Saturday, July 24, 2021
Meredith Blake is missing [Updated: found safe!]
Friday, July 23, 2021
Summer in the City at 3rd & B’Zaar
Photos by Stacie Joy
It's time for Summer in the City at 3rd & B’Zaar.
The mixed-vendor market and event space at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B is hosting several day-long pop-up markets late this summer... starting tomorrow (Saturday!) where more than 20 local artists, designers and vintage sellers will be featuring their wares in the space from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sara Ann Rutherford, Delia Anne Parker and Maegan Hayworth (seen below) are among the merchants...
The folks at 3rd & B’Zaar also adopted the latest cardboard installation from East Village-based artist Tom Manco. He whipped up a picnic scene that was in Tompkins Square Park... the burger is now in the front window for Summer in the City.
After tomorrow, they'll be another Summer in the City market on Aug. 14. (And look for Drag Bingo here on Aug. 6 and Aug. 19.)
3rd & B’Zaar debuted late last year with a month-long Holiday Market ... followed by Sex, Love & Vintage in February and Spring Into Pride in May and June... with several art shows for good measure.
Oh yeah
L.A.-based teens The Linda Lindas released a new single this week... the above video is for "Oh!"
And why you might have read about them.
Author Q&A: About the dystopian East Village future of 'Drained'
Marc Daniel Acriche, a native New Yorker and longtime East Village resident, recently self-published his first book (this does not include the one he wrote about dinosaurs in the first grade).
"Drained" is a young-adult dystopian thriller taking place in the near future (2048!) NYC.
"A good deal of it was inspired by Hurricane Sandy," Acriche told me. "Tompkins Square Park, and the neighborhood generally, are characters in their own right. There's brainwashing, there's spycraft, and, of course, some thrills."
Acriche (aka the EVG commenter who goes by creature) answered a few questions about the book...
Why was this genre appealing to you?
While "Drained" was always meant to be a thriller, taking place in a near-future, dystopian NYC — my first significant read as a kid was Stephen King's "The Stand," so dystopia is in my blood — it was never intended to be a young adult book.
"Drained" started as a three points-of-view story with Casey Parker, our eventual 17-year-old protagonist, being one of the three. Then, after about 20,000 words, Casey started taking over the story — she would not be denied — and I went back and started over with her as the single point-of-view character and the book really took off from there.
The last thing I expected was to write a book with a teen protagonist, but here we are. She took over and we never looked back.
What role does the East Village play in the book?
What role doesn't it play?! As a longtime resident, it was a natural choice for me to place most of the story down here. That said, the story's setting did not fall into place until after Hurricane Sandy. The images from those days stayed with me: the brightly lit food trucks, the communal phone charging and, most of all, how the lights stayed out below 14th Street.
I remember taking a cab home from work a few days after Sandy, passing from the lit streets to the dark, looking out the back window and seeing how 14th Street appeared to be an actual border of light. It was striking. I ended up calling 14th Street the "Light Border" and it came to define so much of the story.
Tompkins Square Park also plays a large role. In the book, it's become a refuge for a good number of the displaced residents from the flooded and condemned streets surrounding it, and, as the park has always been a refuge of sorts, it seemed right having it play that same role in the book.
Talk about the Spotify soundtrack that you created to accompany "Drained." (Ed note: Amyl and the Sniffers!)
I love the soundtrack, I loved putting together the soundtrack, and appreciate you asking about it. First, the Cure aside, most of the songs are from the last few years and were part of my background while writing and editing, but, really, I tried to match up the songs — with the help of my best friend BAGeL Radio's DJ Ted who hosts the list — to the mood of the chapters they represent.
Whether it's the title, the words, or the beat, the songs on the list spoke to me, and, I would hope, the reader as they take the book's journey. That said, on another level, our protagonist is a big music fan, who goes to shows and has band posters on her wall, and it was just natural to have a soundtrack that represented her love for music as well.
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Humans of New York inspires an outpouring of support for Dress Shoppe II on 2nd Avenue
Photos from 2019 by Stacie Joy
Dress Shoppe II, the Indian boutique on Second Avenue between Fourth Street and Fifth Street, has had its share of heartbreak and struggle in the past two years.
Purushottam Goyal, the family's patriarch, died in September 2019. His wife of 50 years, Saroj Goyal, has been doing her best to keep the shop going... now she is undergoing treatment for breast cancer...
Brandon Stanton, the creator of the popular Humans of New York storyteller series, featured Saroj on his @HumansofNY Instagram account yesterday. He also got involved in helping her business, launching a crowdfunding campaign in the process.
He writes:
Saroj is in a tough spot. She's still grieving her husband. She is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. And the stress is really destroying her mental health. I've spent the last several weeks digging into her situation, and it hasn't been easy to unwind. But I think we've figured out a path.
There's a lot of background on her financial situation. The following is from the GoFundMe page:
By the books — she is behind 24 months of rent. This is due to the disruption of her husband's death, her own health crisis, and the pandemic. Her store is located on 2nd Avenue, which is a prime location. And with tax and utilities, the full arrears would be $200,000. But there is certainly cause for major concessions from her landlord.But Saroj's "landlord" is not a landlord at all. Her storefront is owned by the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association II. The MHA II is a collective that subsidizes low-income residents on the Lower East Side. This means that the rental income from Saroj's storefront goes directly toward subsidizing the rent for low-income New Yorkers. MHA II is a lifeline to many people. And unfortunately the organization's finances have also been badly hurt by the pandemic.The board of MHA II is composed entirely of low-income tenants themselves. They have agreed to accept $130,000 to settle Saroj's debts. In addition to this — they have agreed to allow Saroj to stay in the store rent free for another six months as she attempts to sell as much inventory as possible. After this time hopefully Saroj will be in a position to relocate to a more manageable location.The $130,000 from this fundraiser will not only eliminate Saroj's debt, but it will also subsidize the rent of low-income New Yorkers. Any additional funds will go directly to Saroj, who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer and has to pay 20 percent of the expenses out of her own pocket. She is worried about losing her house.I know it's a lot of context to absorb. But beneath all the numbers and accounting, the goal of this fundraiser is to get Saroj out of crisis so that she can focus on healing. The waters are rising all around her, and we want to get her to some dry ground. The one thing she has is a lot of inventory. So we are hopeful that with some breathing room, she will be able to reposition herself for the long term.If you are in New York City, and would like some vintage handmade Indian clothing and fabric, please visit The Dress Shoppe at 83 2nd Avenue.
As of 8 a.m., the campaign — amplified by Nicolas Heller, aka @NewYorkNico — has raised more than $412,000 after 17 hours.
And here's Saroj's story on Humans of New York...
Thursday, July 22, 2021
Police seeking possible witness to last week's homicide on 1st Avenue
The 9th Precinct has released the photo of a woman they'd like to question regarding the homicide investigation of Marvin Bellamy last week on First Avenue.Have you see this individual? We would like to speak to her in regards to a homicide that occurred on 07/14/21 in front of 130 1 avenue . pic.twitter.com/sVIltqI8IZ
— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) July 22, 2021
It's not immediately clear if the woman, seen wearing a navy Champion T-shirt and carrying a multicolored bag, was with Bellamy or may have witnessed the attack...
The 37-year-old Bellamy, who lived on the Upper West Side, was found with a puncture wound to his chest in the early morning hours on July 14. (Some reports say he was found between Sixth Street and Seventh Street ... while the latest tweet from the 9th Precinct lists the address as 130 First Ave. — near St. Mark's Place.) He reportedly died later at Mount Sinai Beth Israel.
The NYPD has distributed photos of a possible suspect...
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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.
If this chair could talk
Thanks to Vinny & O for the pics...
A farewell visit to The Baroness
Text and photos by Stacie Joy
After 28-plus years in the East Village, longtime resident and shop owner The Baroness is shutting her eponymous latex atelier and boutique and moving to France.
Pursuing a move that’s been in the works for a while now, a dream of hers, The Baroness smiles as she greets me at the door in much the same way she did when I interviewed her for my A Visit to column — regally, with grace and sharp wit, and fully decked out in latex and heels.
Today she is accompanied by her assistant, Persephone, who will be handling some of the garment work after the boutique closes.
Like the last time I was in the provocative and well-appointed shop, I’m most definitely not wearing latex, although listening to the Baroness wax rhapsodic about its vanilla/milk chocolate scent, its sounds and feels, the way it hugs and holds one’s body, I am quite tempted to try something on. The designer is confident she can dress “almost anyone” and I briefly wonder if that includes me.
In between customers and looky-loo shoppers, the Baroness and Persephone talk with me about their love of latex, the future of the Baroness’ impressive body of work, and what largescale rubber artwork plans (among other things like podcasts and parties) the Baroness has mapped out for her new life.
It certainly is exciting and rather bittersweet. Moving to France has been a lifelong dream that just kept being put off. During the forced closure of the pandemic, I worked to review, catalog, and preserve the history of The Domain of The Baroness and the fetish world that I have been such a large part of.
I feel very strongly that this piece of history must be preserved and I’ve dispersed the information to The Fashion Institute of Technology, The Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago, the Texas Fashion Collective, and the UK Leather and Fetish Archive. As a result, I saw that this was the perfect time to change my life and move on to my next phase.
When I began my business almost 30 years ago, I was one of only three latex designers in North America. Now, as latex has become more popular, there’s been a minor explosion of young designers with Etsy shops, advances in technology, including laser cutting and latex printing, and, more important, there’s been a shift in the perception of latex — going from fetish and fantasy into fashion, often used as an accessory to make an outfit “edgy.”
Whilst I have certainly sold to customers and fashionistas with that mindset, my latex interests are more…complex.
You mentioned that this decision to close the store wasn’t COVID-related, at least not directly. How long have you been planning the move and what are your plans in your new home?
The boutique closes its doors on Aug. 26, with my bon voyage and final lubricated shopping cocktail party. That leaves a month to organize and pack the balance of my New York life.
I’ve rented a temporary house in southern Beaujolais while I look for my next dream house and studio. I imagine that it could take up to two years to get settled, establish my new studio, and start working. During that period, I plan to finish writing my book on clothing and power.
Can you walk us through the timeline for shuttering the shop? Are you still accepting custom orders?
At this point, we are no longer accepting custom orders. We will fulfill all stock orders — in store and online — until the end of July. We will be closed on Saturday, July 31 to take inventory so that our website will properly reflect all available stock.
Then the month of August will be one big sale as everything must go, including jewelry, feathers, and other costume pieces used as accessories for fashion shows, along with racks, and other fixtures.
What’s to become of your shop and will you be opening a new shop abroad?
Many people have asked if I would pass along my business to another and I will not. The Baroness domain was built as a reflection of myself, and while others could produce the basic garments, no one can faithfully reproduce my vision.
Although The Baroness NY boutique will be gone, my chief executioner, Persephone, will be available to fulfill my lifetime guarantee of our work. And once my French atelier is established, I will return to designing, creating, and realizing the vision of my more interesting and creative clients, both in the US and Europe.
You’ve spoken about some ideas regarding large-scale art installations, will you be creating latex-based artwork? What's next for The Baroness?
The art of latex! I am really looking forward to having the time to create bizarre, rubber wearable art, such as The Maw, where imagination is the only limit with the goal of exhibiting them at museums and galleries worldwide.
I’ll continue to document the fetish world through a series of podcasts, host intimate fetish gatherings, and plan to attend the major European events. I don’t think I’ll run out of projects to keep me entertained!
Openings: Gia Trattoria on the Bowery; Marufuku Ramen on 2nd Avenue
Here's more about the restaurant via their website:
Gia ... brings craveable Italian food, handcrafted drinks and much more. In addition to an array of mouthwatering wood-fired pizzas, Gia's menu includes flavorful pastas, appetizers, shareables, snacks and entrees.
Menu highlights include: the Pesto Rossa Pizza, Calamarata pasta with squid, san marzano, capers, pine nuts and fennel seeds, "Fairytale Eggplant" with gorgonzola, sun-dried tomatoes and pickled scape and Branzino with fennel confit and herbs.
You can find the menu at this link.
And the posted hours:
Tuesday-Thursday: 5-10 p.m.
Friday: 5-11 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-11 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Most recently this space was Gino Sorbillo, the first U.S. pizzeria from "the Neapolitan celebrity super-chef" of the same name. The "temporarily closed for renovation" sign arrived here in early January ... after a November 2017 opening.
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This is the first NYC location for the growing brand that has five outposts in California and one in Texas.
About their food, via the Marufuku website:
Marufuku proudly serves the authentic Hakata-style Tonkotsu ramen — featuring milky and umami rich broth made from boiling pork bones for long hours, an ultra-thin artisanal noodles that match perfectly with the broth, and Cha-shu made from specially selected pork.Steven took these photos as they opened on Monday...
Sunday-Thursday: 5-10 p.m., until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The previous tenant, Sanpoutei Gyoza & Ramen debuted in January 2020 and never reopened after the PAUSE went into effect in March 2020. Some EVG readers may recall that Kabin Bar & Lounge was here until March 2015.
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
A warm and fuzzy shoot for NY Lottery in Tompkins Square Park
Happy returns: New location of Gaia Italian Café — REVEALED!
After closing nearly one year ago on East Houston Street, the new shop and takeout location for Gaia Italian Café has been revealed.
EVG reader Jonathan Calvenna shared this photo of Gaia Bagnasacco's new outpost here at 119 Essex St. between Rivington and Delancey.
Per Jonathan:
Stopped by to check it out yesterday just as Gaia was walking up the block. She invited me in for a look and said it would likely be a smaller operation than her previous spot on Houston Street, focusing on takeout at first. However, that could change. Ideas are in the works. She anticipated being open by August. Google currently shows her as open at that address, but that's not the case just yet.
So no indoor dining in the new space.
Bagnasacco closed her popular business on July 26, 2020, at 251 E. Houston St. between Norfolk and Suffolk after nine years.
At the time, Bagnasacco recommended following her social media accounts for updates on a possible encore for the cafe. She teased the new space in the late spring without revealing the address.
In the interim, she has been selling her pasta, meal kits and sauces via an online shop — and all available for local delivery.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Illustrations from the pandemic
He shared those illustrations and observances in a recent post on Medium.
What follows is a small selection of his work... visit the site for more... (with a thank you to Loren DeVito) ...
Then the hoarding crisis quickly came into play. People left Trader Joe’s and Target on 14th Street and Avenue A with many bags of toilet paper, sanitizer, bread, and more.
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Those who took it seriously, though, kept at least a six-foot distance and some were uncomfortable helping others.
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But despite the panic, there were still people who thought they either didn’t need a mask or didn’t wear it at all times. They were oblivious to others who coughed or sneezed near them. This happened enough that people screamed at them in the neighborhood.
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