Mr. Kim quickly leaves St. Mark's Place

Photos by Steven 

Store-for-rent signs are now posted at 22 St. Mark's Place, marking the end of a brief run for Mr. Kim. 

The business only arrived in September and offered one-stop-shopping for some St. Mark's Place-friendly staples — tattoos, piercings, cheap sunglasses, etc.

Mr. Kim, no relation to the onetime famous Kim's on the block, was here 21 years and nine months less than the last business — WAGA, which sold handmade goods primarily from West Africa.

Documenting the demolition of Middle Collegiate Church

As we noted on Friday, workers finished removing the rest of the sidewalk bridge from the SE corner of Seventh Street and Second Avenue, marking the end of the demolition on the Middle Collegiate Church property.

Here's a look at the space now as church officials focus on the next phase of their return to the East Village. (They hold services from their temporary home — East End Temple, 245 E. 17th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. )

Tomorrow (Tuesday) evening, Committee Board 3's Landmarks Committee will hear about a Certificate of Appropriateness for the Middle Collegiate's space at 50 E. Seventh St. (seen below next door to Van Leeuwen) with changes to windows, siding, skylight and the rooftop unit.

By December, officials hope to create a new worshiping space for up to 225 people in a two-story structure adjacent to the church and their property at No. 50.

In recent weeks, EVG correspondent Steven documented the work on the church lot. Middle Collegiate leaders considered this a combination demolition-salvage operation. Workers sifted through the remains of the building, initially completed in 1892, to save any of the limestone and ironwork for use in the new sanctuary that would eventually rise on the property.

In these photos, you can see that workers marked the stones that will be reassembled and used for the new construction.

As previously reported, church leaders said they had to remove what remained on the property within the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. According to a report commissioned by the church, the culmination of an 18-month review, there was too much damage to the existing structure to integrate it into Middle Collegiate's new home, that it wouldn't withstand a full-scale rebuild on the property. 

The church structure was destroyed during a six-alarm fire early morning on Dec. 5, 2020. The fire reportedly started inside 48 E. Seventh St., the five-story residential building that once stood on this corner. FDNY officials blamed faulty wiring at the under-renovation No. 48 and said the fire had been deemed "non-suspicious." 

As for the future of this lot, this is from the Rebuilding Middle Church FAQs:

We aim to have completed our roughly $15MM campaign with cash, grants, and pledges by December 2025. Funds will create Middle's Center for Spirituality, Justice, and the Arts on the site of its historic 1892 former building that can support transformational ministry for centuries to come...

Previously

The J. Crew men's concept store on the Bowery has closed

After nearly 15 months on the SW corner of the Bowery and Bleecker, the bespoke J. Crew men's shop has closed... [Update: Sources said that this was only supposed to be a short-term deal.]

The shop arrived to lots of hoopla in September 2022, ushering in a new era for the brand. In 2021, J. Crew hired Brendon Babenzien — former Supreme design director — to be the creative director. He debuted/celebrated his first collection in September 2022 at a party at Jean's on Lafayette, featuring a 7-song set by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  

Per J. Crew at the time, this location was "a new men’s concept store featuring a curated collection of J.Crew menswear, vintage finds including art and furniture, plus coffee from Urban Backyard." 

There were signs of trouble in August when the store was closed for several weeks due to "technical difficulties" (no customers?). The space eventually reopened, though without the coffee service. (Anyway, Think Coffee is right across Bleecker.)

A lot of money went into renovating this space (not including the 24/7 security detail hired to prevent people from tagging the 316 Bowery storefront) that had been a string of restaurants through the years, most recently Saxon + Parole.

Meanwhile, it's not all bad news for the brand: a J. Crew is opening nearby on Bond and Lafayette this year. 

G's Cheesesteaks will be the first retail tenant in 15 years at 6 Avenue B

Photo by Salim

G's Cheesesteaks is the new tenant for 6 Avenue B at Houston Street. 

This will be the fourth location for the brand, which also has a food truck business.

Owner Giacomo Pisano, whose family has been in the restaurant business for several generations, founded G's in Staten Island in 2015 at age 20. 

This corner retail space has been empty since the owner of the liquor store here passed away in the fall of 2009 at age 89.

And as we've noted, the building also remained vacant during this time. An LLC linked to Penn Capital South, whose portfolio includes multiple EV properties, bought the building last February. This was one of the abandoned properties owned by the estate of the mysterious team of Arthur and Abraham Blasof, both long deceased.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Here's a look at the renovated interior of the long-vacant 6 Avenue B

• Because you've always wanted to know what the inside of the long-empty 6 Avenue B looks like 

• Let's take another look at the eerie remains of the long-abandoned 6 Avenue B 

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

Trek officially closes on the Bowery

The Trek Bicycle shop at 303 Bowery between Houston and First Street has officially closed. The retail space was said to be shutting down in September, though they remained open through 2023 to unload the remaining stock.

Door signage notes that this Trek has "joined forces" with the outpost on First Avenue in Stuy Town.

The brand arrived on the Bowery in September 2019 ... one of several outposts around the city.

Before Trek, this storefront in the retail base of Avalon Bowery Place sat empty for three-and-a-half years (the last tenant, Tatyana Boutique, left in January 2016). 

The retail space next door remains for rent too... Blue & Cream decamped for Greenwich Village at the end of 2022.

High-end East Village sushi favorite Cagen has closed on 9th Street

After 10 years on Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, the well-regarded omakase spot Cagen has closed. 

Chef-owner Toshio Tomita, who previously worked at Nobu, opened the kappo ryori-style restaurant in the subterranean space at No. 414 in 2013. 

An Instagram post earlier in December (about the same time the space hit the rental market) noted that they'd be moving on to their next phase...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cagen Sushi (@cagennyc)

Top image via Loopnet; H/T Steven

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from 7th Street at 2nd Avenue by Derek Berg) ...

• Longtime East Village sewing shop Gizmo will be relocating in early 2024 (Wednesday) 

• 2024 marks the 50th year in business for Ray's Candy Store (Monday) 

 • The remains of the fire-damaged Middle Church structure have been removed (Friday)

• 2 NYPD officers sustain minor injuries after line cutters cause skirmish at reticketing outpost for asylum seekers on 7th Street (Saturday) 

• 2024 development watch: 33-37 1st Ave. (Tuesday) ... 42-46 2nd Ave. (Wednesday) ... 50-64 3rd Ave. (Thursday)... 280 E. Houston St. (Friday) ... 

• Jen the bookseller closes the book on her Avenue A vending days (Thursday) 

• Le Dive owners looking to take over the Boiler Room space on 4th Street (Thursday)

• About those New Year's Eve fireworks (Monday) 

• Glizzy's has left St. Mark's Place (Tuesday) 

• Closings: Milk Burger on Houston (Tuesday) 

• Patis Bakery bringing the bread to Broadway (Tuesday) 

• Yuca Bar closed for renovations on 7th and A (Thursday) 

... and an EVG reader shared this photo from the dog run in Tompkins Square Park yesterday... titled Dogs Frolicking In 1st Snowfall of 2024...

Follow EVG on Instagram or X for more frequent updates and pics.

Photos from new transformer day at the Con Ed substation on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Yesterday saw the arrival of a new transformer at the Con Ed substation on Avenue A at Fifth Street... the second new one for the facility in the past year. 

The crews from Con Ed and Bay Crane worked quickly (and efficiently, TBH) to install the 180,000-pound transformer ahead of Winter Storm Ember, which ultimately brought snow flurries and season-appropriate Instagram posts.

The operation included the placement of the new transformer's radiator and cooling tank...

... and here's everything in place and waiting for the hookup...

And based on the street signage on Fifth Street and Avenue B, we look to be in for some more crane work next weekend... (and do they mean Jan. 12 and 13?)...

Saturday's parting shot

A moment late early this evening on Second Avenue and Fifth Street during the snow shower. 

Per the National Weather Service: "Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 10 pm. Low around 34. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Breezy, with an east wind 16 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible."

2 NYPD officers sustain minor injuries after line cutters cause skirmish at reticketing outpost for asylum seekers on 7th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Two police officers sustained minor injuries this morning after two asylum seekers tried to cut in line at the reticketing center on Seventh Street and Avenue B. 

According to police sources, two officers were stationed at the former St. Brigid School as usual. Trouble started when two men tried to cut in line... causing a fight among the others who had been waiting in the cold for hours. (Sources also said this isn't the first time people tried to cut in line.) 

Two officers in the immediate area from the 9th Precinct responded to the scene. Both officers were injured in the fight, one suffering a bloody nose and the other a hyperextended arm. Both were checked out at the station house on Fifth Street before returning to patrol. There wasn't any word of injuries to asylum seekers involved in the skirmish. 

Several residents noted a large NYPD presence at the site as more officers arrived following reports of injured officers.

Meanwhile, police officials also cautioned well-intended residents from leaving items near the property for asylum seekers, which has caused some pushing and shoving as they fight over several pieces of clothing or food.

Officials said plans are in place for a more extensive distribution to meet the needs of more asylum seekers. 

According to media reports and local elected officials, the line here has grown from a few hundred to several thousand each day "as the city is out of space to house migrants," per CBS 2. 

Adult asylum seekers come to the school for placement in city shelters after their 30-day limit expires. Many asylum seekers, carrying all their belongings, start lining up as early as 4 a.m. 

Read our previous coverage here.

Bay Crane watch 2024 underway at the Con Ed substation on Avenue A

Con Ed and Bay Crane (and likely others — Five Boroughs Flagging Corp.?) are teaming up today to deliver a new transformer (see photo below) at the Con Ed substation on Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street...

(And no — EVG's Stacie Joy is NOT inside the transformer for photos!) 

Con Ed has been prepping (oh, have they ever) for months for this moment. 

Traffic will likely be stopped along the Avenue between Fourth Street and Sixth Street for part of the transformer liftoff and placement ...

Well-placed sources tell us that the majority of the Bay Craning will take place on the Fifth Street side of the substation...

You can relive last year's transformer delivery right here.

On the clock for MulchFest 2024

Photos yesterday by Steven 

As a reminder, MulchFest 2024 happens today and tomorrow (Jan. 6-7) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Tompkins Square Park is also a chipping site... which means! "We'll chip your tree and give you your very own bag of mulch to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree."

Friday's parting shot

Which tree discarded at Village View is not from this past Christmas????????

Ringing in the New Year

 

Lower East Side-based band Rebounder started 2024 by releasing this cover version of "In the New Year" by The Walkmen ... it's gonna be a good year.