Long-vacant retail space hits the rental market at 250 E. Houston St.

Retail for rent signs have arrived along 250 E. Houston St. ... where there have been several vacant storefronts in the former Red Square residential building between Avenue A and Avenue B...



The 13-floor complex changed hands for a reported $100 million last fall. However, according to the Post, the retail space was not part of the deal.

Well, someone is renting it now. The listing at Ripco notes that 4,000 square feet of divisible space is available... this...



I believe this was the former Blockbuster space and assorted Halloween pop-up shops. (No wait — the Sleepy's moved into the Blockbuster space. So this is the former Sleepy's space!)

Anyway! Per the listing, all uses are considered ... and "sidewalk cafe possible due to building setback."

And!

"The Dermot Company is renovating this 130 rental unit building. The facade and storefronts will be refaced creating a more updated style and fit for the cool East Village neighborhood. There is 4,000 SF available immediately; subdivisions are considered. The space is perfect for restaurants, cafes, fitness, lifestyle retailers, and all other high quality uses."



There's no mention of the asking rent.

There are four vacancies total in this strip of shops, which feature an H&R Block, Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins combo, Subway (sandwich shop), Sleepy's/Mattress Firm, China Town Chinese restaurant and a FedEx Office Print & Ship Center. (There's also a dry cleaners and East Houston Wine & Liquor.) This listing covers two of the vacancies.

The building opened for occupancy at the former site of a gas station in June 1989. Workers removed the building's statue of Lenin from the roof last September.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Red Square has been sold

New ownership makes it official at the former Red Square on East Houston

Apartment listings at 250 E. Houston look to offer glimpse of former Red Square's future

Blockbuster closes tomorrow; last chance to buy the store's fire extinguisher

Report: Madison Realty Capital now managing Raphael Toledano's East Village portfolio

[East 5th Street buildings that were part of Raphael Toledano's portfolio]

On Friday, Judge Sean Lane of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York OK'd Madison Realty Capital to replace Raphael Toledano as the property manager of 15 East Village buildings while a deal to transfer the ownership is worked out, The Real Deal reports.

Madison, the lender on the properties and secured creditor, is negotiating a deal to acquire the deeds from Toledano’s Brookhill Properties. Sources close to both firms said they have signed a term sheet outlining a deal in which Madison would pay a sum of less than $10 million, which Toledano would use to pay off other creditors.

Last month, an affiliate of Toledano's Brookhill Properties filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on the portfolio of multifamily walk-ups. In 2015, Toledano purchased 28 buildings from the Tabak family for a total of $140 million.

Madison has reportedly said that Toledano owes some $140 million, including $125 million in loans against the 15 properties, plus interest and attorneys’ fees.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Foreclosure notice arrives on Raphael Toledano-owned building on 12th Street

Report: Raphael Toledano files for Chapter 11; $145 million deal for EV portfolio is off the table

Raphael Toledano tenants take to Midtown streets to speak out against their landlord and his lenders

Full FULL reveal on 1st Street, Avenue A and the Bowery

Workers recently removed the remaining sidewalk bridges and construction netting to provide full Full reveals at three new developments...

64 E. First St.



There are six, full-floor residences here between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... at the site of the former horrible hookah hotspot LaVie.

The website for 64 East — located [heh] in the "Bowery District" — shows that only one unit (just under $3.3 million) remains for sale. David Schwimmer reportedly just checked out a unit here for a possible bachelor pad.

438 E. 12th St. (aka Steiner East Village)



There's a full FULL reveal on the 11th Street and Avenue A sides of developer Douglas Steiner's Steiner East Village... the 12th Street side still remains under wraps...



The 7-story, 82-unit building officially at 438 E. 12th St. features homes starting at $1.1 million. There are currently seven units listed as available at the Steiner East Village website. Amenities include a 24-hour lobby concierge, 50-foot-long pool, spa, gym, library, etc.

There is, at the moment, some address chaos on the sidewalk bridge...



Steiner bought the former Mary Help of Christians property in 2012 from the Archdiocese of New York for $41 million.

319 Bowery



The sidewalk bridge is gone from outside 319 Bowery, undergoing a condo conversion after 45 years as the Amato Opera here between First Street and Second Street. (This four-story brick building was a cigar factory from 1899 to 1926.)

We recently noted that the retail space here is asking $34,995.

The developer is Steven Croman, who's facing suits in both civil and criminal court.

Caffe Bene closes on St. Mark's Place

[Photo yesterday by Steven]

The Caffe Bene outpost at 24 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue closed on Saturday ... workers were spotted removing boxes yesterday.


[Photo this morning by Steven]

This location, one of 1,600 worldwide that is part of the South Korean-based company, never seemed all that busy since opening in December 2015.

Apparently they weren't attracting their target audience.

According to brokers quoted in the Commercial Observer in August 2015, the building's landlord, Beame Realty, "is looking to tap into the hedge funds and tech companies coming to 51 Astor Place, as well as the New York University and St. John’s University crowd."

Caffe Bene had signed a 10-year lease, with asking rent in the $240 per-square-foot territory.

The storefront previously housed a Pinkberry, which closed at the beginning of 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
2 Caffe Bene locations coming to the East Village

Work starts on the 2 Caffe Bene spaces in the East Village

Demolition watch: 118 E. 1st St

Workers have pretty much taken care of the former three-level tenement at 118 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue...



Through the blogger portal you can see that the front steps now lead to ... nowhere really... the pit...



As previously noted, the existing structure is yielding to a 9-story residential building. In total, there are seven units divided over 12,500 square feet of residential space (likely condos). The building will include a small retail space on the ground floor.

Still no sign of a rendering via Warren Freyer's Freyer Architects. You'll have to make do with the zoning diagrams on file with the city ...



No. 118 was one of five new East Village projects identified by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation as an oversized new development ... "in the neighborhood's affordable housing zones [that] were approved by the city without requiring affordable housing."

According to their investigation released in February 2016 (find the latter to the mayor here), the city approved new developments "with greater square footage than allowed for market-rate developments, without requiring any affordable housing either on-site or off, as mandated by law."

Previously on EV Grieve:
118 E. 1st St. arrives on the market with so many possibilities, and air rights

118 E. 1st. St. will yield to a new 9-floor residential building

Demolition of 118 E. 1st St. begins to make way for 9-story residential building

The owner-founder of JuiceGo on 9th Street dies

[Photo by Steven]

JuiceGo opened in late February at 333 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Several readers had noticed that the storefront, which sells a variety of made-to-order cold-pressed juices, smoothies, salads and sandwiches, hasn't been open lately. There hasn't been any sign on the storefront noting a temporary closure.

Sadly, it turns out that founder-owner Satish Patel died on April 9.

Sorry for the long closure everyone. The founder of JuiceGo and our dad passed away Sunday morning. Please keep us in your thoughts as we continue to mourn the loss of our Father Satish Patel. Thanks everyone.

A post shared by JuiceGo (@juicegonyc) on Apr 12, 2017 at 9:28am PDT

There's no word at the moment when/if JuiceGo might reopen.

In announcing the signing of the 10-year lease here last August, Eastern Consolidated noted:

“JuiceGo is a groundbreaking concept because its owner/founder Satish Patel has developed a unique cold press juicing device that produces 100 percent fresh and nutrient-filled cold pressed juices that are made-to-order on site. Mr. Patel has extensive experience in the health food industry, having owned one of the largest produce markets in New Zealand. He’s also spent 15 years managing and owning a number of hospitality businesses in the United States, and decided to open his first JuiceGo shop in New York City.”

On 3rd and 13th, Bluemercury arriving; dinosaur mural not yet extinct

Bluemercury, the luxury beauty retailer, is the incoming tenant for the southwest corner of Third Avenue and 13th Street, as these photos via EVG reader Laura K. show...



They are currently looking to hire "beauty junkies." (A nod to the area's "Taxi Driver"-era past?)

Gothic Cabinet Craft shop closed in January 2016 after 47 years in business on this corner. A listing showed that the asking rent here was nearly $30,000 a month. The owners of Brazen Fox across the street were interested in opening a bar-restaurant here, but those plans never took hold.

Early last fall, workers wrapped up the building with a sidewalk bridge and construction netting for "emergency" façade repairs... an EVG reader at the time wondered if this might be the end for the dinosaur mural ...


[Photos from last fall]





But! The workers came and went after a few months ... and the mural has survived for now...



Anyone know the back story of this particular mural?

Looking for signs of Artichoke on 14th Street

Last November, we noted that Artichoke was apparently moving to a new space directly across 14th Street from their current compound.

Several people have asked if this was still a go. Well, DOB permits show that Artichoke signage is in the works for No. 321 between First Avenue and Second Avenue...


[Click to go big]

There haven't been any formal announcements just yet.

We did recently detect a piece of discarded Artichoke crust outside the new locale...





One EVG reader who lives near Artichoke says that the move can't come fast enough... calling Artichoke, who opened here in 2008, a bad neighbor, with crowds, bright lints and the "constant humming of the old exhaust vents" ...



There are currently nine Artichoke locations, eight in NYC and one in Berkeley, Calif.

Disc-O-Rama closing on 8th Street

A little news outside the neighborhood in case you haven't heard ... the Disc-O-Rama on Eighth Street between MacDougal and Sixth Avenue is closing on April 28.

Sales are up to 40 percent off now.

Disco-O-Rama first opened in NYC in 1976, per their website. I recall the location on Union Square and West Fourth Street closed some years ago. Not sure about the Moscow location that was always present on their signage.

Easter Sunday's parting shot

Photo on St. Mark's Place today by Raquel Shapira

Week in Grieview

[Photo on Astor Place by Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Kelly Hurley, who was struck by a box truck while biking on First Avenue at Ninth Street on April 5, died from her injuries. (Friday) Reactions to Hurley's death (Friday)

Joe and Pat’s mark their arrival on First Avenue (Wednesday)

Slashing reported outside Karma on First Avenue; bad night gets worse for victim (Wednesday)

RIP Guilherme Barreto (Wednesday)

Out and About With Elizabeth Atnafu (Wednesday)

The Irish Times Pub and Eatery NYC has plans for 10th Street and Avenue C (Wednesday)

Annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival set for Aug. 27 in Tompkins Square Park (Monday)

Owners of Mable's Smokehouse in Williamsburg looking to bring Tex-Mex to Second Avenue (Tuesday)


[Photo in Tompkins Square Park by Grant Shaffer]

D.L. Cerney is now open on Ninth Street (Saturday)

Porchetta returns (for six weeks) to Seventh Street (Monday)

Former men's boutique space yields to a threading and waxing salon on Ninth Street (Wednesday)

Report: David Schwimmer looking at new East Village homes (Thursday)

Sister Midnight debuts on Avenue A (Tuesday)

History of La Plaza Cultural now on display (Thursday)

The Post reports on the "East Village crime wave" (Monday)

Cherin moving to a larger space next door on Sixth Street (Thursday)

Danny Meyer's incoming pizzeria looking for CB3 approval for a 4-table sidewalk cafe (Thursday)

Report: Alan Cumming to help revamp Eastern Bloc on Sixth Street (Tuesday)

Baron's Dim Sum slated for Sixth Street (Thursday)

Ravi DeRossi's Coup opens; profits go to organizations threatened by Trump White House (Friday)

... and new art on the gate at East Village Social on St. Mark's Place... photo by Steven... and the art is by @KwueMolly, @StarFarther and @Himbad...



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Remembering David Peel

Friends of David Peel turned out yesterday afternoon to honor the musician during a memorial wake at the Peter Jarema Funeral Home on Seventh Street...



Later, there was a singing tribute of his music in Tompkins Square Park...







The longtime East Village resident — known for his 1960s anthem "I Like Marijuana" and later for collaborations with John Lennon and Yoko Ono — died on April 6. He was 73. (The Times has a feature obituary here.)

His burial is tomorrow morning at 11 at Calverton National Cemetery in Riverhead, N.Y.

--

Top two photos by Chris F.

Bottom three photos by Steven

D.L. Cerney is now open on 9th Street

As we noted a few weeks ago, the D.L. Cerney boutique was opening a new storefront for its hand-made, vintage-style clothes at 324 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

EVG correspondent Steven caught up with co-owner Linda St. John yesterday outside the now-open shop.

St. John closed her previous location on Seventh Street at the end of 2012 after 28 years in business ... to leave the city for awhile and focus on her art and writing.

Her hours are noon to 8 p.m.

Sign up time for the 14th Street Y CSA

Via the EVG inbox...

It's time to sign up for your local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Mountain View Farm supplies farm fresh food to the 14th Street Y CSA. Sign up now to join — and every week you will pick up a massive box of glorious, fresh vegetables at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The farm has been busy in the greenhouse since mid-March and is currently prepping the fields for planting. They have already seeded onions, beets, fennel, leeks, cabbage, broccoli, kale, lettuce, celery, celeriac, swiss chard and so much more! Everything is looking really good in the greenhouse and the first share will be here before you know it!

Visit their website for more information and follow the link to purchase a share.

And feel free to come meet the farmers at the 14th Street Y — in the lobby — on Tuesday (April 18) from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Come taste some samples of the veggies they will be supplying.

Memorial and singing tribute for David Peel tomorrow

There's a Memorial Wake for David Peel at the Peter Jarema Funeral Home, 129 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, tomorrow from 3-7. (The flyer via Facebook incorrectly states 4-7.) Afterwards, there will be a singing tribute of his music in Tompkins Square Park.

The longtime East Village resident died on April 6. He was 73.

Parting 'Shot'

Here's Magazine, with a post-Buzzcocks Howard Devoto, from 1978 with "Shot by Both Sides."

Jesus falls on 3rd Street and other Good Friday scenes

[Photo on 3rd Street by EVG reader David]

Here today on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C, parishioners from Most Holy Redeemer/Nativity Parish and St. Mary Grand took part in the "Way of the Cross" procession, a Good Friday tradition that marks the last stage of the journey that Jesus walked in his earthly life.

EVG correspondent Stacie Joy shared these photos... this year, the church officials mic'd the cross so you could hear the pounding of the "nails."

The Easter rush at East Village Meat Market

The ham rush is on... Second Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street this afternoon... photo by Steven

Report: NYPD looking for suspect who took $60 plumber's snake from 4th Street apartment

The #NYPD is asking for your help identifying this man in regards to a burglary in the confines of our precinct #EastVillage ☎️800577TIPS pic.twitter.com/m3GOEgMvdB

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) April 14, 2017

DNAinfo has more on the story:

The burglar walked into the back of the building near East Fourth Street and Avenue C at around 10 a.m. on April 7 and reached into an open window, grabbing the plumber's snake, which is valued at around $60, police said.

And there is video...



Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.

RIP Kelly Hurley

[Photo via Facebook]

Kelly Hurley, who was struck by a box truck while biking on First Avenue at Ninth Street on April 5, has died from her injuries. She was 31.

Hurley, who lived on the Lower East Side, was riding in the northbound bike lane around 7:20 a.m. According to published reports, a box truck driver, also traveling north, made a left turn onto Ninth Street and struck Hurley, who had the right of way. The Daily News reported that she "skidded to try and avoid the truck, but it slammed into her."

The driver remained at the scene. He has not been charged. The investigation is ongoing.

This past Sunday, a friend said that, despite her significant injuries, doctors had been optimistic that she would recover. However, there were complications from one of the surgeries, the friend said. Doctors removed her from life support on Tuesday, DNAinfo reported.

For the past two-and-a-half years, she worked as the senior studio manager of training and development at SoulCycle. Hurley was a 2007 graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

She was also the co-founder of the Movemeant Foundation, an organization that provides "body-positive, self-confidence building tools, resources and experiences" for girls and women.

On Tuesday evening, a group of 12-15 cyclists placed flowers at the scene where the collision took place.


[Photo from Tuesday]