Squish Marshmallows only taking appointments for the summer

[Photo by Steven]

In case you had plans to pop into Squish Marshmallows in the weeks ahead, the sweets shop at 120 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue is only open by appointment this summer ... as well as via online ordering or delivery.

Here's the word from Squish via Instagram ...

View this post on Instagram

⚡️ANNOUNCEMENT⚡️this Summer, we'll be working on some exciting things, behind the scenes! so, our shop will be appointment only*, but still shipping nationwide, offering local delivery with our delivery partners, catering, and hosting events, pop-ups, and parties at our shop! want to host a marshmallow decorating class? give us a shout! in the meantime, let us know what you guys want to see more of! videos? BTS with marshmallow making? comment below👇 (*appointments for order pickups and event consultations)

A post shared by squish marshmallows® (@squishmarsh) on Jun 10, 2019 at 12:12pm PDT

Squish opened here in late November 2016.

A moment at Mikey Likes It Ice Cream

Late this afternoon EVG regular Lola Saénz caught up with Michael "Mikey" Cole, the proprietor of Mikey Likes It Ice Cream at 198 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street... where the shop today debuted a custom flavor created by hip-hop artist Benny the Butcher, the aptly named The Butcher (a Sour green apple ice cream with green apple gummy bears and a red apple swirl topped with a fondant butcher cleaver).

Farewell to the leaning tree of 3rd Street

A dispatch from Third Street via Felton Davis, who reports that crews were on the scene here to remove the leaning tree on this block between First Avenue and Second Avenue...



Davis reports that the tree was dead — "most likely from last summer's extensive road work."

[Updated] What is happening at Gem Spa?

Several readers were shocked this morning to see that Gem Spa, a 24/7 hub of activity on the southwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place for years, was closed.

Steven took these photos just before 9.



Last week, we heard that Gem Spa was going to reduce its hours, closing from midnight to 7 a.m. Business has been off at the shop since April, when Gem Spa lost its license to sell lottery and tobacco products (with the exception of e-cigs) due to an employee twice selling cigarettes to an undercover underage buyer. The state suspended the store’s license for six months, which apparently also leaves them unable to apply for a license to sell beer.

The Patel family has owned the store since 1986. Mr. Patel has been in declining health, and his daughter Parul is handling the store’s management. EVG contributor Stacie Joy spoke with her outside the shop on Sunday. While she acknowledged some issues with the landlord (he wants a clean look out front, for instance), she didn't give any indication that the shop was in danger of closing. She had ideas on how to help business in the interim, such as offer an "egg cream happy hour."

Meanwhile, the Zoltar machine along with the newspapers were removed from outside the shop in late May. Parul said they don't make a lot of money on newspapers and so the margins are too slim (people also steal them all too often).

Another sign making regulars nervous: The everything-must-go notices outside. According to Parul, they're simply thinning out the back stock of hats, scarves and sunglasses ...




[Photo in April by Stacie Joy]

We'll update this post as soon as we learn more.

Updated 10:40 a.m.



Gem Spa is open, per Steven. Their new hours are 8 a.m. to midnight. And their iced coffee is only $2.

Updated:

Jeremiah Moss has a post on Gem Spa here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to Gem Spa

Amelia and Christo's 2nd 2019 chick dies

[Photo from May 31 by @couplewithoutborders]

Amelia and Christo's second chick, who had fallen ill in recent days, died on Sunday.

Early Saturday morning, the chick fell from the nest, landing in the under-renovation playground in the southeast portion of Tompkins Square Park.

A reader shared this photo as help was on its way.



As Goggla reported, Ranger Rob (aka Rob Mastrianni, a Manhattan Ranger supervisor who lives in the East Village), retrieved the stricken nestling and transported it to the Animal Medical Center.

On Saturday night, the chick was transferred to Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation (WINORR) on Long Island. Unfortunately, "its illness/injuries were just too advanced," Goggla reported.

In late May, this chick's sibling also died. In the past two years, Amelia and Christo have lost three of their four offspring.

It's not known at this time what killed the chicks this year. Per Goggla: "The remains will be sent to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for testing to determine the cause of illness and death."

Last year, the chick died from a combination of rodenticide and West Nile virus.

In more positive hawklet news, the three chicks in Washington Square Park have fledged. Roger Paw has you covered with their activities at this link.

Reminders: This week's meeting lineup on stormproofing plans for East River Park

As a reminder, here are your opportunities this week to learn more about the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project as the public review process continues:

• ULURP Public Hearing – Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee
Tuesday, June 11, 6:30 p.m.
PS/MS 188 – The Island School, 442 E. Houston St. (entrance at Houston/Baruch Drive)

• CB6 Full Board Meeting
Wednesday, June 12, 7 p.m., 433 First Ave. between 25th Street and 26th Street (NYU School of Dentistry), Room 210

• CB3 Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee Meeting
Thursday, June 13, 6:30 p.m., Henry Street Settlement Youth Services Gymnasium, 301 Henry St. (CB3 posted several relevant documents on the project here ahead of the meeting.)

Last fall, the city unveiled an updated plan, which took residents, community leaders and local-elected officials by surprise after years of outreach and groundwork. The revamped plan — released without any community input — is radically different than what had been discussed. City officials have said in various presentations that this approach will provide a reduced construction time, resulting in an operable flood protection system for the 2023 hurricane season and future sea rise.

Creating the intricate flood protection system would see the city close East River Park for up to three and a half years starting in March 2020.

Also, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available for public comment until Aug. 15. Find those details on how to comment here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here are the next meetings for you to learn more about stormproofing plans for East River Park

A look at 131 1st Ave., currently being divided into 3 retail spaces

The gutting of 131 First Ave. at St. Mark's Place continues.

There's not much left of the single-level structure, which was home for years to Foot Gear Plus.




[Photo by Steven]


[Photo by Steven]

The property had been on the sales market, with a pitch mentioning 4,150 square feet of air rights.

According to a filing that hit public records in November, the property changed hands for $3.85 million. The new owner is an LLC that shares an address with HUBB NYC Properties LLC, a real-estate operating company.

However, workers are now dividing the storefront into three spaces — without any vertical extension. Per the listing at Meridian Retail Leasing:

• Single story commercial building delivered vacant in the East Village.
• Corner property with excellent visibility in highly trafficked location.
• Prime value-add opportunity to establish a retail or food and beverage presence.

The storefront rendering via Meridian Retail Leasing shows the graffiti intact on No. 131's surrounding walls ...



The largest of the three spaces (510 square feet) has a monthly rental ask of $11,000. The smallest (410 square feet) space seeks $9,000.


[Click on image to go big]

As for Foot Gear Plus, Tony Scifo, who opened the shop here in 1980, told this to EVG contributor Stacie Joy last July: "After several years of peaks and valleys in business there were just too many valleys. Companies now sell direct to consumers and once they started offering free shipping it was all over. This is happening everywhere, not just locally. The landlord wanted us to stay. She offered us a fair price and she's been great. We just couldn't make it."

Supper's 1970s-style subway-car look on 2nd Street

A legendary NYC graffiti artist has created murals for the awnings at Supper on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.



East Village restaurateur Frank Prisinzano (Frank, Lil' Frankie's) commissioned GHOST, described as "one of the last kings of the New York City train writing era," to do the work on the restaurant as well as the building next door, home to Flux Studios.

GHOST and GIZ completed the 1970s-style work last week.

"Back in the 70s and 80s graffiti was what made me feel at home in NYC," Prisinzano told me via email. "It gave off a constant urban pulse that I think was very calming for everyone. The idea that street art can’t be suppressed and that it’s really the neighborhood bulletin board is what I want you to feel when you look at the work we just did at Supper."

Here's a better look via this photo by EVG regular Salim...


[Click to go big]

Monday's parting shot

Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

Going 'Ape' over this gate at the East Village Vintage Collective

We have two reader-submitted photos from the weekend... showing the new Frank Ape mural on the gate at East Village Vintage Collective on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...



The new mural went up back on Friday as part of the 100 Gates Project, which provides site-specific artistic collaborations with East Village merchants.

The mural project started on various EV storefronts in late April.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Planet of the Frank Ape: Q-and-A with artist Brandon Sines

Report: Former Hells Angels HQ will become 22-unit residential building with retail

As I first reported back on Thursday, the former Hells Angels clubhouse sold for $7.75 million.

The Post followed-up yesterday with more details about new owner Nathan Blatter's plans for 77 E. Third St., a six-story building between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The $2 million renovation will create two retail spaces on the ground floor where the clubhouse bar used to be — and one storefront could become a shrine to the burly bikers.

Blatter said he has been contacted by someone curating a Hells Angels museum, and another about a barber shop.

And...

“The location is phenomenal,” Better Living’s Jonathan Sondry gushed. “It is a rare occasion to find a fully vacant building in Manhattan.”

The basement repair shop — equipped with a scissor lift that lowered motorcycles from the sidewalk — will be cleared out. The 16 “crash pads” once used by gang members — one was adorned with a swastika — will become 22 one- and two-bedroom units priced around $3,500 per month.

Sondry said he doesn’t plan to use the building’s history as a selling point, because he doubts oblivious 20-somethings will care.

To date, there haven't been any work permits filed with the DOB for the address.

The Hells Angels had a presence in 77 E. Third St. since 1969.

Previously on EV Grieve:
After 50 years on the block, the Hells Angels appear to be selling their 3rd Street clubhouse

The Hells Angels have left the East Village

This is what the Hells Angels building sold for

Bike lane paint returning to 1st Avenue

Back on Friday, DOT crews finally started painting the First Avenue bike lane — some six weeks after the city finished paving the roadway.

To date, though, the painting has only taken place on five blocks between Third Street and just shy of St. Mark's Place...



And no paint yet for Second Avenue...



Still to come (and as previously reported): the new offset crossings on select intersections on First Avenue and Second Avenue to make them safer for cyclists and pedestrians. The previous mixing zones forced cyclists and drivers to negotiate the same space at the same time, as Streetsblog noted.

And here's an example of offset crossing, as seen on Fourth Avenue and 13th Street...



Meanwhile, the bike lane is still MIA on the freshly paved 12th Street between First Avenue and Avenue B...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Resurfaced roadways on 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue to have offset crossings

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll debuts on St. Mark's Place

[Photo by Steven]

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll opened Saturday at 36 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

This is the third NYC outpost of the popular quick-serve establishment, which got its start in Flushing where owner Joe Rong has apparently perfected the art of the rice roll — known as cheung fun in Cantonese.

Per the cooking site Taste:

With a steaming machine imported from Guangzhou specifically used to make cheung fun, Rong makes each dish to order, so texture is never compromised. And similar to street vendors throughout Guangdong province, you get to choose what goes inside, like ground pork, barbecue beef, or dried shrimp, and extras that get mixed into the slurry of rice flour batter, including a cracked egg, corn, cilantro, and scallion.

No. 36 has seen a variety of food concepts come and go of late, most recently Cheers Cut, the Taiwanese mini-chain of fried foods.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Joe’s Steam Rice Roll puts up the signage on St. Mark's Place

Signage is up for Auriga Cafe on Avenue A

Auriga Cafe took another step toward an opening date with the arrival this past week of their storefront signage here at 198 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

As previously noted, David Duran, who runs El Camion a storefront away on the corner at 12th Street, is behind this new venture.

No word just yet on particulars, such as menu items. (The website doesn't appear to be up and running yet.)

Previously on EV Grieve:
Auriga Cafe announces itself on Avenue A