Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Ilyse Kazar (and Shiro)
Occupation: ‘Professional Dilettante’
Location: 4th Street between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue
Time: 6 pm on Wednesday, June 10

I’m from very far away in the nether regions of Long Island — a universe away. I moved here when I was 20, so I’ve done my major growing up here. I was going to school in Long Island and I had picked my courses out there. I came here for the summer just to experience the city — 38 years ago. It’s been a long summer.

I actually started out on the Upper West Side, but I got my first job at Phebe’s, when it used to be Phebe’s. I just fell in love with New York and I still am. I’m hanging on here in the East Village.

But more than anything it was, for me, the foundation of what this neighborhood used to be, which was an incredible network of people who formed an adoptive family. That started right of the bat for me in this neighborhood, whereas on the Upper West Side at the time, particularly in the area of Columbia University where I had my first sublet, I wasn’t feeling it at all and they weren’t feeling me. I couldn’t find a job.

Somehow just by happenstance or by fate, I ended up all the way down on 4th Street and the Bowery, and got a job. I walked in, said I was looking for a job for the summer, because that’s what I thought. I was tired of lying trying to get a job, so I just said I have no experience but I’m just here for the summer, and I got the job on the spot.

Imagine being from suburbia, having gone to a suburban high school that had tennis courts and then coming here and getting your first job in a restaurant where everyone you worked with and almost everyone that came in was an actor, a dancer, an artist, a writer, a musician, a composer. It was amazing. It wasn’t uptown art. It was that downtown spirit. I was 20 years old. I was fresh blood.

It was a community of people who were misfits, where they came from, and of course there was the continuous population of immigrants. I think there probably was always a high population of students and artists because it was just so low rent. When I moved in my apartment was $135 a month. I’ve been in the same place [ever since]. I was 20 and I have two daughters who I raised here and the baby is 22 now.

I worked at Phebe’s for a couple years and then did a number of restaurant, food and beverage service stints. Then computers came in and I picked up on that, everything from temp office work to starting my own tech business. Mainly I’ve just lived a very unstructured East Village life. I’ve raised my kids… now I’m just rethinking things. I’m the crazy lady — you might find me after a good rainstorm scavenging umbrellas. I snip the fabric off of them. I’m involved in composting, in particular with an organization called Earth Matter that’s headquartered in the Lower East Side and their facility is on Governors Island.

It’s hard to explain. It was just like a big soup pot that was spiced just right. Back in the day, which is some extent to this day, you could interact with people of every type, the person who hands you the slice of pizza, the person standing on line with you at the bodega, the people who used to be in my building. You could knock on your neighbors door and ask, do you have a Q-tip? We knew everyone by first name; we’d have dinner at each other’s houses; we raised kids together. And now I actually find with the people moving in that when you try to introduce yourself, ‘Hey I live in this apartment. I’ve lived here a long time, if you have any questions. I just want you to know who your neighbor is and knock on my door any time you need.’ They actually look at you like you’re weird and they literally back up. Who’s this strange lady talking to me?

But that’s my strongest memory of this neighborhood … that as much as there was a range of ethnic backgrounds, a certain range of income level, and everything from blue collar to complete drop outs, to well-known artists, who were all able to talk to each other. There was a lot of inspiration and cross-pollination going on.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Get well soon, Ray!

[Photo via Facebook]

Ray Alvarez, the 82-year-old proprietor of Ray's Candy Store at 113 Avenue A, looks to be off his feet for a little while.

A friend of Ray's reports that he was recently having trouble breathing. He apparently has felt weak for some time. It finally became too acute, so he visited his doctor, who sent Ray straight to Beth Israel.

Yesterday, Ray had heart valve replacement surgery.

We're told that he is doing well and in typically good spirits. (He has also been asking for seconds on the hospital food.)

A number of people have been keeping him company at the hospital, where he'll likely remain until next week.

Several of Ray's regulars made a large card that people can sign at the shop starting this morning. The card will be delivered to Ray at the hospital. In addition, several friends chipped in to buy him a new bed for his recovery at home.


[Photo via Shawn Chittle]

[Updated] Giving 334 Bowery another go with pizza

We've lost track of the comings and goings at 334 Bowery. Let's take inventory with the help of Eater and BoweryBoogie: The space between Bond and Great Jones was home to Forcella Bowery for nearly three years until last November … only to be replaced in early December by the tapas-friendly Espoleta, which closed six months later to make way for Gia Trattoria.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent space, Slice of Naples remained open even after Forcella shuttered. That was until the owners converted the space to SRO, a pizza speakeasy that debuted in January with a $38 prix fixe menu that included an appetizer, pizza, dessert and three beverage pairings, as Eater reported.

Now it appears SRO has closed as well. There's a sign up for Bowery Pizza. Perhaps this will be more of a takeout-friendly place.

Anyway, by our count, that's six restaurants for 334 Bowery since November: Forcella, Espoleta, Gia Trattoria, Slice of Naples, SRO and Bowery Pizza.

Updated 6-18

The folks from SRO left this in the comments...

While it "appears' that SRO has shuttered, it is indeed still operating, and quite successfully! Due to overcrowding inside our former 12-table restaurant on the weekends, we finally decided to take over the larger dining space in the back and continue to operate as a pizza speakeasy, serving the incredible pies of our pizzaiolo, Giuio Adriani. The dining room capacity has now tripled and is much more comfortable, and our menu has also expanded — serving both the $38 pre-fixe menu, as well as pizza, appetizers, and dessert a la carte.

The rent is due at the incoming Turntable Retro Bar & Restaurant on Avenue B

[EVG photo from May]

Turntable Retro Bar & Restaurant, a sibling of the Flushing-based Mad For Chicken operation, has designs on a new location at 58 Avenue B (at East Fourth Street).

The space has gone under a major renovation since Vella Market closed here in October 2013.

Not sure of an opening date just yet. However, there does appear to be one possible glitch in all this — the rent is past due, according to the notice taped to the door that an EVG reader spotted…



The "Five Day Notice to Tenant" notes that the occupant owes more than $26,000 in rent. The notice, only just posted, is dated June 4.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Turntable Retro Bar & Restaurant ready to play on 4th and B

When it started raining earlier

Photo on Second Avenue by Derek Berg…

Now that rent regulation laws have expired (for the time being)

[Photo from June 9 by EVG reader Peter Brownscombe]

As you probably read, state lawmakers failed to strike a deal yesterday and let rent-control laws expire for some 2 million tenants.

Per The Wall Street Journal:

Senate President John Flanagan, a Long Island Republican, said the debate would likely stretch out until the end of the legislative session on Wednesday, since lawmakers don’t want to go home without a deal. “Given the fact that we’re [in Albany] for another 48 hours, we’re going to have further discussions,” he said Monday evening.

Mr. Flanagan dismissed concerns that chaos could ensue at midnight: “Do I think anything tumultuous or crazy is going to happen overnight? Absolutely not.”

In a news conference after the vote, Sen. Adriano Espaillat, a Manhattan Democrat, said “this is the Senate Republicans telling tenants in New York City to drop dead.”

Last night, the city sent out a letter signed by Vicki Been, commissioner, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development:

If you are one of the more than two million New Yorkers who lives in rent-regulated housing, here's what you need to know:
• Your lease is still in effect and remains in effect through the term of the lease.
• There are still laws on the books protecting you from harassment, and the City is enforcing those laws.
• We have put together an emergency hotline: Call 311 if you have any concerns or questions about your apartment.
• If your landlord is harassing you, withholding services, or trying to exploit any lapse in the rent regulation laws to get you to leave your apartment, you should call 311 immediately.

If you are a landlord:
• Please know that the City is committed to protecting New Yorkers who live in rent-regulated units.
• If you have any questions about what information you should be sharing with your tenants, please call 311.
• Tenant harassment laws are still in effect. Any lapse in the rent regulation laws is not an excuse to withhold heat, hot water, or other services -- the City will enforce the housing code.

For more information on tenants' rights (in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Haitian Creole, and Arabic), please go here

Gas leak shutters Dallas BBQ, leaves residents without hot water and cooking gas

Bad news at 37 1/2 St. Mark's Place. Con Ed has shut off gas service to the building, including Dallas BBQ, after discovering a gas leak in the basement here at Second Avenue.





A reader shared these photos, including this note to residents from Kenco Realty Management:

Due to an unexpected gas leak in the basement of our building, Con Edison has shut off the gas supply to the entire building. This is not good news. We tried our best to persuade them otherwise, but because of the explosion across the street, they err on the side of over caution.

And the timeline:

The bottom line is we do not expect to have the hot water restored for days. We do not expect the cooking gas restored for weeks.

Updated 1:30

Gothamist has a statement from a Dallas BBQ spokesperson:

"Unfortunately, the building our restaurant is located in on St. Marks had a scheduled plumbing inspection yesterday and did not pass with Con Ed. We are working to resolve the plumbing violations and pass an inspection as soon as possible. Hopefully, we will be open in the next few days, if not a couple weeks, but it is too soon to tell."

Report offers recommendations for preserving independent East Village businesses

[Image via the EVCC]

Via the EVG inbox…

The East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) announces the release of "Preserving Local, Independent Retail: Recommendations for Formula Retail Zoning in the East Village." The report analyzes the growing presence of chain stores, proposing a framework for limiting the expansion of formula retail.

Three possible methods of formula retail zoning are proposed within the report. These options — aimed at informing decisions by East Village policy makers — have been crafted using case studies, legal suggestions and pre­existing zoning frameworks from other parts of the country.

"As the trend toward homogenization progresses in New York, with respect to both the built environment and retail landscape, a timely solution is needed to preserve the individuality of the city’s neighborhoods," said Sara Romanoski, EVCC's managing director. "Placing restrictions on formula retail establishments via zoning amendments provides a path to preserving the rapidly changing East Village. An East Village Special District using the proposed framework will emphasize the importance and uniqueness of the community."

The full report (PDF!) is available for download here

Learn more about the proposal at the Preserving Local, Independent Retail Roundtable on Wednesday, June 24 from 6­-8 p.m. at Downtown Art, 61 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. ​Register to attend here.

A look at the new 179 Suffolk St.

Finally had the chance to take in 179 Suffolk St., the new 10-floor building at East Houston. (BoweryBoogie noted this last week.)

Anyway, here it is…





According to the DOB, there is 11,522 square feet for residential use … and 2,527 square feet for community facility space. (BoweryBoogie points out that this will equate six full-floor apartments and a duplex penthouse with the community space likely going to the previous tenant — Iglesia Pentecostal Arca de Salvacion.)

Meanwhile, 255 E. Houston St. remains empty next door … which previously housed the day-care center Action For Progress. They were displaced in the spring of 2010 when construction next door destabilized the building.



The playground out back sits neglected…





We're about five years in on this project, which has been plagued with various issues, as BoweryBoogie previously noted here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Next for 255 E. Houston St.: Community facility/school/medical building?

10-story building in the works for Suffolk and East Houston

Live in tranquil cottages overlooking … 3rd Avenue (but still)

You've likely seen what looks like cottages atop the building that houses Kiehl's on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and 13th Street… now the penthouse home up there is for sale.

Here is the listing via Corcoran:

Own an iconic penthouse, featured in a number of publications for its unique rooftop cottages perched atop this historic boutique pre-war condominium. Penthouse 4CD is a breathtaking light-filled 1,972sf three bedroom, three bath duplex with four wood-burning fireplaces and two private garden terraces totaling 795sf.

This loft-like home features soaring 11’8” ceilings, exquisitely restored exposed brick, pristine hardwood oak floors, and carefully crafted carpentry throughout. Spanning nearly forty feet, with bright South and West exposures, the corner living and dining room are separated by a magnificent brick archway and bookended by two gracious wood-burning fireplaces.

An open kitchen features stainless steel appliances including Miele dishwasher and Wolf range, along with a dramatic Thermador vented range hood. Hand-painted Victorian-era aluminum casted balusters line the staircase leading up to the stunning master bedroom suite.

Enter this second level through the spectacular solarium, sun-flooded during the days and great for stargazing at night through its numerous skylights. This well-designed suite is complete with a spa-like master bath featuring a deep-soaking tub and separate steam shower, a windowed study/dressing area, and corner fireplace. The two spacious terraces flank the second level, the larger featuring an outdoor wood-burning fireplace, retractable awning, and four exposures with views of the Empire State Building. There is also a new irrigation system in place.

Price: $4.4 million.

And here are a few more photos via Corcoran…

'The great sandwich experiment' has ended at Lord Hamm's

An EVG tipster told us yesterday that Lord Hamm's has been rather closed looking the last few days at 226 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C. The phone number is also no longer is service.

We reached out to the Lord Hamm's folks via Twitter…

@evgrieve it's true, the great sandwich experiment of 015' has ended- thank you, that was fun! now what to do with all these Capri Suns...

— lord hamm's (@lordhamms) June 16, 2015

The small space just opened on April 5. New York magazine called proprietor Corey Cova an "an undersung sandwich genius."

The reader who told us about the possible closure was a Lord Hamm's fan, noting it was a "really great addition to the neighborhood."

Where the 'Girls' are today

Cast and crew of the HBO television series "Girls" will be filming around parts of the neighborhood today, if this is of interest… the above notice is on East 13th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue… there are also notices posted on Second Avenue and parts of East 13th Street and East 12th Street… the show will be starting its fifth season.

Thanks to @cassidyfein for the photo!

Fire ants in the hole?

Crews are in Tompkins Square Park this morning whacking back/inspecting the elm tree near Temperance Fountain... the one that had a large branch come crashing down when the Park was closed late Saturday or early Sunday ...

EVG correspondent Derek Berg says that there is talk of fire ants (!) being the culprit here...



Workers will continue to give the tree a thorough exam.

Tompkins Square Bagels makes it official on 2nd Avenue

Christopher Pugliese, the owner of Tompkins Square Bagels on Avenue A, has confirmed that he signed a lease for a second East Village location.

As we first reported on April 27, Pugliese had a deal in place to take over the former Open Pantry space at 184 Second Ave. between East 11th Street and East 12th Street. He signed the lease on Friday. We hope to have a few more details later this week.

Open Pantry, the 45-year-old coffee shop/grocery, closed for good at the end of January. The proprietors of Open Pantry also own the building.

Tompkins Square Bagels opened on Avenue A near East 10th Street in December 2011.

Previously on EV Grieve:
After 40-plus years, Open Pantry looks to be closing on 2nd Avenue

Rumor: Tompkins Square Bagels possibly opening a 2nd East Village location on 2nd Avenue

A 2nd Tompkins Square Bagels confirmed for former Open Pantry space on 2nd Avenue

Rent hike will force Bikes, By George! to close on East 4th Street

Several EVG Facebook friends have passed along the news that Bikes, By George! is closing at the end of the month. Apparently there's a rent increase, and proprietor George Philbert can't afford the new lease. Friends say that George is uncertain if he will be able to reopen in a different location.

After working in several bike shops when he arrived in NYC in 1970, George finally opened his own place in 1980 on East 12th Street. A rent hike saw him move to his current location at 193 E. Fourth St. just east of Avenue A in 2008. You can read more about George in this article from The Villager.

Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Dominic Philbert

Taxi Parts Inc. now open on 1st Avenue

Didn't really see this one coming … a small auto parts shop primarily (presumably?) serving cab drivers just opened at 45 First Ave. (Suite 1C, per the awning) between East Second Street and East Third Street…



This shop moved here from Tenth Avenue and 35th Street after 25 years on the ground floor of a tenement building that is being demolished to make way for more Hudson Yards.

The First Avenue space was previously home to the barber shop that also bought gold.

Bago now serving food to-go on 1st Avenue

A new to-go restaurant called Bago (quietly) opened Saturday in the former Hibachi Dumpling Express space, which (quietly) closed on First Avenue between East 13th Street and East 14th Street.

A quick glance at the menu inside (they weren't yet open for the day — their hours are 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.) revealed a handful of Thai/Chinese Filipino offerings, such as a ginger broth with either chicken, pork or tofu ($6.95), pan-sauteed noodles with either chorizo, chicken or tofu ($6.95) and grilled soy-glazed thin pork chops or chicken ($7.95).

Hibachi Dumpling Express opened last August… taking over from the 2 Bros. Pizza outpost.

Updated 6-25

A reader let us now the proprietor here is the daughter of the owner of Elvie's Turo-Turo, which closed back in 2009 across First Avenue.

Temporary closures: Unidentified Flying Chickens on 3rd Ave.; Spice on 1st Avenue

[Photo from June 7]

Over at 60 Third Ave. near East 11th Street, Unidentified Flying Chickens has been closed the past 10 days or so… the sign points to a ceiling repair, which appears to be happening inside…



The East Village outpost of the Jackson Heights-based Korean fried chicken restaurant opened last July. However, they won't be in this space too much longer: The address will be home soon to another location of Blockheads, the San Francisco-style Mexican restaurant from the folks who launched Benny's Burritos.

---

Meanwhile, Spice, which only recently opened at 71 First Ave. between East Fourth Street and East Fifth Street, is out of commission for the moment… the sign says Spice is upgrading its gas lines…


[Photo from June 7]

The Spice on Second Avenue and East Sixth Street is now closed… so if you want your Spice fix you'll have to get it at the East 13th Street and University Place location for now.

No. 71 here was previously home to Pukk, the 11-year-old vegetarian/vegan Thai place that closed in March.

A letter from the editor

Hello, my name is John Elsasser and I have been running this website for the past eight years or so.

There are a few people involved with EV Grieve — some of them are anonymous, some of them are not. Regardless, I oversee everything.

I've been thinking about using my name on the site for several years. However, I resisted. It's not a personal website, and the blog isn't about me or what I had for dinner last night or what I did this past weekend. It's a news site about the neighborhood, for the neighborhood. Everyone has a voice and the opportunity to share a story, photo or tip, discuss a liquor license application or the latest Citi Bike seats. At least that's how I see it.

But I've dragged my feet with the announcement. I was waiting for a good moment. A blog anniversary maybe? Or when I retired the site. And the years passed. However, it seems easier now to make this disclosure, helped in part that a news site has designs on publishing a "Who is EVG?" article in the days/weeks ahead. After much prodding from the reporter, I eventually agreed to answer some questions via email for the story, but only once I felt convinced that the outlet wasn't trying to out me. I was ultimately wrong.

In the EVG story, you may learn more about me, such as that I grew up in Ohio, and served as the editor of my high school and college newspapers. I also spent a few years working as a reporter after graduation. Today I edit publications for a nonprofit association.

I started this blog in December 2007 after reading in Page Six that Mona’s and Sophie’s, two bars that I spent some time in, were for sale. For some reason, I got the idea to maybe document the end of days at the bars via a blog.

Anyway, before much more happened, with both the blog and the bars, we learned in early 2008 that Mona’s and Sophie’s would remain open.

And that was that. I wrote in a post that the bars were safe, and the site was going away. However, for some reason, Jeremiah Moss of Vanishing New York found the blog. He encouraged me to continue, to focus on other closings and activities in the neighborhood. So I did, changing the name of the site to EV Grieve.

I've always loved this neighborhood, for better or worse, and I probably always will. That sounds corny, but it's true. That drives me more than anything.

I'm not sure really what's next for the site. We'll see how this goes. [Updated: I'm not planning on shutting down the site right this moment ... I'll keep posting for the time being...]

I apologize to my friends, acquaintances and neighbors as well as various bartenders who were unaware that I was behind the site, especially when you asked me "Did you see this at EVG...?" I wanted to say, "Funny you should mention that…" but it always seemed so awkward. (Having had to do this several times, it was.)

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to visit the site, to leave a comment, pass along a tip. And thank you to all the people who have been contributing on a regular basis through the years (Derek Berg, Dave on 7th, Michael Sean Edwards, Stacie Joy, James Maher and Bobby Williams, among many others).

See you around, though hopefully not while I'm carrying my FroYo in a hoof.

Week in Grieview

[Avenue A sinkhole photo via Lola Sáenz]

Birthday wishes for Nicholas Figueroa on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)

East Village Cheese makes move to Seventh Street official (Sunday)

Excel Art and Framing Store relocating nearby on Third Avenue (Monday)

Rallying for stronger rent regulations in NYC (Wednesday)

Rumors and sales at New York Central Art Supply (Tuesday)

Out and About with Sharon Jane Smith (Wednesday)

Dog walker reportedly traded Sugar for PCP (Sunday)

Work underway on the new residential conversion on East Seventh Street (Friday)

Babu Ji now open on Avenue B (Tuesday)

Residents launch petition to oppose method of operation for Albert Trummer's new cocktail bar on Avenue C (Thursday)

Major changes coming to University Place and East 13th Street (Friday)

Former Mary Help of Christians lot now ready for 82 market-rate condos (Monday)

A mini-pitch for East 12th Street (Tuesday)

Harry & Ida’s Meat and Supply Company now open on Avenue A (Wednesday)

16 affordable apartments now available at the incoming 331 E. Houston St. (Tuesday)

Action in the pits and new renderings along East 14th Street (Monday)

A piano for Astor Place (Monday)

Have you tried the Gnocco-Cafe Pick Me Up combo? (Tuesday)

Cleaning up 444 E. 13th St. (Wednesday)

Construction watch: 321 E. Third St. (Thursday)

Tink's has closed on East Seventh Street (Monday)

Former Luca Bar space for rent on St. Mark's Place (Monday)

At 37 Avenue B, residents want their Credit Union retail tenant to pay more rent (Wednesday)

Fasta closes on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

Check out the new butt-friendly Citi Bike seats (Monday)

Drilling at the former Second Avenue BP station (Friday)