Reminders: The Charlie Park Jazz Festival comes to Tompkins Square Park on Sunday

The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival will be in Tompkins Square Park this Sunday, Aug. 27. 

Here's what to expect via the City Parks Foundation website... 

This bill of all-star musicians is led by alto saxophonist and bandleader Charles McPherson, who famously performed with Charles Mingus in the '60s and recorded ensemble renditions of Charlie Parker works for the soundtrack to the 1988 Parker biopic "Bird." He performs here with Terell Stafford, a veteran of his quintet and a gifted, versatile trumpet player with an adventurous expression of lyricism.

Vincent Herring's Septet, Something Else!, a new group that draws its name from Cannonball Adderley's 1958 classic Blue Note LP. The portfolio of music played by "Something Else" includes some of the most iconic toe-tapping Soul Jazz Songs ever created from the books of Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Timmons, Horace Silver, Bob James, Pee Wee Ellis, Quincy Jones and many more. 

Chelsea Baratz's HERA collective — named after the Olympian queen of the gods — is a unique group of groundbreaking female artists and bandleaders assembled to showcase original works. More than just an ensemble of talented players, each musician that performs with HERA has her own band, her own original music, and her own sound, like featured vocalist and Growing Up Jazz founder Andromeda Turre. 

Opener Michael Mayo, a student of jazz legends Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, wields a commanding and otherworldly voice that’s taken him around the world and back again.

And because someone will ask: The city will be bringing in porta potties for the expected crowds, as they've done in the past (and because the field house is closed for renovations).

The festival started in Tompkins Square Park in 1993 ... taking place near or on Parker's birthday on Aug. 29. Additional dates were added in Harlem in 2000. 

Parker, who died in 1955 at age 34, lived at 151 Avenue B from 1950-1954. That residential building between Ninth Street and 10th Street is landmarked.   

Block party extravaganza on 3rd Street tomorrow (Saturday!)

Third Street is the place to be tomorrow (Saturday!) for block parties.

From noon to 5 p.m. between Avenue B and Avenue C, you can find the 10th annual Nuyorican Poets Café Block Party ... featuring a variety of live performances and some kid-friendly activities.

And from noon to 6 p.m. between Avenue A and Avenue B (though closer to B)... several businesses on the block are taking part in an end-of-summer event... 3rd & B'zaar will have vintage, art, locally-designed clothing and more to shop inside and out on the sidewalk. 

Neighbors Jane's Exchange will have racks outside with "end-of-summer super sale items" while Book Club Bar will have an outdoor shelf of free books. More details about what to expect here.

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Noted

Photo by Steven

Well then! Signage went up yesterday at 32 St. Mark's Place for a new business called Qik N E Z Convenience here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

Given the Weed Greens Color Scheme palette — North Texas Green (#059033), Dollar Bill (#93CB56), Palm Leaf (#7BAA47) and Mughal Green (#355A20) — we're going with a cannabis-related business for the storefront. 

Or maybe one that just sells smoking accessories and exotic snacks. 

Smoke shops pop up faster than they get busted or go out of business. (There are two other new smoke shops that we haven't even mentioned yet.) 

A new city law recently went into effect that holds commercial landlords responsible for renting storefronts to unlicensed cannabis shops. Introduction 1001-B, known as Local Law 107 of 2023, prohibits owners of commercial spaces from knowingly leasing to unlicensed sellers of marijuana or tobacco products, imposing fines of up to $10,000 on landlords for violations. 

This small storefront was most recently Suki Japanese Kitchen, which closed earlier in the summer.

Thursday's parting shot

Waiting at Lucy's, 135 Avenue A...

Stuyvesant Street storefronts return to view

Photo by Steven 

On Tuesday, workers removed the sidewalk bridge and remaining construction netting along 29 Third Ave. (home of the Bean) and the empty storefronts at 8-14 Stuyvesant St.

Asbestos abatement notices arrived back in April at the storefronts. Work permits at the DOB showed permits for "retail store white box interior renovation."

We're curious if for-lease signs are next.

As previously reported, Village Yokocho, Angel's Share and Panya closed in these spaces in April 2022. Another restaurant, Sharaku, in the corner space at 14 Stuyvesant St., shuttered earlier in the pandemic. (Sunrise Mart in a separate building next door on the second floor also shut down.)

Cooper Union, which leased the buildings from their owners and had subleased them to the Yoshida Restaurant Group for more than 25 years, said it was the tenants' decision to move on. (This post has more background. Yoshida had not paid rent since 2020.)

There haven't been any public statements on what the landlord, believed to be 29 Third Ave Corporation c/o Casabella Holdings, LLC, has in store for the spaces. A Cooper Union rep told us previously that no new building was planned on this site. Based on the reveal this week, it looks as if the storefronts were just receiving an interior-exterior renovation.

By the way, Angel's Share reopened in the West Village in June. 

Reader report: K'ook has closed on 6th Street

An EVG reader shared the news that K'ook has closed at 324 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The reader called on Sunday to place an order and was told that the restaurant serving both traditional and modern fusion Korean food was permanently shuttered. 

While there isn't any official notice, K'ook is no longer on any of the delivery platforms... and someone removed all the signage from the space's exterior. 

"I'm devastated by the loss of traditional Korean cuisine in this neighborhood," the reader told us. 

Chef-partner Felicia Park who worked at Hanjoo on St. Mark's Place (her parents ran Hanjoo in Flushing) opened here in the spring of 2015. 

K'ook took over the address from the short-lived Jewel of India, another loss of the rapidly dwindling Little India at the time. 

The owners of Jewel of India were also behind Raj Mahal next door... and we can't recall the last time we saw that place open...

Malai Marke is now the last Indian restaurant on this block of Sixth Street.

Does anyone have a need fore a putting green?

The owners of Whim Golf on Avenue A are hoping to find a new home — a community garden, school or outdoor residential space — for its custom putting green. 

The green has been the centerpiece of the space at 66 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street for the past few months. Co-founder Will Gisel explained that they only have the storefront for the summer and are hoping to find someplace to donate the kid-friendly amenity. 

If you're interested, then contact Gisel via email.

Founded in 2019, Whim Golf "is an American fashion brand on a mission to democratize golf."

J Crew on the Bowery remains closed due to 'technical difficulties'

Updated 9/2: The shop is back open.

This past Saturday we pointed out the handwritten sign stating that the J. Crew Men's Shop on the Bowery at Bleecker was "temporarily closed." 

There's a more formal sign on the storefront at 316 Bowery now... noting that the shop "is experiencing technical difficulties" ...

An EVG reader said he last noticed the shop open on Aug. 16.

Meanwhile, the J. Crew-Bowery Watch© continues.

This men's-concept outpost — complete with a coffee bar — debuted to much fanfare last September.

The former Local 92 space is for rent

Photos by Steven 

A follow-up to the Aug. 1 post about Local 92 closing... a for-rent sign arrived on the storefront on Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street last week. 

According to the listing, the space — 1,600 square feet with another 1,000 in the basement — has an asking rent of $26,500. (No key money, though!) 

And earlier in the month (Aug. 9), workers tore down the curbside dining structure...

Local 92, which served a variety of Middle Eastern cuisine and was a popular brunch spot, first opened here in 2013.

Wednesday's parting shot

A view of the mackerel sky this morning just after 7 on First Avenue between Second Street and Third Street...

Barnyard Cheese Shop will return with Barnyard Express on Avenue B

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Barnyard Cheese Shop is set for another encore on Avenue B.

Owner Beatriz Gutierrez confirmed that Barnyard Express is in the works featuring a full menu of her best-selling sandwiches and other items.

She plans to house the quick-serve establishment at the current Brix Wine Shop at 170 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street. The wine store will move into the vacant retail space she leases next door, and the two storefronts will connect via a passthrough.

Gutierrez gave this concept a test run for several months in a limited capacity on weekends starting in December 2021. It did well enough for her to consider reviving Barnyard Express.

The original Barnyard Cheese Shop closed in October 2021 at 168 Avenue B. (The business dates to 2008 on Ninth and C, with a 2016 opening on Avenue B.) Like other food service establishments at the time, Gutierrez said she was having difficulty finding kitchen help. Victor, her longtime cook, lost his brother during the pandemic ... and he returned home to be with family in Mexico.

We'll provide an update as work continues on the new Barnyard Express in the months ahead.

Openings: Seasoned Vegan Real Quick on 2nd Avenue

Seasoned Vegan Real Quick opens today at 128 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. (First mentioned here.) 

The spot is a new vegan concept from mother and son restaurateurs Brenda "Chef B" Beener and Aaron Beener, who closed their Harlem restaurant Seasoned Vegan this spring after nine years in service.

According to a restaurant rep, they decided to relaunch as quick service takeout and delivery with a few of their most popular dishes offered as sandwiches.

Per the rep: 

The offerings draw on the family's New Orleans roots and feature three sandwiches, including two made with their unique signature grilled burdock root "crawfish" — Craw Pretzel Boy with remoulade sauce, a vegan take on the crawfish po-boy on a pretzel bun, and BBQ Craw Sandwich in bayou BBQ sauce. 

SV Nugget Sandwich and Lemon Crusted Nuggets (soy protein) will be available as well, along with fries tossed with Cajun seasoning and housemade organic desserts: Raw Cheesecake made from cashews, walnuts and dates; Salted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies and cupcakes. Beverages include fair trade Maine Root organic sodas. 

You can find the menu and more info here. Hours are daily from 11 a.m. to midnight. You can follow them on Instagram here. 

Photo courtesy of  Seasoned Vegan Real Quick

Updated: 

Several readers noted that the previous business signage for Tony's Pizza remains up temporarily ... with an important addition — the NOT ... (thanks to Steven for the photo!)

Snack Stop shutters on St. Mark's Place

Photo by Steven

Word is circulating that Snack Stop has closed in the eastern storefront at 58 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Vegan Grill is in the western space.)

As the name implied, the shop sold a variety of snacks... opening late last year.

The space had been vacant since Clay Pot didn't reopen after the PAUSE of March 2020.

And once upon a recent time, Natori, a longtime favorite, closed here in late 2012. 

Tuesday's parting shot

Unfortunately, the cornfield on Avenue A between Sixth Street and Fifth Street is starting to smell a little ripe. There was a dead rat sighting, but it smells worse than that TBH. And worse than moldy, soggy bread cubes.