Reminders: tree lighting, cookie walk and holiday fair

[Tree photo Friday by Steven]

• The 25th annual tree lighting in Tompkins Square Park is today from 4-5 p.m. Details here.

• Day 2 of the 8th annual Cookie Walk at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church (Avenue A at 10th Street) is noon to 3 p.m. today. Details here.

From the Cookie Walk website:

The baking team kept baking Saturday so there are delicious cookies waiting for you today. Come early! We may not make it until 3 pm but we have plenty of varieties to start the day.

• The Neighborhood School's annual Holiday Fair is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 121 E. Third St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. Details here.

Speaking of the school, workers yesterday removed the last of the sidewalk bridge and construction materials on the Fourth Street side of the building...





...marking the end of a long three years of renovations here.

A note from super Eddie

Welcome home.



Photo on Ninth Street yesterday by Steven.

PS
Because someone will ask — this is not one of the buildings on the block owned by Jared Kushner that have had other reported issues.

The Christo pounce

Red-tailed hawk dad Christo was spotted yesterday in Tompkins Square Park... hunting and gathering ...



...and eating...



Photos by Bobby Williams

2nd Avenue, 8:13 a.m., Dec. 11

How was your BumbleCon?

Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster costume pic on 14th Street earlier by James and Karla Murray...

Hawk fight

EVG correspondent Steven shares this photo from yesterday... when red-tailed hawk parent Dora (on the lower right) was fighting with what the hawk watchers in Tompkins Square Park thought was a juvenile red-tailed hawk.

It was not immediately clear what the fight was over.

It's Christmas time at Mikey Likes It

RUN DMC is on the gate at Mikey Likes It, 199 Avenue A near East 12th Street. Andre Trenier's 1980s-flavored mural coincides with the flavor of the month — "Christmas in Hollis" ...

New month, means new flavor. Presenting "Christmas in Hollis" white chocolate ice cream with crushed peppermint puffs, semi sweet chocolate chips and chocolate covered marshmallows. #mikeylikesit #mikeylikesiticecream #nyc #foodie #food #goodeats #foodblogger #feastagram #feastagram #🍦 #leadersofthenewscoop

A photo posted by Mikey Likes It Ice Cream (@mikeylikesiticecream) on Dec 4, 2016 at 4:47pm PST

Reminders: The 8th annual St. Nicholas Cookie Walk is this weekend

As we noted here several weeks ago...the 8th annual Cookie Walk at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on Avenue A at 10th Street is this weekend.

Sale hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and from noon to 3 p.m. tomorrow. Find more details at the St. Nicholas website.

Just before 9 a.m., East 4th Street

Photo by Derek Berg

More about those SantaCon Cancelled flyers

[EVG reader photo from Thursday]

As we first noted on Thursday, someone placed flyers around the neighborhood noting that SantaCon, scheduled for today, has been cancelled... which means, according to the sign:

• NO congregating in Santa costumes
• NO throwing up on the sides of buildings
• NO public sex acts
• NO excessive drunkenness

A member of NYCR, the group who posted the flyers, told Gothamist yesterday that they reached out to SantaCon organizers to call off the event.

"Our country feels so divided right now that we are all searching for things that unify us," their spokesperson said. "The one thing that I have found that we all have in common is our disdain for SantaCon. Over the past few years myself and others have witnessed several horrible acts ..."

"We have reached out to organizers and asked them to cancel but have not heard back," they continued. "We hope they will come to their senses. We hope the organizers hear us loud and clear and are aware that we will be out in force tomorrow to stop SantaCon if they don't cancel."

They add that anyone interested in spending their Saturday aiding their crusade should meet up at noon Saturday at Bar 13. "We want to make it clear to the young people out there that this is not just a bunch of 40 and 50 year olds and we have several people under the age of 35 planning on participating."

Other media outlets reported on the story as well.

Gary Egan, general manager of Pete’s Tavern on Irving Place told CBS 2 that he would be cool with seeing SantaCon go.

“I really wish it would be canceled,” Egan said. “It’s turned into an abomination of drunk Santa Clauses fighting; vomiting all over the city. and it sends a terrible message to children.”

CBS 2 also talked with one SantaCon fan.

“SantaCon canceled – what? What?” said Zavier Dahlbenza of East New York, Brooklyn. “The drunkenness, the Santa costumes — I love all of it! I don’t think it should be canceled at all. I think it should keep going.”

There is also a Boycott SantaCon Twitter account (not sure if this is affiliated with the group who created the posters. This account started in 2014.)

SantaCon is an alt-right convention with red hats instead of white. Dial 311 and report people to the naughty list.

— Boycott SantaCon (@boycottsantacon) December 9, 2016

Anyway, SantaCon organizers had to reassure people that the Con was still on...

@NYCdisinterest Don't believe everything you read on poles! (unless its the North Pole).. #santaconnyc is definitely on!

— Santacon NYC (@santacon) December 9, 2016

SantaCon starts today at 10. At least 18 bars are participating in the East Village.

Lastly, a word from the 9th Precinct...

Extra officers are working tomorrow for @santacon to ensure everyone a good & safe time while being respectful of our neighbors pic.twitter.com/d7LGqg1OUn

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) December 9, 2016

Taking Leave

New Order in concert circa 1983 with "Leave Me Alone."

Oh, the lights are working

The official Tompkins Square Park holiday tree lighting ceremony is Sunday afternoon at 4 ... but the lights are on now. Perhaps someone is just practicing. Or those meddling kids plugged in the lights.

Photo this afternoon by Steven

EV Grieve Etc.: de Blasio introduces new gas safety rules; Taberna 97 opens on St. Mark's Place

[On Bond headed for the Bowery]

At 24 Avenue A, Wendigo's 4th Annual Holiday Group Show is happening now through Dec. 29 (Official site)

Mayor’s introduces new gas safety rules (Curbed)

Taberna 97 now open on St. Mark's Place (B+B)

About the collaboration between the International Center for Photography and the Bowery Mission (DNAinfo)

A new editor for The Village Voice (The New York Times)

A cinematic tribute to the work of Peter Hutton (Anthology Film Archives)

That deflating feeling on First Avenue outside Saifee Hardware...



[Photos by Derek Berg]

New exhibit on Sixth Street: Contemporary works by seven first-generation Ukrainian-American artists (The Ukrainian Museum)

Public meetings in the works for new residential towers slated for along the East River (The Lo-Down)

Metrograph screening some yuletide classics, including "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and "Die Hard" (Official site)

Mission Cantina closes on Orchard Street (Eater)

Inside Icon Realty's 50 Clinton St. condos (Curbed)

Photos: TriBeCa in the 1990s (Flaming Pablum)

How about a $2,700 Lou Reed sweater (Dangerous Minds)

And how about some Christmas Ray... details here.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!! Via Whitney Browne (@canigetawhitney) of @WhitneyBrownePhotography: @RaysCandyStore Holiday Print Sale Going On NOW! 100% OF THE PROCEEDS IS GOING DIRECTLY TO RAY! Set of 4 prints is $100 or $25 each (+ shipping). Let's give Ray a break this holiday season. One print purchase = 2 hours Ray can pay someone to work in the store while he gets some rest! See a gallery of available shots on Whitney's site here: whitneybrowne.com/blog TO ORDER, EMAIL Whitney at: wb@whitneybrowne.com 120 film scanned and then beautifully ink jet printed on matte paper. All images are 8" x 8" --- AND SIGNED BY RAY, TOO!!! MAKES A GREAT GIFT!!! THANK YOU, IN ADVANCE!!! #rayscandystore #ourmanray #hoorays #avenuea #alphabetcity #eastvillage #nyc #candyman

A photo posted by Ray's Candy Store (@rayscandystore) on Dec 7, 2016 at 1:00pm PST

About the 3rd Annual Holiday Shopping Event tomorrow (Saturday!)

Via the EVG inbox...

The East Village Independent Merchants Association (EVIMA) is hosting its third annual holiday shopping event ALL DAY Saturday, Dec. 10. East Villagers are encouraged to shop local and support small business owners, in exchange for special discounts, promotions and in-store treats.

EVIMA will also host a holiday party at Jimmy’s No. 43 from 4-6 PM, where shoppers can enter a special Grab Bag raffle with treats from EVIMA members. Shoppers will receive one raffle ticket for every store they shop using a special passport card they can pick up at participating stores.

Residents can also pick up their FREE copy of the recently launched EVill Card, the first east village discount card designed by merchants for residents. The card, launched in late October, is a free resource for all residents of the East Village. Card owners access special discounts and deals throughout the year from an ever-growing list of participating merchants. For more info on the EVill card, click here.

Participating merchant list:

• Anthony Aiden Opticians — Free eye exam with purchase and 15% off complete set of eye glasses all weekend
• B&H Dairy — 10% off breakfast, lunch and dinner all day
• Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks — 10% all day and have in-store carolers
• Chinese Hawaiian Kenpo Academy — $150 for 100 days of unlimited classes or $80 per month for 1 weekend class per week (6 month contract)
• East Village Vintage Collective — 15% off store-wide and some mulled cider
• Exit 9 Gift Emporium — 15% off in store to anyone who mentions the shopping event
• La Sirena Mexican Gifts — 10% off day of event
• Lucky on B — Free "holiday shot" with purchase
• New York Copy & Print — Spend $100 get 20% off
• Pageant Print Shop — 10% off in store to those who mention the promotion
• Parlor — 15% off all Aveda products & complimentary Holiday make-up tips with Christopher from 3-6pm
• Random Accessories — 15% off plus some sweet treats
• Three Seat Espresso & Barber — buy 1 coffee get one free through Dec. 11

Concern for the Sunshine Cinema

[EVG photo from last night]

There has been speculation about the long-term health of Landmark's Sunshine Cinema on East Houston Street since news broke in May 2015 that the building housing the six-screen theater was for sale. (Asking price: $35 million.)

IndieWire checks in on the theater's status ...

Though a number of media outlets have reported that the Sunshine’s lease will be up for renegotiation at the end of 2018, the existential threat facing the theater has less to do with its lease than the possibility that a new buyer will demolish the building and replace it with a towering apartment complex. Built in 1898, the property has a reported price tag of more than $35 million.

Ted Mundorff, president and CEO of Landmark Theaters, told IndieWire that turning the theater into a high rise is easier said than done. “It would take years for anyone who’s going to pay the kind of money they’re looking for to demolish [the building] and construct something,” he said. “At this point I don’t see any imminent danger of us leaving the property.”

Other thoughts...

Bill Thompson, senior vice president of theatrical sales at international arthouse distributor Cohen Media Group, said that despite the fact that the Sunshine’s building has failed to lure a buyer, the chances of the theater sticking around for long are slim. “I think everyone is expecting that the building itself is going to end up becoming a high rise,” he said.

By the way, Cohen Media Group is behind the revamp of the Quad Cinema on 13th Street. That theater, being branded as “the New York City home of classic, foreign, art-house and independent films,” is now expected to return in the spring, per IndieWire.

The Neighborhood School Holiday Fair is Sunday

The Neighborhood School's biggest fundraiser of the year is coming up on Sunday.

The fair includes food, games and the always-challenging box maze. The festivities are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the recently refurbished school, which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary, at 121 E. Third St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

These East Village bars are participating in SantaCon tomorrow

Last night, the organizers of SantaCon released the names of the bars participating in the annual _______________, which takes place tomorrow (Saturday).

Here are the participating Santa Bars in the East Village (joining the main venues in this neighborhood — Solas and Webster Hall):

• Royale, 157 Avenue C near 10th Street
• The Central Bar, 109 E. Ninth St. near Third Avenue
• Village Pourhouse, 64 Third Ave. at 11th Street
• Finnerty's, 221 Second Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street
• Amsterdam Billiards, 110 E 11th St. at Fourth Ave.
• The Continental, 23 Third Ave. at St. Mark's Place
• Bull McCABE'S, 29 St Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
• Professor Thom's, 219 Second Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street
• Coyote Ugly, 153 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street
• Crocodile Lounge, 325 E 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue
• Phoenix Bar, 447 E 13th St. near Avenue A
• PINKS, 242 E 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue
• Doc Holliday's, 141 Avenue A at Ninth Street
• 7B, 108 Avenue B at Seventh Street
• Thirsty Scholar, 155 Second Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street
• Double Down Saloon, 14 Avenue A between East Houston and Second Street

In all, there are 45 (plus) different bars in Midtown, the Flatiron District and the East Village officially participating in this ________. You can find the full list at the SantaCon website. The official SantaConning begins at 10 a.m.

(And there will likely be bars who won't be letting anyone dressed as Santa or other assorted costumes inside. So far we've only officially heard about one.)

Meanwhile yesterday, there was suspicious Santa activity on St. Mark's Place and Astor Place...





Photos by Derek Berg

Peering into the crystal ball about the future of these storefront businesses

[EVG photo from September]

The Commercial Observer explores the economics behind some dwindling storefront businesses in a piece titled "What Does the Future Hold for the City’s Tarot Card Readers and Fortune-Tellers?"

[H]ow do you make rent off of $5, $10 or even $20 readings? It’s something we think about all the time in terms of restaurants and $8 eyebrow threading and $10 manicures. But those industries have visible, steady clientele. And with rents what they are — $418 per square foot in Lower Manhattan for retail space, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s most recent retail market report, which works out to approximately 21 readings at $20 for every single square foot in a space—the economics seem daunting. (Retail rents are much higher, of course, in other parts of the city.)

“The people they meet for $20 — that’s just an opening,” James Famularo, a senior director at Eastern Consolidated, told Commercial Observer. “Once in a while, they’ll hit a nerve. Some sucker will believe it, commission the reader [industry speak for astrologists, psychics, and crystal, energy, palm and tarot readers] as a life consultant and pay hundreds or thousands of dollars per month. They’re not doing it for a palm read — they’re looking for a well.”

Still, that seemed far-fetched in terms of a business plan. Or, at least, risky. And, anyway, all psychics are not created equal.

This is not a story about who is good at their practice or who is easily seduced (or who is interested in doing a reading “for research”). This is a story about who is good at bookkeeping. Whatever the math, readers appear to be a vanishing breed, at least in terms of new storefronts and new searches for visible space.

Recent psychic closures in the East Village include storefronts on Sixth Street ... Second Street ... and Sixth Street.

Regardless, fans of the storefront psychics, tarot card readers and fortune-tellers shouldn't fret.

One broker compared them to "street hot dogs" — "Someone’s eating them. I don’t think they’re going anywhere."

By the way, don't be fooled by the "psychic" on the door at 170 E. Second St. The actual psychic closed here, but the new tenant — a graphic design studio — kept the former business logo intact...


[Photo last month by Derek Berg]

All someone wants for Christmas...

An EVG reader spotted this on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street... a flyer campaign noting that SantaCon, scheduled for Saturday, has been cancelled... which means, according to the sign:

• NO congregating in Santa costumes
• NO throwing up on the sides of buildings
• NO public sex acts
• NO excessive drunkenness

(What about the rest of the year?)

Anyway, SantaCon hasn't been cancelled... the list of participating bars will be released later tonight.

Tompkins Square Park holiday tree starting to look more like a holiday tree

[Photo by @davidpiz]

Workers are putting the lights on the Tompkins Square Park holiday tree ... ahead of the tree lighting this Sunday from 4-5 p.m.

(And enjoy the lights while you can — they'll likely only be up through the middle of February.)

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From the archives ...


[Photo by Bobby Williams]