At the rally to save Theatre 80

Supporters of Theatre 80 gathered outside City Hall on Thursday afternoon to bring attention to the dire financial situation at the iconic East Village venue. 

Organizers said the rally also served to thank the office of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner, Laurie Cumbo, for expediting the granting of Not-For-Profit Tax Exempt status for Theatre 80.

Organizers also said that the Department of Cultural Affairs is seeking to raise the funding needed to stop the auctioning of the building at 78-80 St. Mark's Place between First and Second Avenue.

As previously reported, owners Lorcan and Genie Otway, who also live in a residence above the theater, have been ordered to vacate the property this coming week.

They've been battling in recent years to save the space, which houses a theater, the William Barnacle Tavern and the Museum of the American Gangster. Per this 2022 story in The New York Times, Lorcan said that the theater, which his father bought in 1964, and its companion businesses were in good financial health until March 2020 and the start of NY State's PAUSE.

More background from the Times:

Shortly before then, he had taken out a $6.1 million mortgage against the properties to settle an inheritance dispute, pay legal fees and finance needed renovations.

With the pandemic lockdown and a precipitous decline in revenue, that loan went into default and was purchased by Maverick Real Estate Partners about a year ago. The firm, according to court documents, has closed over 130 distressed debt transactions, with a total value of over $300 million.

The Times reported that the original lender later sold the debt to Maverick, which raised the interest rate from 10% to 24% without Lorcan's knowledge. 

On Thursday, attendees were encouraged to "come dressed as your favorite character from a great drama." 

"Without Theatre 80, without arts and culture, St Mark's Place may as well be another outdoor strip mall," said East Village activist and organizer Kenny Toglia, dressed as Brutus from Julius Caesar. "New York City will become the Big Applebee's."

PIX 11 covered the event: 

New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs has been supportive of the theater's efforts to survive. In a statement to PIX 11 News, it noted that so many groups have been devastated by the pandemic and added, "We've been working closely with Theatre 80 to explore their options and support their efforts to stay open." 

With a deadline rapidly approaching, the theater owners are hopeful some well-heeled lover of the arts will come forward with funds to save the theater. If not, federal marshals will take center stage next Wednesday to evict the owners and close the final curtain on the legendary theater with so much history.

There is a petition to save Theatre 80 here.

The first and last photos were by Peter Brownscombe; the other by Jah Spooky

Saturday's opening shot

Foggy-cloudy Midtown views this morning. 

Speaking of clouds: Per the city's Severe Weather site... 

Rain expected 4/1 - 4/2 ; Severe thunderstorms possible on Saturday night (4/1) 

This is not an April Fools' joke! Half an inch of rain is expected from around 2 a.m. Saturday, April 1, to around 2 a.m. Sunday, April 2. Flooding is not expected at this time. There is also a chance for severe thunderstorms Saturday between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Friday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Ready for Passover at Key Food...

A world of dreams

 

Local band Rebounder (NYC native Dylan Chenfeld and friends) has a new single-video out this week... shot along (or behind!) St. Mark's Place. This is "Dreamland," an inviting pop song.

6 posts from March

A mini month in review (with a farewell shot from Ben's Deli by Stacie Joy) 

• More about the return of Bereket to the Lower East Side (March 28)

• Ben’s Deli moving on without Ben on Avenue B (March 22) 

• Time passages: Check out the interior of the long-empty Mom's Liquor Store on Avenue B (March 21)

• May the farce be with you: "The Empire Strips Back" is next up at the Orpheum Theatre (March 16) 

• The owner of A&C Kitchen on Avenue C would like to reopen his business now (March 10)

Learn the art of decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs

Tomorrow (Saturday, April 1), from noon to 5 p.m., the Ukrainian American Youth Association is hosting its annual event for decorating pysanky — Ukrainian Easter eggs. Attendees use dyes, beeswax and a stylus (all provided) to decorate the eggs with traditional Ukrainian designs. You can take what you make home with you. 

There will also be food for sale from Ukrainian East Village Restaurant. The event occurs at the Ukrainian National Home, second floor, 140 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. Details are on the above flyer. All the proceeds will go toward humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

Green days: About the GetLocalEV small business sustainability campaign this April

Via the EVG inbox... 

Want to shop sustainably but don't know where to look? Check out the East Village Small Business Sustainability campaign starting April 1! The campaign will feature content on small businesses that are creating positive environmental impacts in our local community. 

Follow the @getlocalev Instagram account to stay up-to-date on information about green markets, upcycled fashion stores, zero waste shops, and more! 

You can check out the Get Local website here... Get Local East Village is an initiative of the East Village Community Coalition.

Thursday's parting movie recommendation

"Enys Men" officially opens tomorrow at Village East by Angelika on Second Avenue at 12th Street ... and the Regal Union Square. 

We caught an early screening this week ... and used these emojis to describe it on social media 🤯 and! 😳. (What are words for?) 

The official description: 

A wildlife volunteer on an uninhabited island off the British coast descends into a terrifying madness that challenges her grip on reality and pushes her into a living nightmare. Evoking the feeling of discovering a reel of never-before-seen celluloid unspooling in a haunted movie palace, this provocative and masterful vision of horror asserts Mark Jenkin as one of the U.K.'s most exciting and singular filmmakers.

[Side note: Jenkin's 2019 film "Bait" is also now playing at the Village East.] 

If you like low-budget experimental folk horror films shot on 16mm... "Enys Men" is for you!

There she goes again: Tammy Faye Starlite returns as Nico at Joe's Pub

Text and photos by Daniel Efram

This past Friday, Tammy Faye Starlite and her accomplished group of musicians brought her portrayal of Nico to life once again at Joe's Pub. 

Nico, whose real name was Christine Paffagen, gained fame as the lead vocalist for the Velvet Underground's first album and struggled with drug addiction and other personal demons throughout her life as she tried to establish herself as a solo artist. (She also once lived at 101 Avenue A.) 

In this reprise performance, "Nico: Underground," Starlite reimagines a pivotal interview that Nico gave in 1986, just two years before her death. Starlite embodied the complex and enigmatic character of Nico, shedding new light on the legacy of this remarkable artist, along with interviewer Jeff Ward, Keith Hartel on bass and acoustic guitar, David Nagler on keyboards, Eszter Balint on violin, Richard Feridun on electric guitar, Ron Metz on drums, and Craig Hoek on sax and on the story's pivotal flute. 

Her Nico performance started in 2010 at Joe's Pub, before the Duplex in the West Village, then The Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles. The official run at Theater For the New City began in 2014. 

"I love pretending to be her — her innate contradictions, the dialectic within, her inherent nihilism, her somewhat subversive nature, are all so fascinating to me," Tammy Lang, known on stage as Tammy Faye Starlite, told me.

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Cafe Carlyle would be lucky to have this production. 

"Nico: Underground" returns to Joe’s Pub on July 24. Find tickets here.

Thanks to Rihanna, this East Village deli has become a go-to spot for streetwear events

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Last Tuesday, Star Food Mart & Deli on Avenue C and Fourth Street — going for the day as the Corteiz Mart & Deli — was the scene of a highly anticipated drop for the Corteiz x Nike Air Max 95 collab. 

The event, driven by social media, drew a big crowd of sneaker fans/collectors/sellers — as well as the NYPD.

Of all the corner delis citywide, how did this "bubbling British streetwear label Corteiz" (per Complex) end up here, even prompting a visit by in-demand founder Clint 419?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LUNDUN. (@clint419)

You have to go back six years for the answer. 

Current Star Food Mart management said the previous business owner here (when it was Alphabet City Deli) was somehow tangentially known to someone on Rihanna's team. She chose that spot for a 2017 photoshoot for Paper. 

Since then, the employees explained, they have been on "a list" for photoshoots.

The drop seemed tailor-made for the Corteiz brand that "has employed unconventional guerilla marketing tactics to capture hype and allure unseen within streetwear in some time."

People pre-paid to buy a pair of the collectible sneakers, which later fetched as much as $5,000 online, were instructed to go to 34th Street and Seventh Avenue at 12:05 p.m., where this East Village location was announced on a billboard. 

The Nike team was onsite on Avenue C before this, providing security for the arriving fans. (Still, there were reports of some altercations among a few people in the crowd, prompting the NYPD visit. No arrests were made.) 

Shoppers with the designated wristband were allowed inside one at a time and given a "true deli experience" by getting to nab their sneakers through the plexiglass window...

The Star Food Mart employees worked at Corteiz Mart & Deli until 5:30 p.m., when the last sneakers were dispensed.

Tompkins Square Bagels debuts on Union Square

The Union Square outpost of Tompkins Square Bagels is now open at 23 E. 17th St.

Last May, we broke the news about this expansion. This is the third location after the original (2011) at 165 Avenue A and (2016) at 184 Second Ave.

The 1,500-square-foot storefront with 22-foot ceilings was previously part of the Paragon Sports footprint. 

Hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Wednesday's parting shot

Side view early this evening outside St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on 10th Street at Second Avenue...

Board report: Former Dallas BBQ prepped for renovations

Workers today were wrapping up surrounding the former Dallas BBQ in plywood on the NE corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place. (Thanks to Steven for the photo!)

The interior gutting commenced earlier this month.

Last June, hospitality vet Curt Huegel, whose portfolio includes concepts such as Bill's Townhouse, Campagnola and Printers Alley, received Community Board approval for the unnamed establishment. There was some debate over closing time, and the committee wouldn't approve a 4 a.m. close. Huegel did not respond to previous emails about whether he was still taking the prime space.

Dallas BBQ closed this past December after anchoring the corner since the mid-1980s. According to staff, the building's landlord would not renew the chainlet's lease and opted to rent the space to another business.    

RIP Joseph Bellaflores

An East Village man is remembered as a hard-working, devoted father after being killed riding an electric scooter to work early Saturday morning. 

According to the Daily News, Joseph Bellaflores, 43, was going west on Houston Street and was struck by a truck making a left onto Lafayette from the eastbound lane. (Police said he fell and slid under the passenger side of the Ford E350 van truck. The driver remained on the scene and was not charged. As Streetsblog pointed out, the police typically blame the victim in such deadly collisions.) 

He and his long-time girlfriend, Jacqueline Roman, have two sons, ages 12 and 7. 

"He was caring. He was protective. Just so much love. He was honest, he was true. Everything about him was real and genuine," she told the paper. "It's a big loss for anybody that knew him ... He was everything to us." 

Bellaflores was a staff member at 184 Thompson, a 140-unit residential building near Washington Square Park. 

Tenants there started a crowdfunding campaign to help his loved ones pay for expenses. 

Per the GiveSendGo page: "His positive attitude was infectious, and he will be terribly missed by all who ever had the pleasure of meeting him. The world lost a wonderful person in Joseph."