Neighbors address the rooftop parties at this 6th Street building

Some residents on Sixth Street have launched a flyer campaign to help address the rooftop ragers at 330 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Per the flyers spotted on the block...

"We are a group of tenants living on 6th Street determined to address the issue of noise disturbances occurring every weekend — crowded parties on the rooftop with blasting music and guests yelling until late night."

Apparently, these have become a Friday-through-Sunday ritual these past few months.

There's an email address to receive updates on the group's action... as well as a prompt to file a complaint with 311. 

The landlord is Centennial Properties, which is the new name of convicted felon Steve Croman's 9300 Realty. 

According to Streeteasy, units range in price from $4,100 to $7,600 for three to four bedrooms. Amenities for a few units include balconies with at least one having a private roof deck.

H/T @vanishingny 

A look at the under-renovation Ideal Glass space on 2nd Street

A few readers have asked about the renovations at the Ideal Glass space at 20-22 E. Second St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

As reported last fall, Karma gallery is taking over this space... the latest EV expansion for art dealer and publisher Brendan Dugan, who debuted Karma on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B in November 2016. (Karma Books opened in April 2018 at 136 E. Third St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.)

According to artnet News, who first reported on this deal, this "latest venue is set to be the crown jewel" for Karma. Why? "The ceiling height alone is enough to make a dealer salivate, and there will no doubt be a number of artists maneuvering for spots on the programming schedule."

The Ideal Glass building dates to the 1950s, when used as a glazier's workshop.

Blackout along East River Park

In recent days, someone has blacked out all the Save East River Park flyers along the waterfront...

And apparently, this was more than a random act of spraypainting... EVG reader Robert Miner, who shared these photos, said every flyer from East River Park Action was like this from 18th Street down to the Williamsburg Bridge.

Opponents of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project have been asking for a "real environmental review" of the $1.45 billion plan to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise. 

Opponents of the city's current plan — where workers will raze the 57.5-acre plot of land, bulldozing 1,000 mature trees and rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill — say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy.

In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

Previously

A little love for Little Poland

Little Poland has been open almost a month to the date here at 200 Second Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street.

Jefferson Siegel shared this photo today of the diner's nice-looking sidewalk cafe. 

The diner, which opened in 1985, has daily hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. (And keep an eye out for the $7.75 breakfast special.)

The remains of the Gem Spa can now be found in homes (and a barn) across the U.S.

Gem Spa closed just a little more than a year ago on the corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place. 

Parul Patel, who had been running the store that her father Ray owned since 1986, made a gallant effort to save the iconic corner shop that dates to the 1920s. However, whatever financial progress she was able to make was not enough to overcome a global pandemic. 

Late last year, Patel auctioned off the Gem Spa's sign, rolldown gate and other miscellanea.

At The New Yorker this week, Michael Schulman tracked down the owners of these Gem Spa relics.

Jason Sheehy nabbed one of the big yellow storefront signs (seventy-five hundred dollars), plus a milkshake machine (three-fifty). Sheehy lives on a grain farm in Ohio, but "the East Village has always just been my jive," he said. Both items will live in his nineteenth-century farmhouse, part of which he has turned into an Irish pub, furnished with a bar and stools from O’Lunney's Times Square Pub, another pandemic casualty.

Diana Goldfeder Stewart, a graphic artist in San Francisco, bought an egg-cream sign for her kitchen (three thousand dollars). Her family operated the store from the twenties through the fifties, when it was called Goldfeder's. She grew up hearing stories about her great-grandfather Nathan's chocolate-sauce recipe. ("He served what was called Goldfeder's Famous Egg Cream.") Like a lot of Gem Spa fans, she was anxious about what will replace it. "That corner — it's a magical corner for so many people," she said. "It can't be just nothing there."

As this photo from yesterday shows, nothing is here for now. The storefront is on the rental market.

Top photo from April 2019 by Stacie Joy

Trading places: Are you ready for some Unregular Pizza?

Unregular Pizza opens today at 135 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. There was a friends and family sneak preview last evening... (thanks to Steven for the pics!)

Owner Gabriele Lamonaca, who previously worked at EV restaurants Huertas and Cacio e Vino, made headlines earlier this year for his unique bartering system. 

Lamonaca, who has wanted to open his own restaurant, started experimenting with his pizza-making skills during the pandemic. From his Harlem apartment, he whipped up a handful of pies every week and made them available via barter. 

As the Rome native told the Post back in February, he didn't want to take people's money during such difficult financial times... so he traded his creations for everything from chocolate cake to chicken Milanese.

He said there's some historical precedent for bartering. During leaner times in post-World War II Italy, "My grandmother would bake bread and press olives into oil, and trade it to neighbors for eggs," he said.

Now though you can pay for the pies, which the Post declared the best in the city. You can follow the pizzeria on Instagram. It appears that Lamonaca will still hold some pizza barters. (Update: they will have once-daily trades.)

Hours: daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Electric Burrito debuts on St. Mark's Place

Electric Burrito had its grand opening yesterday here at 81 St. Mark's Place just west of First Avenue.

As previously reported, the Southern California-style, to-go restaurant was created by Alex Thaboua and Will Wyatt of the cocktail bar Mister Paradise around the corner on First Avenue. 

The menu includes burritos inspired by Thaboua's upbringing in San Diego and house-made sodas. 

A rep shared more info on what to expect:

Visitors will be able to enjoy a selection of Cali-Mexican fare, including San Diego classics such as breakfast burritos, tacos and a totally authentic California Burrito that’s stuffed with french fries. 

Popularized by surfers and familiar to anyone in Southern California, this fry-stuffed Mexican-American mashup is a staple of casual California dining. Dubbed simply The California Burrito, there are slightly different takes up and down the Gold Coast with people in San Diego usually opting for carne asada. 

At Electric Burrito guests may select pollo asado, carnitas or carne asada as their base that gets rolled up with pico de gallo, cheese, and those iconic fries (guac, beans, crema and other add ons can be thrown in as well).

You can find the Electic Burrito website here. And Instagram here. Electric Burrito is open for now from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and from noon to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Good night: Mattress Firm closes up shop on East Houston

The Mattress Firm recently closed at 250 E. Houston St. in the row of one-level businesses here between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Previously it was a Sleepy's ... and before Sleepy's, the address served as a Halloween pop-up shop for a few years. 

And before that! Blockbuster!

Blockbuster bid adieu in March 2012. 

The 13-floor residential building at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square, changed ownership in the fall of 2016 ... and underwent extensive renovations.

Apparently, not all of the retail space was part of the deal.

You can tell by where the new paint stops — right at the former Mattress Mart. Other current tenants in the unpainted zone include the Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins combo, Subway (sandwich shop), China Town Chinese restaurant, the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center, H&R Block and Kapri Cleaners.

There are several vacancies in the old and renovated retail sections. And the Y7 Studio has yet to reopen (to the left of Mattress Mart) from the PAUSE of March 2020.

Previously on EV Grieve:

You've had your last Blockbuster night on East Houston

Monday's parting shot

Amelia and Christo were taking a quick break from nest duties in Tompkins Square Park late this afternoon atop the St. Nicholas of Myra Church on Avenue A and 10th Street... but a dive-bombing blue jay ruined the vibe... photo by Steven...

May 17

As seen earlier today on First Avenue and 10th Street... thanks to Goggla for the photo!

Report: Police seek 2 suspects in lobby shooting on Avenue D

The NYPD is searching for two suspects who shared a gun while opening fire from the lobby of a building at 132 Avenue D at Ninth Street. 

Fox 5 and ABC 7 have the surveillance video. No one was injured during the shooting, which took place just after midnight on Saturday. 

Descriptions of the suspects were not provided in the media reports.

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. All calls are strictly confidential.

Screengrab via ABC 7

On Union Square, Food Emporium makes the upcoming closing official

Closing signs arrived late last week outside the Food Emporium at 10 Union Square East ...

As we first reported back in March, this location will close on May 30, according to a WARN notice filed on Feb. 25 with the New York State Department of Labor. 

The WARN filing says that the Food Emporium lease is expiring. The closure will impact 50 employees, per the notice. 

For now, everything in the store is 30 percent off. (And if you are looking for a Coinstar replacement.)

What's next for the Food Emporium space? In February 2020, Lois Weiss at the Post reported that Target signed a lease for the 32,579 square feet here on 14th Street. At the time, the Food Emporium was said to stay here through the end of April 2023.

Sources told Weiss that, despite the wait, Target wanted to lock in the location along 14th Street. The nearly 16-year lease had an asking rent of $183 per square foot, she reported.

In December 2015, Key Food acquired the Food Emporium banner name and related intellectual property assets, per published reports.

A few blocks away, Chef's Local Harvest, a 10,000-square-foot grocery store, is opening early next year in the former Associated on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.