the site following the building's demolition

As the reader noted then: "Can luxury condos be far behind?"

Previously on EV Grieve:
Workers remove artifacts from the vacant 14 2nd Ave., fueling speculation of new development

Development watch: 14 2nd Ave.

Atino Eyewear Optical closing at the end of the month on 7th Street

Angel Suarez is closing Atino Eyewear Optical at 110 E. Seventh St. at the end of the month.

In an email to me, Suarez said that everything was "on the right track until Sept. 1." Business for the shop that opened in March has dropped off drastically since the end of the summer — by nearly 60 percent.

"I have been open and working seven days a week now and I have come to the conclusion it is finished," he said. "This is rough."

Suarez, a Brooklyn native, spent seven years at Robert Marc in the West Village and three years at Selima Optique in Soho before opening here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

He's holding a going-out-of-business sale on frames through the end of the month. (Find more details at the store's website.)

Tapanju Turntable is closed for now on 4th and B

Tapanju Turntable, which offers Korean tapas and color-changing beer towers, is closed for business for the time being on the southwest corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street ... a sign on the door notes "a gas issue" ...



A voice-mail at the restaurant states that they are closed due to "unexpected circumstances" (their website is offline) ... while Google lists them as permanently closed...



Tapanju (re)opened last December, a rebranded version of Turntable 5060 (same owners), which debuted in July 2015.

The previous tenant at this address, Vella Market, lasted just six months here, closing in October 2013. The 16-year-old vegetarian restaurant Kate's Joint closed in this spot in April 2012.

Wednesday's parting shot

A photo from earlier this fall on St. Mark's Place by Krikor Daglian... find more of his work here.

All 3 NYC ballot measures approved yesterday

[Photo on 1st Avenue yesterday by Peter Brownscombe]

Voters yesterday approved three proposals that came via the Charter Review Commission

As a recap about what they are:

Proposal 1: Campaign Finance

This proposal would lower the amount that a candidate for city office may accept from a contributor to their campaign, increase the amount of public funds available to participating candidates, and make public funds available earlier. Candidates in the 2021 election would have the choice of whether or not to have the new limits apply to them.

Proposal 2: Civic Engagement Commission

This proposal would create a Civic Engagement Commission that would centralize civic engagement initiatives, create a citywide participatory budgeting program, assist community boards, and provide language interpreters throughout the city on Election Day.

Proposal 3: Community Boards

This proposal would change how community boards throughout the city are run, by imposing term limits on appointees, changing the application and appointment process for community board members, and require the Civic Engagement Commission (if Question 2 is approved) to provide resources to community boards.

Per NY1:

Eighty percent of New Yorkers voted "yes" on the first proposal, which cuts the maximum amount of campaign contributions allowed for candidates running for city office.

The second would create a civic engagement commission, which would also allow residents to vote on how to spend city funds.

It won approval by 65 percent of voters.

And 72 percent of voters said "yes" to the last provision.

It would apply term limits to members of the city's 59 community boards.

You can find a full list of the Election Day results for New York here.

The Mars Bar lives! (in a penthouse suite in Times Square)

[Mars Bar photo courtesy of Karla and James Murray]

The dear old Mars Bar (RIP July 2011) over on Second Avenue and First Street has been immortalized in an unexpected place — a penthouse suite at the recently renovated Row NYC hotel on Eighth Avenue...

An EVG reader shared this find... behold the Penthouse Suite, with an entry featuring a life-sized Mars Bar storefront photo-printed on the wall...


[Click to go big]

Per the Row NYC website:

For a truly unforgettable stay, our Penthouse Suites are the ultimate uptown indulgence. Featuring one or two-bedroom options with separate living areas – along with a wet bar and kitchenette for entertaining – they hold our most-desired accommodations with top-notch city views and unparalleled touches to make your stay even more extraordinary.

Per the EVG reader: "If the guests only knew..."

If you're unfamiliar with the Mars Bar, well, it was a shithole — the best, really. (I write that with great affection.)


[Mars Bar photo by Eden from 2009]

It never reopened after a DOH inspector found 850 (or so) fruit flies, standing water, cracked walls and other unsanitary conditions in July 2011. What else was new?

Anyway, for upwards of $500, you can see the Mars Bar on your penthouse walls.

And Mars Bar owner Hank Penza was right. In an interview leading up to the closure, he said: "Fuck the bar. What am I, crazy? There's a beginning and an end. You hear? The Mars Bar will live forever and I'll die." (Penza died in October 2015 at age 82.)

The corner storefronts where Mars Bar stood were eventually demolished in late 2011/early 2012 to make way for the 12-story residential building Jupiter 21. The corner space now houses a TD Bank and The Alchemist's Kitchen, a cafe and shop that sells botanical medicines, herbal remedies and whole plant beauty products.

Previously on EV Grieve:
At the Mars Bar yesterday, the DOH found 850 fruit flies (or so)

Police looking for suspect in slashing outside Karma on 1st Avenue

The NYPD is looking for a suspect in connection with a slashing outside Karma, the hookah bar on First Avenue between Third Street and Fourth Street.



According to the Post, a fight broke out inside the club around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, spilling out onto the sidewalk.

That’s when the man pulled out a sharp object and slashed his 25-year-old victim, causing a cut to the back of his head, cops said.

Police said the men did not know each other.

The victim needed stitches at Lenox Hill.

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.

In April 2017, a rapper who performs as Ju was slashed in the face during a fight outside Karma. Ju left in an Uber, but was ejected from the car "for excessive bleeding," the Post reported.

New signage and a Michelin star for Tuome on 5th Street

Tuome just received some new signage on the previously unmarked storefront here at 536 E. Fifth St.between Avenue A and Avenue B.



This should make the low-key restaurant a little easier to find — especially after yesterday's announcement that it has received a Michelin star.

Tuome was one of 13 new entries to receive a star in NYC from the world's oldest restaurant guide. Here's what Michelin had to say:

Tuome presents a unique and highly personal cuisine. Inspectors found the recent menus to reflect the harmonious balance of sound cooking skills and enticing Asian flavors. Tuome is a charming neighborhood gem.

Meanwhile, several East Village restaurants were awarded again (same as last year):

Two stars:
• Momofuku Ko, 8 Extra Place

One Star:
• Jewel Bako, 239 E. Fifth St.

• Kanoyama, 175 Second Ave.

• Kyo Ya, 94 E. Seventh St.

You can find the full list of NYC recipients at Grub Street. Eater has analysis here.

Thomas Chen, an accountant turned cook/chef, opened Tuome in August 2014. He worked his way up through the kitchen ranks at Eleven Madison Park (three Michelin stars!) before Tuome.

The restaurant is open from 6-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; until 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

A new broker for 503 E. Sixth St.

The landlord at 503 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B is bringing in the A team to rent the retail space.

Back in early September, store-bought for-rent signs with a handwritten phone number were in the front windows... now the space is being repped by a team at Halstead...



The asking rent is $7,000 a month, per the listing. And: "Prime location with lots of traffic! Perfect for restuarants, offices and more!"

The previous tenant, Cholo Noir, quietly closed in August after 13 months in business. No. 503 was also home for five weeks to Long Bay, a Vietnamese restaurant that closed in the spring of 2015. Several years earlier the space housed Gladiators Gym.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cholo Noir space now for rent on 6th Street

On the 49th day of Christmas...

Workers began setting up for the Union Square Holiday Market today, as this photo by EVG Union Square Holiday Market Set-Up Correspondent Derek Berg shows.

The market, on the south end of Union Square, officially opens on Nov. 15, and runs through Dec. 24.

Per the Holiday Market website:

The Union Square Holiday Market is an internationally renowned Holiday Market located at the heart of New York City, in Union Square Park. Hailed as a must-visit destination for unique gifts created by local craftsmen and artists, millions of people browse the winding aisles each year enjoying this unique and eclectic holiday experience

Now with an upgraded look, exciting new sections like Little Brooklyn and Urbanspace Provisions, a Warming Station and Lounge Presented by Citi, a Kid’s Arts Studio by our partners at CMA and Citi, live music, and the best vendor selection in the Northeast, Union Square Holiday Market is the holiday destination for New Yorkers and tourists alike.

The Market site does not have the 2018 vendors listed just yet.

Election Day

At Evelyn & Louis Green Residence at Cooper Square and Fifth Street this morning around 9... photos via Derek Berg...