The Shake Shack effect? McDonald's on 3rd Avenue at St. Mark's Place has closed after 20 years

[Photos by EVG reader MP]

Some passersby were shocked yesterday to see that the McDonald's on Third Avenue at St. Mark's Place had shut down. A sign on the door noted, "Sadly, this location is closing."



In June 2015, The Real Deal reported that real-estate investor Arthur Shapolsky was in contract to buy the corner assemblage — 23 Third Ave., 27 Third Ave. and 3 St. Mark's Place — for roughly $50 million. The site could reportedly accommodate a 41,500-square-foot commercial building or a residential one of roughly half the size.

However, Joseph Gabay, whose family owns the properties, told me last night that they have not been sold despite the continued rumors.

"McDonald’s has chosen not to renew their lease after a 20-year run," he said via email. "With the addition of 51 Astor, the dynamic of the square has changed."

As noted earlier this week, Shake Shack is expected to open later this year directly across the street in a corner space at 51 Astor Place.

"With a contemporary brand moving in like Shake Shack and McDonald's leaving the change is evident," Gabay said.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Northeast corner of St. Mark's Place and 3rd Ave. fetching $50 million for development site

P.S.

And what happened to the Golden Arches?

@evgrieve McDonald’s arches removed in armored truck. pic.twitter.com/x7JRDrSRqd

— Jacob Ford (@unitof) June 1, 2017

Reader report: A buyer for 119 and 121 2nd Ave., site of the deadly gas explosion?

Yesterday afternoon, an EVG reader spotted a survey crew on the site of the deadly gas explosion from March 2015 on Second Avenue at Seventh Street.

One of the workers said that they were surveying the site ... and said they were there representing the buyer of 119 Second Ave. and 121 Second Ave.

Back on March 26, the Post reported that landlord Maria Hrynenko was poised to sell her now-empty lots at No. 119 and 121, which could potentially jeopardize the settlements of the victims.

Maria Hrynenko, 57, appears ready to cash out on her valuable Second Avenue properties before the criminal case against her goes to trial and as the civil actions wend their way through the courts...

Hrynenko could rake in at least $12 million, based on the sale price of a neighboring lot, if she sells both her parcels.

So far, nothing has appeared in public records noting a sale. However, the sight of a survey crew shows that something is afoot with the properties.

According to the Post, a broker working with Hrynenko recently contacted the new owner of the lot at 123 Second Ave., who paid $6 million for the property. (The previous owner of No. 123, George Pasternak, was not implicated for any wrongdoing connected to the explosion.) The broker reportedly said they had a buyer interested in purchasing all three lots. However, the new owner, Ezra Wibowo, declined the offer.

More than two dozen lawsuits have been filed against Hrynenko, her companies — MAH Realty and Kiev Realty — the city, Con Edison and other defendants.

Per the Post:

Lawyers for the victims say it would be virtually impossible to stop a sale — as long as it’s for market value and not to a straw buyer — and that the potential $12 million-plus windfall could be difficult to locate.

“Let’s say she sells the property and takes the cash and stashes it away in the Canary Islands, there’s no way for us to recoup that,” said Marius Wesser, a lawyer for Machendra Chongbang. The Nepalese immigrant was a chef at Sushi Park and was badly injured when he was blown into the basement.

In February 2016, the DA charged Hrynenko and her son, Michael Hrynenko Jr., with involuntary manslaughter. The Hrynenkos as well as contractor Dilber Kukic and an unlicensed plumber, Athanasios Ioannidis, have pleaded not guilty. There have not been any updates on when this case might go to trial.

Investigators have said that an illegally tapped gas line at 121 Second Ave. may have caused the blast that killed two men and injured a few dozen other people... as well as destroyed three buildings — 119, 121 and 123 Second Ave.

News came out this week that the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street will be co-named Moises Locón and Nicholas Figueroa Way for the two victims of the gas explosion.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Maria Hrynenko looking to sell 2nd Avenue properties destroyed in deadly gas explosion

Shiina opens on 3rd Avenue

Shiina, a women's boutique selling clothing, accessories and makeup, has opened at 83 Third Ave. at 12th Street...



Don't know too much about the store just yet... nice to see someone try to make a go of it with a retail shop, though. (Perhaps they could have timed the opening around NYU's schedule. School has adjourned for the summer.)

The space had been vacant here in the base of NYU's Third North dorm since November 2015, when Pushcart Coffee closed after just five months in business. The address was previously home to Just Sweet, which sold bubble tea and desserts.

H/T EVG reader Laura K.

High-rent blight: Senator's report finds nearly 10% vacancy rate on parts of 1st and 2nd avenues

[2 storefronts for rent on 1st Avenue between 13th and 14th]

Last week, State Sen. Brad Hoylman released the findings of a new report examining the growing specter of vacant storefronts in Manhattan.

Per a release on this report:

Combining on-the-ground data collection with firsthand accounts from small businesses, "Bleaker on Bleecker: A Snapshot of High-Rent Blight in Greenwich Village and Chelsea" looks at the causes and impacts of storefront vacancies and recommends solutions to address the problem.

The New York Times (here) and Jeremiah's Vanishing New York (here) reported on some of the findings.

The data Hoylman's office collected includes commercial sectors in the East Village:

· 18.4 percent vacancy rate along Bleecker Street from 6th to 8th Avenues

· 9.8 percent overall vacancy rate along First Avenue from 10th to 23rd Streets, Second Avenue from 3rd to 14th Streets, Eighth Avenue from 15th to 22nd Streets, and Bleecker Street from 6th to 8th Avenues

"Bleecker Street serves as a cautionary tale of how high rents in the Village and Chelsea are pushing out longtime independent business. We can’t simply allow market forces to run roughshod over our community any longer," he said.

His report provides a few solutions to address the growing problem of small business vacancies:

· Creation of a New York City Legacy Business Registry: The registry would track and maintain a list of small businesses that have been in operation for at least 30 years. This would enable New York State to recognize important businesses that in the future could potentially merit historic preservation tax credits and other benefits.

· Creation of Formula Retail Zoning Restrictions: This legislation would enable New York City to place limits on national chain stores.

· Phasing Out Tax Deductions for Landlords with Persistent Vacancies: Though landlords who leave retail storefronts vacant cannot deduct lost potential rental income, they are able to receive deductions for depreciation of property and operating vacancies. This proposal would disincentivize vacant storefronts by phasing out these deductions for building owners who leave retail spaces vacant over a year.

·Eliminating the Commercial Rent Tax: The Commercial Rent Tax (CRT) is an onerous and outdated burden on many small businesses. The tax only applies to commercial tenants in buildings below 96th Street in Manhattan, putting them at a distinct disadvantage compared to businesses elsewhere. State legislation could prevent the city from levying the Commercial Rent Tax on small businesses.

"I hope the ideas in my report will ignite a conversation about how we can assist small businesses before — not after — they face the seemingly inevitable reckoning of enormous rent increases," he said.

You can access a PDF of the report here.

On this topic, Community Board 3's Economic Development Committee is hosting a public forum next Wednesday night to discuss a proposed special district in the East Village "to encourage retail diversity and promote small and independent businesses."

Find the details here.

[Updated] Ready to celebrate the Dead's 50th anniversary in Tompkins Squre Park

As noted on Tuesday, there's a free show in Tompkins Square Park today from 2-6 p.m. commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead's first show here in June 1, 1967... EVG contributor Steven shared these photos showing prep work for the show...



Find the Facebook event page here with more details.

Updated 5:30 p.m.

Jerry showed up...



... as well as a nice-sized crowd ...



Photos by Steven

Updated 7 p.m.

EVG regular peter radley shared these photos...





Per peter: "And fun was had by all. A very happy vibe, nice to feel, on this beautiful day."

Updated 6/2

Slum Goddess has thoughts and videos here.

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: Roberta Bayley (and Stella)
Occupation: Photographer
Location: St. Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue
Date: Tuesday, May 23 at 3:15 p.m.

I was born in Pasadena, Calif. I went from California to London, where I lived for three or four years, and then I came to New York in 1974. I came here because I had a one-way ticket from London to New York. I didn’t know anybody here, but I had to get out of England fast — nothing illegal, romantic. New York was where the ticket was. My friend ... said, ‘I have a one-way ticket to New York,’ and I said, ‘I’ll take it.’

I had a list of names in New York that people had given me in London. Everybody I met was really great. Some people let me stay with them, and then I found an old friend in Brooklyn from San Francisco, and I just stayed. I came to the neighborhood right off the bat, to East 12th Street.

The people I met when I came here were involved in the rock 'n' roll scene, so I got to know people like the New York Dolls and Richard Hell and the Voidoids. In the midst of all that, I was working at CBGBs — I would take the money at the door. I also had a very strong interest in photography, but I hadn’t been doing it, so I bought a camera, and then I started taking pictures of the bands. And that’s what I’m still doing.

I loved the Ramones, the Heartbreakers, the Voidoids. I liked some bands that never made it. The Miamis were one of my favorites. They were the first band I saw in New York. And a band called the Marbles — they were kinda cute but they didn’t make it.

The other lucky thing, besides working at CBGBs with all these new bands that didn’t have record labels or anything and needed pictures, was that I also went to work for a magazine called Punk, which sort of became the engine of the scene. That allowed me to not only photograph the bands, but also to photograph them in really weird situations. We used to do these things called fumettis, which is like a comic in photos, with little word balloons, but you take the pictures — it’s like a little movie.

It was great because to shoot photography that way, I’d always say this looks terrible, and they’d say, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll color the background in later,’ because that’s what it was. You could draw stuff in, so it made things pretty easy and fun. We had a lot of fun. We got to do wacky things like Mutant Monster Beach Party — we had a big shootout at Coney Island, and so some people were the surfers and some people were the bikers. Lester Bangs was a biker, Debbie [Harry] was a surfer, and they had a big battle on Coney Island. We all went out there and really acted it.

Debbie probably was my favorite person to photograph because she was so easy to photograph, and she was always such a nice person. We got to put people like Debbie Harry and Joey Ramone in situations they would have never really been in in real life, but those are some of my best-selling pictures — Joey with the surfboard is my top number one.

I like where I am. You can still eat for very cheap, and there are a lot of little quirky stores with interesting people running them. It’s a quirky neighborhood. It just has more grit to it, but St. Mark's has gotten pretty weird with all the empty storefronts. It’s like this weird ghost town. It has to be the greedy landlords are just asking for too much. The only thing that seems to make money on St. Mark's is cheap food, $1 pizza and Mamoun's.

I mean the place on the corner, they were going to serve vegan ice cream – you can’t make the rent with that. The Gap was there and they couldn’t pay the rent. It was funny when the Gap came in — it was all undercover. These big things were blocking it, and then one day they just came down and the Gap just kind of appeared intact. Now it would probably fit in a little better.

The big fire [on Second Avenue] was traumatizing ... the idea that your apartment would catch fire and you would lose everything. That was a really fast fire – I was across the street in a café when it happened.

One thing I really don’t like are the travelers, when they come. My last dog was killed by one of those travelers’ dogs. When they start showing up, it just gives me the creeps. I feel bad for them, but it’s sort of by choice.

I’ve been in the same place since 1975. My rent was $125 a month, so I wasn’t going anywhere. The neighborhood was cheap – that was the main thing back then. It was just very relaxed. Everybody talks about the city being so dangerous and horrible — I never really experienced that. I mean, I got mugged, but I didn’t think that was because of the city being bankrupt. I didn’t walk around feeling scared. I just thought it was great. That’s why I stayed — I connected with a scene that was happening here, which I hadn’t really been part of, just slightly in London and slightly in San Francisco. Here, though, it just felt like something new was happening, and it was exciting. Everybody was broke and everybody was trying to make it. It’s a fun time in your 20s. Wouldn’t go through it again, but I enjoyed it.

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

City approves co-naming the northwest corner of 7th Street and 2nd Avenue Moises Locón and Nicholas Figueroa Way

The northwest corner of Seventh Street and Second Avenue will be co-named Moises Locón and Nicholas Figueroa Way for the two victims of the gas explosion here on March 26, 2015.

A volunteer who helped with the co-naming efforts told us that City Council approved the bill on May 24. As we understand it, there will not be a mayoral signing ceremony for the legislation, and it will go into law on June 23. It then usually takes the Department of Transportation six weeks to prepare the new street blades.

Members of CB3's Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee and the full CB3 board signed off on the proposal last month.

Organizers behind the co-naming hope that the street sign bearing the names of the two men will both help commemorate their loss and serve as a warning against unscrupulous landlords.

In February 2016, the DA charged landlord Maria Hrynenko and her son, Michael Hrynenko Jr., with involuntary manslaughter ... as well as contractor Dilber Kukic and an unlicensed plumber, Athanasios Ioannidis. (A fifth person, Andrew Trombettas, faces charges for supplying his license to Ioannidis.) All pleaded not guilty.

Authorities have said that siphoned gas at the Hrynenko-owned 121 Second Ave. was to blame for the explosion, which killed Locón and Figueroa, and injured two dozen other people. The blast also destroyed three buildings.

Figueroa, 23, a recent graduate of SUNY Buffalo State, was at Sushi Park with a co-worker. Locón, an employee at Sushi Park, was 27.

In a story at DNAinfo last month on the co-naming proposal, Ana Lanza, Figueroa's mother, said, "It's not going to bring him back — nothing is going to bring him back. But at least this brings a little bit of comfort, that he's going to be remembered somewhere, somehow. That his life wasn't taken in vain. That he meant something."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'

Memorial for Mary Spink tomorrow

RIP Nicholas Figueroa

RIP Moises Ismael Locón Yac

The Pride Ribbon Project at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery

In honor of Pride Month, St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery has placed ribbons along Second Avenue at 11th Street to remember LGBTQ prisoners who are incarcerated in facilities throughout the country ... the St. Mark's community "is inviting prayerful attention to the situations of LGBTQ people in prison."

The accompanying signs note that "LGBTQ people in prison face a greater risk of physical and sexual victimization. They are more likely to experience assault and abuse by corrections officers as well as other prisoners, and less likely to have support from family and friends on the the outside due to their sexuality or gender identity."

The former Caffe Bene space is actually for rent on St. Mark's Place

[Photo from May 5]

The Caffe Bene outpost at 24 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue closed back in April after 17 months in business.

A for rent sign arrived on May 4 ... however, there hasn't been a corresponding listing online at broker Eastern Consolidated ... meanwhile, the for rent sign has fallen down.



After lying in a heap for several weeks, someone put the sign back up yesterday...



Before Caffe B, the address was a Pinkberry. The space was on the market for nearly six months before Caffe Bene signed a 10-year lease in August 2015, with a reported asking rent in the $240 per-square-foot territory.

Wednesday's parting shot

A sunset view this evening via Bobby Williams...

Report: Suspect in 6th Street slashing seeking a sentencing deal in court

The man facing charges for slashing a social worker's face on Sixth Street in January 2016 attempted to bargain with a judge yesterday for a better deal, according to published reports.

Per the Daily News:

Francis Salud, 29, balked at the offer of 14 years in prison in exchange for his guilty plea made by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Jill Konviser even though prosecutors had argued for an additional four years and five years parole.

Salud made a desperate push for less time in the slammer, even blaming his attorney for his bad spot. He had demanded new counsel in a letter to the court.

His counter-offer was for 10 years.

Konviser told Salud that 14 years was her final offer, and gave him two weeks to think about his decision.

Around 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2016, Anthony Christopher-Smith, a social worker from Newark, N.J., was walking on Sixth Street east of Cooper Square to meet a friend when someone came up from behind him, shoved him down and cursed. His face and back were slashed in the process. Smith reportedly underwent eight hours of surgery, and needed nearly 150 stitches for the wound from his right ear to his lips.

Salud was arrested several days later at an apartment on Fourth Street and Second Avenue. He was previously arrested and charged for a slashing that happened Oct. 18, 2015. He was out on bail at the time of the second attack.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Man's face cut in random slashing on East 6th Street

Report: East 6th Street slashing suspect blames victim (and the government) for attack

Suspect in custody for East 6th Street slashing

Mermaid In (the trash)

EVG reader Jennifer Kellow shares these photos from First Avenue and Second Street from yesterday afternoon...

Public forum set to discuss special business district in the East Village

Community Board 3's Economic Development Committee is hosting a public forum on June 7 to discuss a proposed special district in the East Village "to encourage retail diversity and promote small and independent businesses."

Here's more via a Q-and-A on the CB3 website on the issue:

Why a special district in the East Village and why now?

CB 3 has experienced a dramatic loss of small “mom & pop” businesses in the past 10+ years, and a resulting decrease in the diversity and affordability of local goods and services. Driven by a combination of high commercial rents and real estate taxes, competition from an over-proliferation and concentration of destination nightlife businesses and national chain stores who can afford exorbitant rents, and a lack of daytime foot traffic, the loss of small businesses has been sustained in recent years.

What are the goals of a special district in CB 3?
• preserve the unique, individual character of our neighborhoods
• facilitate a diverse, affordable, and appropriate mix of retail and service providers that meet local needs
• encourage daytime businesses that do not have a disruptive effect on residents
• support existing businesses serving local needs
• limit the ground floor presence of inactive street wall frontages
• promote strong and affordable neighborhoods that are inviting to all New Yorkers, especially families

How will a special district affect certain uses?

The special district is not meant to push out existing businesses and nightlife establishments. Rather, the effort is to strike a balance and create a level playing field for small businesses. In the current proposal, eating/drinking establishments, banks, and chains would have restrictions on maximum total size (2,500 square feet) and maximum street wall width (25 linear feet). They would also be prohibited from combining storefronts across separate buildings.

Additionally, there would be restrictions on how much of a block’s street frontage can be occupied by a particular use — for example, no more than 25 percent of any given block’s street frontage can be occupied by eating/drinking establishments and there cannot be more than 1 chain store or bank per block.

I am thinking of opening a business in the East Village that does not meet the parameters of the special district. Does your current proposal take exceptions into consideration?

In the current proposal, applications for exceptions will require a mandatory review process and referral to the Community Board for a recommendation.

Based on the current proposal, where will the special district be located?
• 14th Street to Houston; 2nd Avenue to Avenue D (excluding N/S sides of Houston and 14th)
• St Marks between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue

The meeting is Wednesday, June 7, from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Sirovich Senior Center, 331 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Ramen Setagaya reopens today after renovation on St. Mark's Place

The St. Mark's Place branch of Japanese chain Ramen Setagaya has been closed for the past few weeks... with brown paper covering the windows.

But there is a note (as well as new signage) here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... noting a reopening today...



There's also a reopening event this weekend... where the already-affordable student-friendly menu will offer two $5 specials...

Report: Morton Williams won't be taking over the 14th Street Associated after all

[EVG file photo]

After learning that a Trader Joe's was coming to the new development at the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office on 14th Street, Morton Williams has decided not to sign a lease for the nearby Associated, according to a report yesterday in Town & Village.

So for now, Associated will continue on here between Avenue A and First Avenue. The supermarket's lease is up at the end of the year.

Per Town & Village:

Asked about Morton Williams’ decision to withdraw from negotiations, Rick Hayduk, general manager of Stuyvesant Town, said no lease had been signed. Last week, he mentioned this as well, though he confirmed there were negotiations.

“Associated continues with their lease,” he added. “No final decision has been made with respect to the tenant for this space on a go-forward basis.”

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Associated owners not having any luck shopping for a lease renewal on East 14th Street (34 comments)

Petition drive underway to help save the Stuy Town Associated on East 14th Street

Report: New Stuy Town owner pledges to keep a grocery story on East 14th Street, but it may not be Associated

Report: Morton Williams will take over the Associated space on 14th Street (27 comments)

Against the Grain yields to sustainable omakase restaurant on 6th Street

Against the Grain, the beer annex of Grape and Grain on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C, has closed to make way for Mayanoki, a sustainable omakase restaurant that has been operating as a pop-up spot in Brooklyn the past five years.

According to Eater, Mayanoki co-owners Josh Arak and David Torchiano are subletting the small space "with the expectation that it will become a long-term arrangement."

Per Eater:

Mayanoki’s $95, 15-course menu will serve varieties such as squid, black sea bass from New Jersey, Spanish mackerel, scallops, oysters, albacore tuna, grouper from Florida, and more. The varieties will change based on what is in season and sustainably available, and the restaurant will work with organizations such as Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and Ocean Wise to guide sustainability choices. To fit in with the local theme, there’s also an all-New York wine and beer list, though sake will be flown in from Japan.

The restaurant officially debuts tonight on Sixth Street. (They had a soft opening this past weekend.) Mayanoki is open Wednesday-Sunday, with seatings at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

A 50th anniversary show commemorating the Grateful Dead playing Tompkins Square Park

[Image via]

On June 1, 1967, The Grateful Dead played their first East Coast show, which reportedly drew 3,000 concertgoers to Tompkins Square Park.

To mark this 50th anniversary on Thursday afternoon, the folks who put on the monthly Dead Night at Clem's in Williamsburg are hosting the following in Tompkins Square Park:

Live music by Grateful Dead cover band Ice Petal Flowers
Pre-show DJ set by Newguy
2 pm - 6 pm

Find the Facebook event page here.

As for the Dead's show in 1967, here's part of a recap via The Village Voice:

June began on Thursday, and the Grateful Dead were in town, and, despite some rumble rumors from the Puerto Ricans, the prospects for peace looked promising. A happy, scruffy parade of 80 marched down St. Mark's Place, complete with police escort, to present the Dead with a white carnation key to the East Village, graciously accepted by Pigpen. And the Tompkins Square bandshell rocked with San Francisco glory until a noise complaint was lodged in the late afternoon. Rather than tune down, the Dead turned off.

H/T Stephen Popkin!

Looking at the future home of 14th Street's 2nd Trader Joe's

[View from 14th Street]

Trader Joe's has reportedly signed a deal to open a two-level grocery in the new development that replaced the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office at 432-438 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The Real Deal, citing anonymous sources, first reported on this late last week.

The food purveyor quietly signed a lease about two months ago with Mack Real Estate and Benenson Capital Partners ... for 8,531 square on the ground floor and 14,170 square feet on the lower level.

In May 2016, there were reports of Trader Joe's taking the retail space in Extell's incoming retail-residential complex one block to the east between Avenue A and Avenue B. Target ended up signing a lease for the corner at 500 E. 14th St. The remaining storefront at No. 500 is 14,500 square feet.

The residential entrance (there will be 114 units) to the 8-floor building will be on 13th Street... while access to the Trader Joe's will be on 14th Street.


[View from 13th Street]

The Trader Joe's will likely have a little competition across the street with, reportedly, a Morton Williams. [Updated: Town & Village reports that Morton Williams will not sign a lease now.] Not to mention the small-format Target, which will feature grab-pay-then-go food items and other groceries.

In 2014, a Facebook group was advocating for a Trader Joe's for Ben Shaoul's condoplex at 98-100 Avenue A. That retail spot is now Blink Fitness.

Will a second Trader Joe's on East 14th Street help alleviate the pre-storm lines at the current location between Third Avenue and Irving Place?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office slated to be demolished

The former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office will yield to an 8-story residential building

New residential building at former 14th Street PO will feature a quiet lounge, private dining room

A look at the new building coming to the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office property

Love Gang is moving on 9th Street

[Photo by Steven]

Love Gang, the women's boutique at 436 E. Ninth St., is moving this week — two storefronts to the west here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

"The rent was just getting too expensive — you know the perpetual NYC issue," co-owner Carmen Ruiz-Davila said. "I'm glad that we found a place, especially one that's so close."

The new storefront at No. 434 had last served as a pop-up shop.

Love Gang hopes to be open here on Thursday.

---

Read our interview with Love Gang co-owners Cara Bloch and Ruiz-Davila from December here.

Esperanto offshoot closes on 1st Street; may return elsewhere

Esperanto Fonda, the satellite location of Avenue C mainstay Esperanto, has closed on First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. A for rent sign now hangs on the right side of the entrance.

The quick-serve restaurant, which opened last August, served a variety of tacos, empanadas and burritos.

An Esperanto rep said via email that "Fonda closed due to high rent costs but will be reopening at another location in the near future, with the same exact program." In the meantime, the rep said that Esperanto is set up for to-go window service and delivery with the same menu as Esperanto Fonda.

The First Street address was most recently home to BARA for two years and Prima for three years. The Elephant, a Thai restaurant, was previously here for 17 years.