EV photographers James & Karla Murray hosting workshop on capturing disappearing storefronts

[Image via James and Karla Murray]

East Village-based photographers (and occasional EVG contributors) James and Karla Murray are hosting a workshop series this spring and summer.

Here are details via the EVG inbox...

"Capturing the Faces and Voices of the Lower East Side's Disappearing Mom-and-Pop Storefronts" is a photography and oral history workshop of the cultural significance of mom-and-pop stores and the impact they have on the pulse, life, and texture of their communities. There will be two free workshops (consisting of two sessions each) held at the Neighborhood Preservation Center in the East Village culminating in an exhibition of each participant’s work at the Theater for the New City Art Gallery from Aug. 14 to Sept. 18.

The workshops teach how photography and oral history can be tools for public awareness and advocacy. Participants will learn to create their own powerful photographs of neighborhood storefronts as well as record oral histories with shop owners, which communicate artistically and are insightful and moving.

There will be 70 participants at the free workshops, which will take place at the Neighborhood Preservation Center Village (232 E. 11th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue) on Monday, April 24, Monday May, 1, Monday May 22, and Monday June 5.

The workshops are free and open to all, but registration is required via Eventbrite.com.

Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company coming to 8th and Broadway

And over on Eighth Street just west of Broadway... there's signage announcing the new tenant — an outpost of Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company... coming this fall.

Despite the name, the 15-year-old company has three locations in Astoria, one in Chelsea and none in Brooklyn. You can find their menu, which includes a variety of sandwiches, soups and salads, here.

In 2016, Gothamist named Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company the city's "Best Chain Bagels." Per Gothamist:

[They sell] spectacular hand-rolled doughy bagels, appropriately crispy-crusted and accompanied by what seems like thousands of spreads and proteins. They have a flavor-of-the-week cream cheese that has, at times, been cannoli cream, red velvet, spinach and white chocolate raspberry. Expect long lines in Astoria on weekday mornings, but your breakfast will be worth the wait.

Thanks to EVG reader Brigitte for the photo and tip!

A new vendor for the Bowery Market

On Tuesday, an EVG reader shared these photos ... showing a new mural in the works at the Bowery Market, the year-round open-air food court at 348 Bowery and Great Jones...



The mural (by @KongSavage) marks the imminent arrival of a new vendor — Parantha Alley, a regular on the Brooklyn food-fair circuit. (BoweryBoogie first reported on this yesterday.) The folks at Parantha Alley serve Indian flat bread with a variety of fillings. (Their menu is here.)



The Market launched last July with five vendors... and since then, the mini outposts of Champion Coffee, The Butcher's Daughter and Pulqueria have all shut down, as we noted last month.

Parantha Alley will join the remaining two vendors — Alidoro and Sushi on Jones. Signage at the Bowery Market note that there will be new vendors here this spring.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A winterized Bowery Market, now down to 3 vendors

The Bowery Market opens today with 5 year-round food vendors

[UPDATED] Avenue A deli clerk arrested for assault; allegedly calls customer a tranny

[Image via]

Updated 6/3: Authorities have now said that the victim made up claims of the assault. Police arrested the 18 year old, Noel Torres, who was charged with filing a false report. The charges against the clerk were to be dismissed, according to the Daily News.

---

A clerk at Kamaran Deli and Grocery on Avenue A at Fifth Street was arrested for assault after reportedly hitting a customer with a baseball bat and calling her a tranny.

According to the Daily News:

Dia El-Deen Hassan went berzerk when the 18-year-old victim walked into the [deli] ... about 7:50 p.m. Tuesday and tried to buy beer and other items, police and sources said.

The freewheeling East Village is known for tolerance — but not on this day.

Hassan, 20, pushed a plastic display case and grabbed the victim’s arm before picking up the bat and hitting her with it all over her head and body, sources said.

“I’m not serving a tranny!” Hassan shouted, according to cops.

The victim, 18, was treated at the scene and declined to go to a hospital.

Updated:

The Daily News updated the article.

A lawyer for the clerk claims the victim, 18-year-old Noel Torres, "is lying and says he has video to prove it."

“Video shows the complainant trying to steal and run out,” lawyer Stuart Meltzer said Wednesday. “It’s not a hate crime. It’s a theft that was trying to be prevented.”

After his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court yesterday, Hassan was released on his own recognizance, the Daily News reported.

Out and About in the East Village

In this ongoing 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: James
Occupation: Leather Man
Location: First Avenue at Second Street
Date: April 5 at 5:15 pm

I’m from the the Bronx, New York, and I currently reside in the Bronx, New York.

Before I got into this, I was working in Macy’s department store. I just wanted to try something different. I’ve always been a crafty type of guy, making stuff, tinkering, and I just applied that aspiration to leather. I tried buying some leather and making stuff out of it, and this is what it evolved into.

I make belts and other things out of leather. I’ve been doing this for 30 years, since 1986, and I’ve been in this present location for six years.

Previously I was in what was then called Midtown, 30th Street and Sixth Avenue. I’d always wanted to come to the Village because the Village has always been representative of art and culture and things like that, and one day or one week at the other location there was a severe snowstorm, and I couldn’t go there, so I tried it over here and it was very good to me. And I’ve been here ever since. You’ve got the train station here, and it’s more of a neighborhood — so yeah, it’s pretty good here.

It’s more of a local neighborhood. The other area was like that when I first started working there, but then it gradually evolved into a commercial area where people didn’t really appreciate the arts anymore. They wanted stuff with labels on it, stuff off the racks — cookie-cutter stuff.

It’s great meeting fascinating people in this neighborhood. The other neighborhood, I wouldn’t meet anybody like you. I’m in a long line, or long link of art people. People come by and use my work as the foundation – they add stuff to it and take it to another level. Some people come by and they put a label on it. Some people come by and add other dimensions to it. This is a solid foundation – it’s genuine leather. That’s why they appreciate it.

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

A look at Che Cafe, home of empanada pouches

[Photo yesterday by Steven]

In case you missed our post from last Thursday... Che Cafe is now open at 86 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

This quick-serve venture is run by Mark Merker, who started Harry's and Benny's Burritos in 1987.

Here's his story via the Che Cafe website:

I have long enjoyed empanadas and their culinary cousins from around the world including the Indian samosa, Chinese dumpling, and Jewish knish.

Empanadas make great on the go street food. Given the many versions from around the world, they present endless possibilities for including different tastes from many cultures. I am excited by the opportunity to borrow from each the essence of flavor that I love and share it with you.

So I came up with Chechenitas, an empanada pouch. They are a small, easy to eat on the go item. Better yet, the pouch means less bread and more delicious filling. Please give them a try and let me know what you think.

You can find Che Cafe's offerings here.

The small space was home until last fall to Abraço, who moved across Seventh Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Che Cafe bringing empanada pockets to 7th Street

[Updated] Angelica Kitchen space for rent

[Photo by Steven]

The for rent signs have arrived at the now-vacant Angelica Kitchen at 300 E. 12th St. at Second Avenue... the listing isn't live yet at the Newmark Grubb Knight Frank website.

Leslie McEachern's vegan restaurant, which first opened on St. Mark's Place in 1976, shut down after service on April 7. McEachern said that "making the numbers work week in and week out is just not viable for us anymore."


[Photo by Steven]

In 2014, McEachern signed a new 5-year-lease for $21,000-plus a month. There is speculation among some Angelica faithful that the asking rent will be north of $30,000 a month.

In January 2014, Shima, Angelica's next-door neighbor on Second Avenue and 12th Street, abruptly closed. The space (via the same landlord as Angelica) hit the market then for $25,400 per month. The corner has been DumplingGo, Dumpling Guo and then Hot Pot Central in the past two years.

Updated 4/20

The listing is now online. The rent is negotiable.

Spring forth

Tompkins Square Park today via Bobby Williams...

Time for the Sixth Street Community Center CSA

We mentioned the other day that it's sign-up time for the 14th Street Y CSA. (Reps from the Mountain View Farm will be at the Y today, 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, from 3:30-6:30 p.m.)

Meanwhile, it's also time to register for the summer-fall season at the Sixth Street Community Center CSA.

Via the EVG box...

Our Community Supported Agriculture season will begin Tuesday, June 13! We will be working once again with Hepworth Farm located in New York's Hudson Valley. Hepworth Farm will be providing Vegetable Shares for 24 weeks and Fruit Shares for 23 weeks. Fruits include strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines, melons, pears, apples and grapes. For a list of vegetables please click here.

In addition to produce, we will continue to offer wild Alaskan fish year-round. We will also have available Stonehouse olive oils and balsamic vinegar, organic eggs, butter, yogurt, honey, maple syrup and other specialty items. You can also join our organic raw milk and cheese club.

This season we will continue using a sliding scale payment structure that will offer subsidized shares to low-income households. Your participation supports our efforts to make healthy local organic produce accessible to all members of our community.

To sign up please download and fill out the registration form attached or register online here.

Last fall, The Village Voice named the Sixth Street CSA as the best in NYC.

The Sixth Street Community Center CSA is between Avenue B and Avenue C.

H/T Charlie Chen!

[Updated] NYPD offers explanation into Kelly Hurley's death: 'she slipped'

In an interview with Christopher Robbins at The Village Voice yesterday, an NYPD detective provided some updates on Kelly Hurley, the 31-year-old Lower East Side resident who died from her injuries following a collision with a box truck on First Avenue at Ninth Street on April 5.

Among the revelations:

• The NYPD to date has issued a single summons to the driver — for not having a crossover mirror.

• The spokesperson, Detective Ahmed Nasser, said that the truck "made a left turn from the rightmost lane" onto East Ninth Street.

• The detective said that Hurley "slipped off her bike" at the intersection and was struck by the truck.

Robbins asked Nasser if the truck driver, who remained at the scene of the collision, "should have been making sure that he wasn’t turning into a cyclist or a pedestrian in the intersection."

Nasser's response:

“Well, I suppose you can say one or the other, but it seems like he probably didn’t see her, and she was going up north, he was making a left, he’s actually already into the intersection, he was already making the turn. She probably didn’t stop in time, and she slipped and fell under. . . . He’s already in, she tried to stop, she came off the bike, she slipped under the truck."

Streetsblog yesterday said that this was another case of the NYPD blaming the victim.

Hurley is gone. She can’t recount her version of what happened on the morning of April 5, so we’re left with what the police tell us. And as is often the case when a motorist kills a pedestrian or cyclist, the NYPD account is a bizarre mess that exonerates the driver.

Detective Ahmed Nasser told the Voice that the motorist was turning left from the right-most lane, which, if true, is a moving violation. Turning motorists are also required to yield to cyclists at the intersection where Hurley was fatally injured, but Nasser offered up a series of conjectures to reach an exculpatory conclusion.

In an interview with DNAinfo, Nasser confirmed that the truck driver had come to a complete stop on First Avenue before making the abrupt left turn onto Ninth Street across four lanes of traffic.

He also said that the investigation is ongoing "and the truck driver may still be arrested."

Cycling and pedestrian advocates have spoken out against this intersection design. The crash happened in one of the so-called "mixing zones" where drivers are allowed to make careful left turns from First Avenue as cyclists are going straight through intersections with the green light.




[Photo from last Thursday]

Updated 10 p.m.

Patch attended tonight's Community Council Meeting at the 9th Precinct, where Lt. Brian Reynolds, commanding officer of the NYPD's collision investigation squad, addressed the collision.

"My own opinion is, I'm going to be recommending the driver be held accountable. I can't explain to you exactly what it's going to be right now, but after what I've seen, he's going to be held accountable, at least on my end, from my office."

And...

Reynolds declined to specify what exact recommendations he would make to the Manhattan district attorney's office, and did not confirm that the driver would necessarily be charged. Any criminal charges filed will ultimately be determined by prosecutors.

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