More about S'MAC's decision to leave First Park

[January 2012]

News came down last week that S'MAC had closed its satellite operation at First Park after nearly 18 months at the location off of East Houston and East First Street. S'MAC took over for Veselka at the kiosk in January 2012.

We reached out to Caesar Ekya, who owns and operates S'MAC with his wife Sarita, for more details about the decision and the future at First Park.

On running the kiosk:

"We had high hopes for it. It is such a lovely park and neighborhood, and we felt that it would be great to be part of it and help develop it into something better.

But the sales didn't materialize and we ended up losing money there every week that we were open. We tried different formats, timings, product mix, even started delivering, but were not able to raise sales to a break-even number.

We still have more ideas for it and more things on our list to try but then, in the past few months, two things happened that made us decide to give it up. One was the opening of the Murray Hill location and the other was the Health Department mandated closure of the East Village original.

With those two events we realized that we needed to bring our focus back to the two locations that we know work and are profitable, and so the decision to close became inevitable."

On the future at First Park:

"We still feel very sad having to close the kiosk. We feel it has a lot of potential for the right vendor and are working with the Parks Department to find someone who can turn into the neighbor it can be.

If we terminate our lease and walk away, then it will go back to a bidding process and will remain closed for the next 6-9 months. So our preference is to try and find someone to assign the lease to. We have talked to a lot of the neighborhood businesses already, especially coffee shops, and there are some potentials in the pipeline. Hopefully, we will know for sure in the next 2-3 weeks."

The S'MAC locations on East 12th Street and in Murray Hill remain open.

Here's the new-look 205 Avenue A with 2 additional floors

[January]

We've been noting that 205 Avenue A between East 12th Street and East 13th Street was getting a two-floor extension courtesy of developer Terrence Lowenberg and architect Ramy Issac.

And yesterday, workers removed the construction netting and scaffolding to reveal... a very Lowenberg-Issac-like building...



It's quite similar to the look of another recent joint venture — 326-328 E. Fourth St.

There aren't any listings yet for 205... so it's not clear yet whether they will be dormy side, like the apartments at 326-328 E. Fourth St. where there was a six-bedroom apartment listed for $8,000.

Previously on EV Grieve:
2 additional floors coming to 205 Avenue A; another Lowenberg-Issac production

205 Avenue A primed for 2 new floors

Is the under-renovation 205 Avenue A already too tall?

Native Bean space apparently back on the market

Back in September 2011, a "for rent" sign went up above Native Bean at 50 Avenue A... Per the listing, it was a 10-year lease at $10,000 per month.

Then, in March, workers removed the "for rent" sign. And we understood that the cafe was staying put... until we spotted the recent arrival of another "for lease" sign on the building to the left of the front entrance...



The listing at the Heller Organization puts the rent at $9,500... and that the space is available "immediately."

Box Kite Coffee opening at former Tuck Shop space on St. Mark's Place?

The Tuck Shop closed its location on St. Mark's Place near Avenue A on July 7. According to the sign on the door, the shop closed for a variety of reasons, including "Gentrification ... Rent is too damn high!, Laziness/ennui, Albany/Bloomberg and Gluten-free people."

Word here is that the storefront will become home to Box Kite Coffee, a shop operated by barista Cora Lambert.

Paperwork filed ahead of last night's CB3/SLA committee meeting shows a change in ownership at 115 St. Mark's Place.



A recent issue of Imbibe magazine had an item about Box Kite Coffee opening in NYC...



We haven't heard official confirmation of this... and there's no other word on a possible opening date.

No help likely to spare Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church from demolition

Last week we reported on the ongoing prep work to demolish the former Mary Help of Christians school and rectory. The church on East 12th Street, which opened in 1917, remains free of the demolition bondage as of last night.

As previously reported, East Village community and preservation groups were hoping that the historic church that developer Douglas Steiner plans to develop can be spared... the groups learned that a large cemetery was formerly found on this site, and called for a complete archaeological evaluation of the site before any work proceeded.

And what became of that request following the press conference on May 23?

"We did hear back from the Landmark Preservation Commission that they abdicated all responsibility to even require an archeological survey," said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. "So Steiner may end up digging up bodies, and the public may never know."

As far as next steps with trying to preserve the church, Berman said that their options are limited.

"Thus far common sense, decency, reasonable alternatives, and appeals to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to do their job have not stopped Steiner from moving ahead with his cemetery-condos plan," he said.

Steiner bought the property last fall for an unspecified residential complex.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory

Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site

Scaffolding arrives for demolition of Mary Help of Christians

Tonight's sunset

East Sixth Street this evening.

Play ball

Photo today in Tompkins Square Park by Bobby Williams

After 65 days, Cooper Union students end occupation of president's office

[May 10]

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Joint Statement by Former Occupiers of the President’s Office, the Administration, and Board of Trustees of The Cooper Union, July 15th, 2013

The administration, Board of Trustees of The Cooper Union and those members of the Cooper Union community who have been occupying the Office of the President since early May have reached an agreement that ended the occupation on Friday.

A working group will be established promptly to undertake a good faith effort to seek an alternative to tuition that will sustain the institution’s long-term financial viability and strengthen its academic excellence.

The working group will consist of Board, faculty, alumni, students and administration representatives and will report to the administration and Board of Trustees for consideration at the December Board of Trustees Meeting.

The Board also confirmed, in accordance with the motion approved at the June Board meeting, that procedures for student representation on the Board will be established at the September meeting.

An interim room has been identified as a Community Commons that can serve as a student center or a community center for all members of the Cooper Community.

All individuals who have violated Cooper Union policies throughout the period of the occupation will be granted amnesty, and in turn, commit to complying with, and cooperating with the enforcement of, all laws and Cooper Union policies.

Here's a look at the start of Day 65 on Friday...

The sun just rose on 65 days of occupation at Cooper Union https://t.co/8lYOs7Mu8h

— Free Cooper Union (@FreeCooperUnion) July 12, 2013

Find more details here.

Previously.

The good news is the humidity is only at 36%

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Avenue B yesterday. Photo by Bobby Williams]

[Photos] Looking at Linda Simpson's "Drag Explosion" (Paper)

A Greenwich Village map from 1961 (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

An alleged assault by a Joe Doe cook yesterday on East First Street (BoweryBoogie)

Robert Sietsema on greasy spoons (Eater)

A postcard tribute to John Wanamaker’s department store on Fourth Avenue and East 9th Street (Ephemeral New York)

A commemorative plaque for the Stonewall Inn (The Villager)

Watch the Ramones play their 13th concert in the summer of 1974 (Rolling Stone)

Remembering the Astrotower at Coney Island (Amusing the Zillion)

Happy Birthday Johnny Thunders

Johnny Thunders, aka John Anthony Genzale, Jr., would have been 61 today. You was a New York Doll... and later a Heartbreaker.

In an interview with us back in March, Sylvain Sylvain of the Dolls spent some time talking about Thunders.

[He] had an apartment on Avenue A. His closet was like — everything would be pressed and dry cleaned. He had a real unique way of dressing and picking this and this and that and putting it all together.

When we were picking names for the band, he called me, well, he called Ricky Corvette, and run names by me. 'What do you think of Johnny Thunder?' I'd was like Yeah, that's pretty cool Johnny. The phone would ring five minutes later. What about Johnny Thunders?

You can listen to a Johnny Thunders birthday special hosted by Jesse Malin from last year over at East Village Radio.

The Wafels & Dinges café is now open on Avenue B

[Image via @FondaRestaurant]

The first Wafels & Dinges outpost is now open on Avenue B and East Second Street... the café is based on the same concept as the popular food trucks in circulation around the city ...

W&D founder Thomas DeGeest, an East Village resident, told us back in January that the store was "progressing at turtle speed." He also noted that it "will be as much a good coffee place as a waffle and ice cream place."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Is Wafels & Dinges opening a café on Second Street and Avenue B?

Wafels & Dinges hoping for a spring opening on Avenue B

Reader report: Klean and Kleaner has closed

[File photo]

As we reported last September, Klean & Kleaner, the laundromat at 173 E. Second St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, was on the market for use as a bar or restaurant.

Off and on during the last few months, we heard that the laundromat was closing very soon... On April 30, we thought the end was here. "They were loading trucks all afternoon. Wouldn't let me drop off clothes unless I was ok picking up in '2-3 days' at an undefined location," said one neighbor.

However, they remained open through this past weekend. Staff was there yesterday for customers to pick up their laundry. There was a sign noting that the washers were out of service. (Someone had removed the doors to the washers.)

Meanwhile, EVG Facebook friend Edward Arrocha took these photos in late April. "They are devastated," he said of the staff. "I will miss them."









Word is the landlord is now asking $18,000 a month in rent. As previously reported, the owners of the Living Room on Ludlow Street were hoping to take over this space, though the CB3/SLA committee turned down that proposal in May.

Also, this marks the third East Village laundromat to close in the last few months. (East 10th Street and East 13rd Street.)


[Yesterday]

Previously.

Alphabets opens new outpost on Avenue A

As you may have noticed, a new outpost of Alphabets opened Saturday on Avenue A between East Fourth Street and East Fifth Street... the gift shop, which has been around since 1985, is located at 115 Avenue A near East Seventh Street... However, as we understand it, this location will be closing in the coming months...



According to public records, the building at 115 Avenue A was sold last August for $3 million. The LLC that bought the building shares the address as the notorious 9300 Realty (owned by Croman Realty). A tipster told us that Alphabets could not negotiate a new lease. Thankfully, they found a nearby space.