About 'Gay Arms,' a new photo exhibition by Grant Shaffer

East Village resident Grant Shaffer, a frequent contributor to EVG, is having a photo exhibition starting tomorrow evening.

Here are some details:

For the exhibition, "Gay Arms," Grant Shaffer presents a body of nearly 100 new photographic works. The series is documentary in style, with its subjects pulled from the artist's life.

Shaffer describes his artistic process as a means of understanding: "When I'm taking pictures, I think of myself as an alien who's here for a while, trying to understand the experience of my sliver of life on this planet. It's hard to say what my photos and this show are about. It's just intuitive. It's me trying to take in the world and asking people to notice or consider something."

La MaMa Galleria
47 Great Jones St.
(between Lafayette and the Bowery)

The show runs from Feb. 26 through March 13. The opening is tomorrow (Friday!) night from 6-9.

And here's one of my favorite photos of Shaffer's that I posted at EVG... from Tompkins Square Park in January 2014...

Thursday flashback (#tbt): To 7:30 a.m. today when the sun was out

Since then, a tipster told us that it got a little more cloudy.

Photo today by Bobby Williams

Icon Realty files permits to demolish the former Chase branch on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

[Photo from December by Steven]

Last time we checked in on the former Chase branch on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place, someone seemed pleased that the bank had merged with the location two blocks to the north...


[Photo from January by Steven]

Anyway, good riddance is accurate — to the whole two-story building. As Bedford + Bowery first noted yesterday, owner Icon Realty filed demolition permits for the address, 130 Second Ave., this past Friday.

Apparently there weren't any takers for the space, which had been on the market since last summer with an asking price of $72,000 a month, per the listing. The address was being marketed for use as retail, a restaurants/bar, office space or a gym. (The listing remains on the Icon website.)

The Commercial Observer reported in August that J.P. Morgan Chase sold the 2-level space to Stellar Management for $12 million. (Stellar and Icon teamed up to buy the gas-challenged No. 128 next door.)

The former Chase site allows for redevelopment of the 2,380-square-foot site into a mixed-use retail and residential project of 9,520 square feet, the Observer noted.

EVG regular commenter nygrump is among those who speculate that both 130 and 128 Second Ave. could potentially yield to some kind of large development. Here's nygrump on our last post on this address: "If Icon owns the corner lot and also the building next door where The Stage is, then they are probably strategizing to maximize the entire lot, take both buildings down and put up a tower. If zoning doesn't now allow, don't worry, it will. They'll do to 2nd Ave what they did to 3rd."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Chase space on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place is for rent

2 East Village Chase Bank branches are closing for good on Nov. 12

Chase branch on 2nd Avenue at St. Mark's Place has the potential to get 4x larger with new owner

The East Village is down 2 Chase branches

Icon wraps former Chase branch at St. Mark's Place with retail ribbon

'Good riddance' Chase, and — a development to watch in 2016

Podunk, the tearoom on East 5th Street, is moving after Mother's Day

[Image via Facebook]

Podunk — the American Tearoom, the family-run cafe on East Fifth Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square, will be closing after service this coming Mother's Day, May 8.

Until then, the 14-year old Podunk is posting a daily countdown "of favorite pics, recipes, ideas, thoughts and lists till the day we go" on their Instagram and Facebook accounts.



So far, no word on a new location... or the reason for the move.

The building that houses Podunk at 231 E. Fifth St. was part of the portfolio that Raphael Toledano’s Brookhill Properties purchased last fall.

Fabulous Fanny's temporarily closed due to water damage

[Photo by Steven]

The vintage eyeglass shop at 335 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue has been closed in recent days... the sign on the front door points to water damage. The boutique's outgoing voice message says that they hope to return on Saturday.

An EVG reader heard that the ceiling collapsed due to a broken water pipe... causing some $30k in damages to merchandise. Cadillac Castle next door also sustained some damage, but a sign on their door points to a reopening today at noon.

It has been a tough year for Fanny's... with an increase in rent, the clothing side of the storefront is now closed...

Feb. 24

Despite having a few more months — give or take a few months — to enjoy the holiday/Christmas tree... someone decided to toss their tree just two months after Christmas Eve... spotted along Third Avenue this evening by EVG reader Sarah12, with bonus points for documenting the date via the Post...Gruber MacDougal, wherever he has been, would be proud.

Farewells: St. Mark's Bookshop will close for good on Sunday

The Bookshop made it official earlier today...

Our last day open will be Sunday, February 28, 2016. Thank you for your many years of patronage.

— St. Mark's Bookshop (@stmarksbookshop) February 24, 2016

Until then, the storefront at 136 E. Third St. between Avenue A and First Avenue — its fourth location since opening on St. Mark's Place in 1977 — is selling off what's left of its stock at 50-percent off...

Meanwhile, there is still a movement to reopen a new bookstore somewhere in the neighborhood. Here's part of our interview from last week with Rafael Khalid, a Brooklyn resident and bookstore lover, who is helping find investors...

New bookstores give authors, poets, and writers a voice to be heard, not just in the community but in the world. Historically, people come from all over the world to the East Village to discover new talent that might not be heard or be able to breakthrough all the noise and clutter. My goal is to continue the legacy or best parts of St. Mark's Bookshop while adapting to today's environment.

Also, at the Daily News today, writer J.I. Baker recalls his time work at St. Mark's Bookshop in the late 1980s.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: St. Mark's Bookshop prepping fundraiser ahead of possible move to Avenue A.

Is this the new home for the St. Mark's Bookshop?

Report: St. Mark's Bookshop signs lease for East 3rd Street space

Renovations at the future St. Mark's Bookshop on East 3rd Street

St. Mark's Bookshop seeking buyers with an ownership interest

Report: Last stand for St. Mark's Bookshop

Report: Latest woe for St. Mark's Bookshop — possible eviction

[Updated] These are likely the last days for St. Mark's Bookshop

Looking to carry on the legacy of St. Mark's Bookshop

GOLES meeting to discuss a rent rollback on rent-stabilized apartments

Via the EVG inbox...



The meeting is tomorrow (Thursday!) night at 7, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B... Find more info on the GOLES website.

Superiority Burger is now open for lunch (except on Tuesdays, when they are not open at all)

[Image via Facebook]

The quick-serve vegetarian restaurant at 430 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue was previously only open for a few hours (6-10 p.m.) in the evening.

Now, though — they will start serving at 11:30 a.m.

Superiority Burger opened last June 25 to very favorable reviews for its namesake veggie burgers and a changing array of side dishes.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Superiority Burger adding another night to its schedule starting next week

Last day before move for Trash & Vaudeville is now Sunday

And not Monday as they originally announced...

Closing day of our Saint Marks location has changed to this Sunday, Feb 28! Come hang with us and celebrate the past 40+ rocking amazing years we've had on Saint Marks before we're all hanging at 96 East 7th street in early March! Here's a photo of Trash & Vaudeville on Saint Marks Place in 1982, taken by Paul Wright ❤️

A photo posted by Trash and Vaudeville (@trashandvaudeville) on Feb 24, 2016 at 8:32am PST

Their new home will be at 96 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Avenue A...


[Photo of 96 E. 7th St. from last summer]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: After 40 years, punk rock mainstay Trash and Vaudeville is leaving St. Mark's Place

Out and About in the East Village, Part 2

By James Maher

Name: Rafael Hines
Occupation: Sales Director, Morningstar, Writer
Location: Café Mogador, St. Mark's Place
Time: 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9

In part 1, Hines talked about growing up with his mother on Avenue D and East Third Street starting in 1961. "We were there until 1968. Our upstairs neighbor was trying to date my mom. She said no, so he set our apartment on fire." They eventually moved to St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Being part of the community has been fantastic. On the positive, the artist culture and the music — one of the things that kind of pushed me to be a writer, is all the creativity, which is still here. I see so many of the same people, who were quote-on-quote citizens like myself.

Back then, you were a citizen or involved in this whole other life. Those people I still see, and many of them are still on the block. My wife says, ‘Oh you’re going to the store, so you’re going to be back in two hours,’ because I have conversations every step of the way. All these people moved here, created a healthy economy in the neighborhood, and have been that fabric outside of this other stuff that’s been going on, which kind of comes and goes. There are just so many good people in this neighborhood.

I want to give Mogador a plug, because this place right here is magic. It’s been around for about 30 years. The hostess would carry each of our kids around when they would seat people. My kids eat here three times a week for dinner, and I come here for breakfast.

There was this guy Steven, who lived upstairs, and for year and years he would print out the Good News Newspaper, from newspapers all around the world. It was all articles about people helping other people, and he would staple it together and hand it out here in the morning. There was me and probably six other regulars and we would read our own newspaper and have this morning dialogue about people helping other people. He passed away about six months ago now. He was a really interesting guy.

I remember, the Boys Club and the 14th Street Y for me was just like home. I’m on the board there now. I went there as a kid and now I’m on the board and I’m part of the scholarship committee. The way people impacted my life and mentored me, I try to do the same thing. My mother was on the board there for years. My mother was such a part of this community as well.

That Y does such amazing things. I could talk about that for two hours. It’s a community center. They have a theatre, and then there’s the early childhood program ... a nursery school, a community center for the elderly and yoga classes — all under one roof. They also have a special-needs program, where no one is turned away, where the whole family can be involved. There’s basketball, soccer. All the counselors and everyone involved are deeply committed to caring about this community and the people who it serves.

My mother also had a bridal store on East 9th Street, until she got really sick last year. At one time, I actually had three bridal stores. I was going to be the gown king. It was a total side project. I had three stores on 9th Street between 1st and 2nd, which started out as a little side gig and then grew and grew, until they all kind of imploded.

Now I work for the company Morningstar, which does the ratings for mutual funds and everything else. I’m on the energy side. They acquired the company I worked for in 2009. We were a family-run businesses for commodities and energy.

I’m also a writer. In the past, I used to fly all over the place for work, and I would always pick up the latest thriller and the latest bestseller. I kept thinking, ‘You’ve got a story in you.’ And then during 9/11, my office was in the south tower. Obviously the whole tragedy was overwhelming. At the time, I think a lot of people thought there would be follow-up attacks, although it never happened.

That was my thought and from there that was the genesis of my book that’s coming out this week. I started by just putting small stories together that I thought were funny and then characters started showing up and dialogue started appearing out of nowhere and now I’ve got a full suspense thriller, "Bishop’s War."

It’s an action thriller about a guy who stops a terrorist attack in Union Square Park. The terrorists come after him and his family, but his family is a crime family on the Lower East Side, so it comes full circle. The characters are based on all the people who I grew up with, basically the cops and gangsters. I did a ton of research and I have friends who are over in Afghanistan, who I was sending chapters to.

It’s funny. The first agent I went to said, ‘You know, the dialogue doesn’t ring true.’ I said, ‘That’s funny, because that is word for word what that guy said.’ I didn’t even make that up. I was just using someone’s lines.

Read Part 1 here.

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

Report: 4-building portfolio on St. Mark's Place in closing for $44 million

Investor Elliot Sohayegh is in contract to buy four adjacent rental buildings on St. Mark’s Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue for $44 million, The Real Deal reports.

The walk-up buildings are: 28 St. Mark's Place, 30 St. Mark's Place, 32 St. Mark's Place and 34 St. Mark's Place. The retail tenants in these buildings include Kung Fu Tea (No. 28), the incoming Mamoun's Falafel (No. 30), 2 Bros Pizza (No. 32) and Khyber Pass (No. 34).

Some details, per TRD:

Asking rents for retail on the block are about $250 per square foot. Meanwhile, a market-rate apartment at one of the buildings rents for $3,200 per month on average, according to StreetEasy. About 40 percent of the apartments are market-rate units; the rest are rent-stabilized.

The deal is expected to close in the next couple months, sources said.

The seller is an investor affiliated with the entity St. Marks Assets Inc., which has owned the buildings since the late 1970s, property records show.

The buyer-to-be is planning renovations, sources said

Also on this south side of the block, 34 1/2 St. Mark's Place remains on the market... as does 4 St. Mark's Place, where tenant Trash & Vaudeville is closing Monday ahead of a move to 96 E. Seventh St.

More about the underage drinking bust at Dahlia's; plus, reaction from NYU students

[EVG photo from Monday]

As noted the other day... The State Liquor Authority (SLA) has temporarily yanked the liquor license from Dahlia's on Second Avenue and East Fifth Street after the NYPD found a lot teens drinking inside the Mexican restaurant on Jan. 30, the Post reported.

The SLA has posted its media advisory about the incident... and the reported number of underage drinkers actually numbered 50, and not 43 as the Post noted.

Per the SLA statement (PDF):

The New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) suspended the license of Vargomez Corporation, doing business as “Mary Ann’s” at 300 East 5th Street in Manhattan. The suspension was ordered by Members of the SLA, Chairman Vincent Bradley and Commissioner Kevin Kim at a regular meeting of the Full Board on Tuesday February 16, 2016. Effective immediately, no alcohol can be served or consumed on the premises.

On January 30, 2016, New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers from the 9th Precinct responded to a 911 call reporting underage drinking at the bar. Upon arrival, NYPD officers found the doors of the bar locked and observed numerous patrons appearing to be under twenty-one years of age drinking at the over-crowded bar. After gaining entry to the premises, NYPD officers documented sales to fifty underage patrons, forty-two of which were 18 and younger, including five 16 year olds and one 15 year old teenager.

On February 12, 2016, the SLA charged Mary Ann’s bar with 55 violations, including 50 separate sales to minors, failure to supervise, and code violations for exceeding maximum capacity and having locked doors. The licensee, present at the time of the incident, was also arrested.

And!

The SLA’s decision to summarily suspend a license is not a final determination on the merits of the case. The licensee is entitled to an expedited hearing before an administrative law judge. An order of summary suspension remains in effect until such time as it is modified by the SLA or a reviewing Court.

Meanwhile, the Mexican restaurant was reportedly well-known among underage drinkers. Washington Square News, NYU's independent student newspaper, talked to underclassman about the bust in an article published yesterday.

An excerpt from the students interviewed:

“Honestly I’m surprised they weren’t shut down sooner. The restaurant is right next to the police department so it really wasn’t smart for them to have such a lax ID policy. I only went there twice because it’s one thing to see underage college students sipping on overpriced mojitos but most of the people there looked like high school freshmen. It was really disturbing.” — Mairead McConnell, freshman

“I think that it’s sad but like I guess it had to be done if people didn’t show up making a scene when they left then maybe it would’ve stayed under the radar for longer. The first couple weeks everyone went and drank there. It was a cool spot before the lines went out the door and were two hours long. But it wasn’t my number one spot.” — Thomas Fortune, freshman

“I was definitely sad to hear about Dahlia’s, but when I read the news article with my roommate we couldn’t help but laugh because we were not surprised in the slightest. I feel badly for the employees who were arrested because there are countless other bars and restaurants who serve minors nightly, but in all honesty Dahlia’s was infamously known by NYU freshmen and local high-schoolers for not [asking for ID], so I figured it was only some time until they got caught.” — Taber Brown, sophomore

Dahlia's remains open for food service. They are not allowed to serve alcohol for now.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Slowly but surely the exterior of the former Mary Ann's is becoming Dahlia's

Report: Dahlia's busted after cops find 43 minors drinking inside locked restaurant

Ichi 88 hasn't been open lately

An EVG reader tells us that Ichi 88 on First Avenue between East 11th Street and East 12th Street has been closed since at least last Thursday.

There isn't any answer on the phone. To date, there isn't any mention of a closure on the Japanese restaurant's Facebook page... and no note on the gate that points to a temporary closure.

Per the EVG reader: "Too bad, as the food was exceptional, authentic according to a Japanese ex-patriot and reasonably priced by the standards of the East Village 2016."

It appears very possible that you can't use cash at this self checkout at Key Food

Despite all the signage, EVG Self-Checkout Correspondent Stacie Joy noted that several that people here at the Key on Avenue A and East Fourth Street tried to use cash anyway...

Today in budding sinkholes

Today's contestant is on First Avenue at East Seventh Street. Good luck!

Photo by William Klayer

Updated 12:55 p.m.

An instant request...



Updated 2-24

A hole lotta love!...



And if you want to see a 3-second video of the hole on Instagram (right here).

Construction watch: 64 E. 1st St., paying homage to the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges

Here in The Bowery District, a made-up term to help sell 64 E. First St., work is moving along quickly on the luxury condos between First Avenue and Second Avenue ...





The teaser site for the six, full-floor residences now includes interior renderings and pricing for the units.

Rounding up or down a little, the home prices vary from $3.2 to $3.9 million. (Of the three units listed, one is in contract. It's not clear if the other homes have already been called for.)

Some descriptions from the website:

With its open-plan living, kitchen and dining concept, window walls that allow abundant natural light to pour in, and ceiling heights maximized by revealing the structural beams, the interiors of 64 East are defined by an incredible sense of expansiveness.

And!

A consummation of modern innovation and sleek style, bathrooms at 64 East are an inviting haven of clean simplicity and surprising dimension, with classic design elements like subway tiles, floating cabinetry, and gleaming, all-nickel plumbing fittings with cross handles and escutcheon plates from Waterworks’ distinctive “Ludlow” collection.

And!

A stylish and welcoming open-air lounge, the rooftop terrace offers a fully-equipped outdoor kitchen and lush greenery, against the stunning backdrop of the surrounding New York cityscape.

Here's the final product...an updated rendering from the last one that we saw...



Here's more about the building's inspiration via the 64 E. First Ave. website...

The façade, with its clean lines of stone and glass, is contextual with the existing masonry structures of the neighborhood. By blending the traditional look of the window layout with decorative metal rivets, this stunning city home stylishly pays homage to the nearby iconic Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges.

... and an interior rendering...



... and outdoors...



Previously on EV Grieve:
La Vie has closed; neighbors rejoice

Former La Vie space on East First Street will be demolished

Getting rid of the rats at the former LaVie ahead of a new 6-floor residential building

Here lies the remains of La Vie

Here's a look at the new condos coming to East 1st Street

This is what the new condo building at 64 E. 1st St. will really look like

The 'stunning boutique collection' of new residences on East 1st Street in 'The Bowery District'

Former Sock Man space for rent on St. Mark's Place; presented as a 'vanilla box'

[Workers dismantle the former Sock Man space on Feb. 3]

As we first reported last month, The Sock Man closed on St. Mark's Place after nearly 33 years here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Now that space at No. 27 is for rent.



Here are some details via the listing at Sinvin:

-All quality uses considered, including food
-Easy to vent
-Landlord presenting as a vanilla box with HVAC and 200 amp electric panel
-New storefront to be installed
-Brick walls
-Sorry, no tattoo or piercing parlors
-On the best block of St. Marks, busy 24/7

The asking rent for the 500-square-foot space (with another 300 square feet for basement storage) is $9,000, per the listing.

Owner Marty Rosen was apparently facing an unmanageable rent hike from new landlord Raphael Toledano.

Rosen has said he hopes to find another space in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, the Sock Man remains open for business at www.thesockman.com.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Sock Man is closing on St. Mark's Place

The Sock Man says thank you; store closes on Saturday

Closing portraits at The Sock Man

Gutting some 3rd Avenue storefronts

Renovations continue on several of the storefronts along Third Avenue between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street...

Workers are tearing down the walls and gutting the former P&P Convenience Store, East Village Cheese (now on Seventh Street!) and Excel Art and Framing Store (now on the other side of Third Avenue!)...



...this is what the old EV Cheese space looks like...





Per the DOB work permit (in their ALL-CAP style): RENOVATION OF EXITING RETAIL SPACE. WORK TO INCLUDE PARTITIONS, FLOORING, CEILING AND FINISHES.

The rumor is that the Duane Reade on the corner of East 10th Street will expand into these spaces to make an even longer Duane Reade.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Duane Reade expansion will take over adjacent storefronts, including East Village Cheese (74 comments)

East Village Cheese makes move to 7th Street official

Spin cycle: Flywheel Sports opening next month in 51 Astor Place

[EVG photo from the other day]

Yesterday, we noted where we thought the incoming Flywheel Sports was going to live behind the plywood at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star.

And just like that, signage arrived yesterday noting an opening next month...



This indoor cycling location will feature a stadium-seating studio with more than 70 bikes.

There hasn't been any research just yet to see how Flywheel compares to the Citi Bikes stationary workout.



Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place (22 comments)

You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

3 new retail tenants for 51 Astor Place: Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports

Chopping soon signage up at the Death Star

Here's the Bluestone Lane Coffee signage at 51 Astor Place