Looking at Futura's 'Concrete Jungle' on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

FUTURA (aka Lenny McGurr) finished up work yesterday at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall … the shadows of the early evening kept us from getting a decent shot… Here are some other shots of "Concrete Jungle" via Instagram…

A photo posted by Marite Iglesias (@maritemianyc) on Sep 14, 2015 at 5:32am PDT

Futura with magnificent finished mural "Concrete Jungle" in a style reminiscent of his radical 1980 "Break" piece. #graffiti #streetart #houstonbowerywall #nyc

A photo posted by @marthacoopergram on Sep 13, 2015 at 7:39pm PDT

Mural madness today as pro BMXer Nigel Sylvester @nigelsylvester leaps over @futuradosmil at #houstonbowerywall. #bmx #streetart #graffiti #futura2000

A photo posted by @marthacoopergram on Sep 12, 2015 at 8:35pm PDT

LES Jewels died 2 years ago today

And someone placed memorial flyers with a rose at the entrances to Tompkins Square Park…





On Sept. 14, 2013, Joel Pakela, aka neighborhood fixture LES Jewels, was found unconscious on Avenue A at East Ninth Street. He died a short time later at Beth Israel. He was 43.

The Medical Examiner's office told The Villager that the cause of death was "blunt injuries of head," though "the manner of death is undetermined."

Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP LES Jewels (80 comments)

Memorials for LES Jewels in the East Village

From St. Mark's Place to 'Moonbeam City'

EVG TV Show Mural correspondent Steven has been watching the progress along the wall outside Footgear Plus on First Avenue at St. Mark's Place... where work started on an ad for the new Comedy Central animated series "Moonbeam City," a sendup of 1980s cop shows, back on Wednesday (above)...





... and here's a look at the final product... an ode to the art-deco stylings of Patrick Nagel...

More about the Birdman closing Rainbow Music on 1st Avenue this month

[Photo in March 2014 by EVG reader Chris F.]

As you may have heard, the Birdman, who works amid the stacks of used CDs, videos and cassettes at Rainbow Music, is retiring and closing his 17-year-old store at 130 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and East Seventh Street at the end of the month.

The Times today has more about his decision.

“I don’t need the aggravation anymore, and this is aggravation,” he said, looking around at the clutter. “It kept me busy, but now I’m tired.”

And!

He estimates that he has crammed 250,000 CDs and perhaps 50,000 more video and audiocassettes into the small space. Just to enter the store, at 130 First Avenue ... seemed to risk setting off a cascading avalanche of thousands of plastic cases.

“The store is so jammed, people are amazed by it, but then they see I got good stuff,” he said. “I can dig out anything I want. The thing is, I just don’t want to dig anymore.”

To date, the Birdman has never revealed his name, not even for Jessie Auritt's 10-minute short about the store...

However, in the Times, he "reluctantly confirmed that his given name was Bill Kasper."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Birdman of the East Village

You can read our Q-and-A with Auritt here.

The shoe repair post that you've been waiting for

For rent signs arrived Friday at the former A.K. Shoe Repair on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The shop closed at the end of August. The proprietor told DNAinfo that his rent went from $2,000 to $4,500. Coupled with other expenses, he said that he couldn't make the business work any longer.

At the end of July, Alex Shoe Repair closed on Second Avenue between East Third Street and East Fourth Street. The owner was paying $4,000 a month in rent. The new asking rent from Icon Realty is $14,000.

Other neighborhood cobblers to close in recent years include David's Shoe Store on East Seventh Street and A. Fontana Shoe Repair on East 10th Street ... while East Village Shoe Repair closed on St. Mark's Place, only to relocate to Bushwick.

Here's DNAinfo with an explanation for the cobbler closures:

Across the city, experienced cobblers are closing the doors of their small businesses as they see their rents rise, potential customers buying new shoes rather than repairing old ones, and a dearth of apprentices interested in learning their trade.

As for who's left in the East Village, we counted four, including two shops with Alex in the title (neither are related to the Alex who closed on Second Avenue…)



Alex Shoe Repair, 99 Avenue C between East Seventh Street and East Sixth Street…

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Alex Shoe and Watch Repair (and barber shop!), 71 First Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Fourth Street…

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Firm Shoe Repair, 116 Fourth Ave. at East 12th Street…

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Steve's Express Shoe Repair, 311 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue…

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Ugh… forgot this one...



14th Street Shoe Repair Shop, 428 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue…

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And there are a few shops on the periphery of the neighborhood, such as Star Shoe & Watch Repair at 74 Bleecker between Crosby and Broadway … and John’s Shoe Repair at 30 Irving Place between East 15th Street and East 16th Street.

I'd take my business to John's when I worked nearby. Once, I brought in a pair of shoes that another shop kinda screwed up. The proprietor looked at the shoes, and with a great deal of disgust, said, "The person who did this wasn't a cobbler." He paused. "He was a butcher."

East Village Cheese, now with an East Village Cheese sign

Still no word on an opening date just yet here at 80 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... but this is a good sign, so to speak.

Updated 9:15 a.m.

Two photos showing how the interior is shaping up...





Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Duane Reade expansion will take over adjacent storefronts, including East Village Cheese (74 comments)

[Updated] Confirmed: East Village Cheese will be moving to Avenue A later this year

East Village Cheese makes move to 7th Street official

[Updated] Work starts on new home of the East Village Cheese Shop

Looking at the incoming East Village Cheese shop on East 7th Street

Party progress at Icon Realty's 205 Avenue A

Icon Realty's 205 Avenue A has a bit of a reputation for its rooftop ragers, which in the past attracted the attention of the neighbors, the police and the media. (Brokers did once dub this an "East Village frat house" in a listing.)

Haven't heard too much from the address this past summer ... until an EVG reader who lives nearby noted that there was a sizable party with maybe 100 guests between the rooftop and backyard area on Friday evening.

Per the reader:

Most interestingly was what was going on in the backyard. There was a DJ, and lots of lights, but the noise was minimal. It took me a minute to piece it together, but all of the lights were coming from headphones that everyone was wearing — they literally set up a silent disco in their backyard.

I don't really want to pan these guys cause it's definitely progress from last year and I guess I appreciate them coming up with a creative way to keep the noise down (even if the thought process almost certainly was more about not having the cops called than thinking about their neighbors).

Previously on EV Grieve:
Friday night's rooftop party at Icon Realty's 205 Avenue A (49 comments)

Your 6-bedroom dream 'frat house' awaits you in the East Village

Icon Realty's new Avenue A 'frat house' is attracting attention

At 205 Avenue A, where the NYPD stops by 'almost every weekend'

Construction watch: 222 E. 13th St.

Just noting that work has commenced here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue at the future location of the Bea Arthur Residence for homeless LGBT youth.

Per some previous posts:

Bea Arthur, who died in April 2009, left $300,000 to the Ali Forney Center, an organization supporting homeless LGBT youth, in her will. In 2012, City Council as well as then-Borough President Scott Stringer awarded the Ali Forney Center and the Cooper Square Committee $3.3 million for the residence, which will house 18 residents.

And here's the rendering ...



Previously on EV Grieve:
A haunted house on 13th Street?

Abandoned 13th Street building becoming the Bea Arthur Residence for homeless LGBT youth

Here's what the Bea Arthur Residence will look like on East 13th Street

Groundbreaking today on East 13th Street for the Bea Arthur Residence for homeless LGBT youth

Plywood report

Neighborhood watchdog keeping an eye on the construction at the former Mary Help of Christians property, where there will be a mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and 82 market-rate condos some day...



Photos by Shawn Chittle

Week in Grieview

[Lion among the flowers on East Houston via Derek Berg]

Community Board 3 member Morris Faitelewicz, his wife and daughter's fiancé die in upstate car crash (Tuesday)

First Flight Music closing at the end of the month (Thursday)

Raphael Toledano completes purchase of 16-building East Village portfolio (Friday)

First look at the new Puebla Mexican Food in Essex Street Market (Tuesday)

Out and About with Lisa Arbetter (Wednesday)

More about Edwin and Neal's Fish Bar, coming soon to East Sixth Street (Tuesday)

A partially opened gate at the Stage on Second Avenue (Wednesday)

Graffiti legend Futura next up on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall (Thursday)

Bar Virage closes to debut a new menu (Wednesday)

Sitting empty on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

Building progress at 27 Avenue D (Friday)

Big Lee's makes it official on First Avenue (Wednesday)

26 Avenue B is alive again with the sounds of dump trucks and digging (Friday)

Ramen Zundo-ya opening first U.S. outpost on East 10th Street (Tuesday)

Images from the summer of 2015 (Monday)

Double rainbow! (Thursday)

Thoughts on NYC nostalgia of the late 1970s (Thursday)

Preparing for the papal visit (Sunday)

So Zoltar is a cat? (Monday)

Puebla Mexican Food opens today in the Essex Street Market

[Photo by Stacie Joy]

Back on Tuesday, EVG correspondent Stacie Joy reported that Irma Marin had found a new home for her restaurant in the Essex Street Market.

And Stacie says that everything has quickly come together for Marin and her Puebla Mexican Food food stall: She is opening for business today.

Marin hopes to be serving by noon. (Today's Market hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. And 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.)

Marin closed her 25-year-old location on First Avenue in March due to a rent increase.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Puebla Mexican Food is closing after 25 years on 1st Avenue

You'll now have until March 23 to visit Puebla Mexican Food on 1st Avenue

Puebla Mexican Food closes on 1st Avenue; Villacemita opens on Avenue A

First look at the new Puebla Mexican Food in Essex Street Market

NYPD apparently helping crack down on abandoned-looking bikes

EVG reader Mike H. on the Ninth Street spotted these flyers this morning on non-abandoned-looking bikes along East Ninth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D…



Per the sign:

"Please be avised due to the number of 311 calls and community complaints regarding the bikes on the sidewalk which have been left for extended time and seem to be abandoned.

You are requested to remove the bikes to a proper location within the next three (3) day from today (September 16, 2015) otherwise they will be deem abandoned and Department of Sanitation will remove and discard."

Hmm, not sure if these are legit NYPD signs or the creation of an annoyed resident. Anyway, per the signs, people have until Wednesday to move the bikes… Anyone spot these bike flyers elsewhere?

Probably a good idea for the city to be proactive on this to head off an expose by the Post. ("Even abandoned bikes say de Blasio has been a failure...")

The New York City Marble Cemetery is open for a visit today

Today at the New York City Marble Cemetery on East Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... via the EVG inbox...

A reminder….. that we invite you to join us at our Neighborhood Open Day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

And upcoming!

Fall Open Weekend, with historic displays, photos and artifacts
Saturday and Sunday
Oct. 17-18
11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Read more about the cemetery here.

Image via

The 44th annual East 10th Street Block Fair is today

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on that nice block go East 10th Street between Third Avenue and Second Avenue… featuring antiques, collectibles, food, music and likely no tube socks.