One recent evening, two women strolling by stopped and stepped inside.
“Come in; satisfy your curiosity,” he said. Later Mr. Pisano explained that he gets many such visits every day. And each time, he says, he gets the same reaction. As the curious step into the recesses of the space, they’re startled to come upon a bed, a kitchen and a piano. It becomes apparent that this is no shop. It’s Mr. Pisano’s home.
“What is privacy?” he said. “Privacy prevents me from meeting people.”
He leaves the front door ajar ... Passers-by peer at a collection of unusual items — like a Bill Clinton doll on an antique model boat. Nothing is for sale, though he estimates he gives away 10 to 12 trinkets every day.
Everyone who knew him called him “Tony.” But for me it was “uncle Tony.” He lived his life simply and didn’t gather much monetary savings. His wealth came from love and compassion for his fellow human beings and sharing conversation.
As his remaining family is trying to pull together to fulfill Anthony’s final wishes. It is a very difficult task to afford a proper burial and memorial for him.
Ultimately, CB3’s SLA and DCA four present committee members did vote unanimously to grant the license alteration, which would allow live music and DJs “provided they are not scheduled and that there are no ticket sales or entrance fees.” The committee stated this was because the bar’s zoning “does not provide” for them, and they lacked the power to change that.
“The bottom line is how [the Department of Buildings] interprets it,” stated District Manager Susan Stetzer. Historically, [committee chair Alexandra] Militano added, the DOB has not allowed scheduled performances and ticketed events to exist in a residential area, even at spaces licensed to have live music and DJs. Club Cumming’s address, 505 East 6th Street, is in zoning area R7B, a type of “residential district.”
Last night our community board approved the change to our license so that live performance and DJs can happen again at @clubcumming. Now we just have to have the actual license changed by the State Liquor Authority and the show can go on again! It was a truly humbling and beautiful thing to see so many people turn up and show their support for our little bar, and to hear those who spoke express how important it has become as a safe community gathering place that both nurtures new talent and celebrates the artistic and cultural legacy of the East Village.
"Coffee & Cream by OddFellows Ice Cream Co. will feature 12 rotating flavors of ice cream plus sorbet, soft serve, and of course, coffee. Not just any coffee. We have hired a great crew of baristas and we'll offer a rotating selection of beans from across the country. We are starting with one of New York City's finest: Café Integral (Nolita). We'll also have coffee soft serve, a special coffee sundae, matcha, kombucha on tap, cold brew on tap and more."
Why Say NO!
• The proposed hotel, at 100 feet tall, is in violation of the City’s Zoning Resolution. The developer’s application for a zoning text amendment – “spot zoning” – in effect would rewrite the law for a series of waivers that benefit the developer alone.
• At eight stories, the proposed hotel towers over the 4 ½ story Merchant’s House (completely blocking sunlight to the rear garden) and is grossly incompatible with the surrounding buildings in the Noho Historic District.
• If the Planning Commission approves the application, the developer would be able to proceed – and the museum’s fragile, 186-year-old building would suffer catastrophic structural damage and likely collapse during construction.
• The Merchant’s House is New York City’s only family home preserved intact, inside and out, from the 19th century. It is a vital – and irreplaceable – New York City cultural institution, open to the public since 1936.
If the Merchant’s House — Manhattan’s first designated landmark in 1965 — can’t be protected, NO New York City landmark will be safe from out-of-control private development.
"Yeah, the building is boring, but it's appropriate," said Commissioner Michael Goldblum. The other Commissioners concurred, for the most part, that the new design featuring beige brick, glass, and metal spandrels, met the basic requirements they had set out for it. The only Commissioner to vote against the proposal, Margery Perlmutter, called it "drab on so many levels." "I feel like we've been exhausted into saying yes to this proposal, so I'm saying no," she said.
Joseph Zwilling, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of New York, said ... that the Church of the Nativity belongs to Most Holy Redeemer, since the two merged, and is not owned by the archdiocese.
“In parishes where there is unused property, the archdiocese works with parish leadership to determine the best course of action,” he said. “Nothing has been determined at this time for Nativity Church.”
“We understand they have many responsibilities. This is one of 18 churches,” Orselli said of the number of former archdiocese churches currently for sale on the open market. “We are not expecting action tomorrow. But I’m hoping they will meet with us sooner rather than later. We are trying to make the project proposal concrete. It will take at least a couple of years. All we are asking now is for the church not to sell the building to a developer.”
I want to thank everyone that has supported the store over the years. All the regulars & neighborhood people that come [through]. First in Brooklyn & then when we moved into Manhattan to the Lower East Side. It was a wild ride! And a lot of fun times. But as you know New York City has changed drastically. And we've been doing the impossible for years now. We weren't even supposed to be here this long. But we persevered. We are a very small independent brand. Run by me & a couple of buddies. And for many reasons we will have to close up the store in the next few weeks.
We want everyone to come by the shop at least one last time & say goodbye before we close. There'll be a going away party all weekend on April 21st & 22nd for our final last 2 days. Noon to around 10 PM each day. We hope all our friends & supporters can make it out & party with us! There will be free booze & food & lots of friendly weirdos.
This is the end of the shop. But not the end of brand by any means. We are traveling every month this year to conventions.
No official reason for the locked and dark bar was provided by ownership. Emails, calls, and messages to Suffolk’s Arms official contacts went unanswered as did attempts to reach both owners.
Two employees told Neat Pour that they were informed that the establishment would reopen at a later date with a new concept, but the same staff. Other employees declined to comment.
Co-owners Ruben Rodriguez and Giusseppe González have long been rumored be at odds with one another. Sources told NP that there were previous attempts to remove González from the business this winter, but the staff’s loyalty to the charismatic bartender thwarted these efforts.
Creative energy runs through the East Village like a buzzing electrical current. Since the ’70s, a groundswell of artists, musicians, and iconoclasts put the neighborhood—and New York City—on the map as the place to be. It’s the birthplace of punk, the hub of counterculture, the lightning rod for the city’s kinetic spark. Today, elements of the neighborhood’s history mix with new hotspots that carry the torch.
