A farewell to Barnyard Cheese Shop

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Barnyard Cheese Shop closed after service Friday evening at 168 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

As we first reported, owner Beatriz Gutierrez (pictured above) was, despite repeated efforts, unable to find someone to replace Victor, who helmed the kitchen here for years. Victor, who lost his brother to COVID-19, is returning to be with family in Mexico. 

Yesterday, family members, longtime regulars and staff (including Michael in the photo below) gathered to say goodbye to Barnyard...

Several bands, part of a HONK NYC! performance, were also playing right outside along the Open Street of Avenue B...

This week in milling & paving with your host...

Crews working for the DOT milled Avenue B — from Houston to 14th Street — early this past week. 

Enjoy this fresh-milled look and feel while you can. 

According to the DOT website, workers are expected to start paving the roadway on Friday night...

EVG Etc.: Early voting begins; SoHo/NoHo rezoning pushes ahead

Fall views on 1st Street/Houston

• Early voting begins TODAY (NYC Votes) 

• Police say this suspect assaulted an 11-year-old girl in Stuyvesant Square (1010 WINS) UPDATED: A 29-year-old East Village resident is out on bail following his arraignment Saturday on charges of strangulation, harassment, assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child. (amNY ... ABC 7 ... CBS 2) More details at The Daily Mail.

• Arrest made in murder of food-delivery worker on the LES last Saturday (Daily News) Loved ones are collecting money to help victim Miah Sala's family pay for expenses (GoFundMe) 

• ICYMI: On 8th and Broadway, cops shove man out of the subway station after he asked them to wear masks (The New York Times) Cops disciplined (ABC 7) 

• The latest on the SoHo/NoHo rezoning (Gothamist) 

• Remembering the EV boutique/salon Knobkerry and proprietor Sara Penn ... the subject of a new exhibition (The New York Times) 

• A review of La Cabra, now open on Second Avenue (Gothamist ... previously on EVG) 

• NYU receives a collection of 200 works by downtown artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Mapplethorpe and Keith Haring (Hyperallergic) 

• A fall update on Amelia and Christo, the red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography) 

• About Dumpling Lab on Ninth Street (Time Out ... previously on EVG) 

• Gold Medalist Shaun White's condo in the A Building on 13th Street sells (The Post) 

• A rerelease for the debut EP from Heart Attack, Jesse Malin's first band (Brooklyn Vegan) 

 ... and our best to Karen McDermott, who owns the toy store the March Hare on Ninth Street with her husband Jason McGroarty. McDermott, 31, found out earlier this month that she has colon cancer. More details here.

 

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Carve your enthusiasm

Some photos from a recent pumpkin-carving extravaganza at the Parkside Lounge on Houston at Attorney ... pics by Stacie Joy...

Like a 'Dream'

 

New Order is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of their first album, Movement. 

On this occasion today, the band released this video of "Dreams Never End" — Movement's lead track — from their concert (Nov. 18, 1981) at the Ukrainian National Home on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

(We've posted the full show before, like here.)

HONK NYC! returns to the streets and community gardens

HONK NY!, the activist and community-based street bands, is back in action this week... Today (Friday!), HONK is hosting a Horns to the Sky! program in Tompkins Square Park from 4-6:30 p.m.

And tomorrow afternoon (Saturday!), HONK bands will be in the East Village ... along the Open Street of Avenue B and in various community gardens. This link provides the details. 

Report: Police shoot at man threatening people with a knife on Houston and the Bowery

According to published reports, police shot at a man threatening people with knives during the morning rush (8:45) along the Bowery at Houston. 

Media accounts described the suspect as an "emotionally disturbed man." 

Per PIX11: "According to police, the officer fired one round but missed the man." 

The Daily News has more of the narrative:

Starting around 8:40 a.m., the unhinged man cut a bizarre path from outside the Butcher's Daughter, a cafe on Kenmare St., to the Bowery and then to the corner of Elizabeth and Grand Sts., cops said. He allegedly threatened to stab people along the way. 

Cops found the man at the corner of Houston St. and Bowery. Officers first shot the man with a Taser, but it didn't work, police said. A cop from the 9th Precinct fired off one shot as officers tried to subdue the man, but no one was hit.

The suspect was taken into custody without further incident. 

EVG reader Robert Miner, who shared these photos, reports that the Bowery is closed from Houston to Bleecker ... other parts of Houston are also said to be currently closed to traffic... 

Updated 10:46 a.m.:

And a report via CBS 2...

 

Stromboli is back open

Stromboli Pizza, sidelined since early August with a building-related gas issue, reopened yesterday on First Avenue at St. Mark's Place. (Thanks to everyone who shared this news via email!) 

As previously noted, we were told that there was a gas-line issue with the building at 83 St. Mark's Place/135 First Ave. The gas issue impacts the building's residents as well, sources said. 

Steven shared these photos, including of Joseph, Stromboli's owner...

Dan & John's next door has also been closed these past two-plus months. The wing shop has not yet reopened.

Thursday's parting shots

A moment on First Avenue and Ninth Street... thanks to Grant Shaffer for the pics...

Barnyard Cheese Shop is closing for good tomorrow

Photos yesterday by Stacie Joy

Tomorrow is the last day in business for Barnyard Cheese Shop at 168 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

Owner Beatriz Gutierrez confirmed the news (H/T Elsie) to EVG contributor Stacie Joy. 

Gutierrez said Victor, her longtime cook, suffered a loss during the pandemic — his brother died. Victor wants and needs to return home to be with his family in Mexico.

Gutierrez said that she has repeatedly tried to find kitchen staff but can't, so she is forced to close Barnyard. She stressed that this is not a lack-of-business issue — it's wholly staffing-related. 

She has a lease on the space until the end of November and may do some catering here. Gutierrez also said she may hold on to the storefront for another venture in the future, though she isn't sure right at this moment.

Barnyard, which offers cheeses, cured meats, salads and delicious specialty sandwiches, first opened in 2008 on Ninth Street and Avenue C ... moving to its current location in late 2016.

Her companion shop next door, Brix Wines, will remain open. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A Visit to Brix Wines and Barnyard Cheese Shop on Avenue B

Dark jazz: Rue-B closes, leaving Avenue B

Photo yesterday by Stacie Joy

Rue-B, the bar and live music venue specializing in jazz at 188 Avenue B, has closed after nearly 23 years in business here between 11th Street and 12th Street. (H/T Lilly!)

Mike Camacho, who has owned the spot for the past five years, made the announcement in a video clip posted on Instagram. 

He said that they will be reopening at a location TBD at a later date. 

While he didn't name a specific reason for the closure, Rue-B's Instagram page states: "We apologize after almost 23 yrs we were forced to close down. Thank U East Village NYC 4 for allowing us to serve you spirits & live Jazz. With Love Rue-B." 

You can watch Camacho's farewell and thank you to patrons below...

 

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Reader report: Cheap-eats fave Papaya Dog looks done on 14th Street

Several EVG readers noted that Papaya Dog has been dark recently on the northwest corner of 14th Street and First Avenue ... and yesterday, KT spotted a worker cleaning out the space. He confirmed that the closure is permanent. (All pics here by KT.)

Later yesterday, some furniture and other PD items were placed on the curb...

A look inside shows that many of the fixtures have been removed...

Papaya Dog seems as if it was here forever. However, Manhattan Sideways listed its opening in 2005. 

There's a Papaya Dog still in business on Sixth Avenue (and on Fulton Street?), though other quick-serve hot dog joints have dwindled in numbers in recent years. (The circa-1932 Papaya King is still serving up the grilled franks and papaya drinks on the UES.)

While prices here inched up lately, you could still get two hot dogs, fries and a drink for $7.99 late into the night. 

This corner also seems primed for development. But at this point, there's nothing official about anything coming to this corner ... for now.

2nd annual Mask-Querade taking place Halloween afternoon on 7th Street

East Village restaurateur Ravi DeRossi's Overthrow Hospitality group is once again hosting a Trick-or-Treat Halloween festival for children ages 12 and under on 7th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

It's taking place on Oct. 31 from 2-4 p.m.

A few details via the EVG inbox: 

Children accompanied by a parent or guardian are invited to trick or treat safely. Adults will be able to observe in designated viewing stations to watch children with complimentary mulled wine and spiced cider. Safety will be enforced by volunteer community members. 

Candy will be safely distributed and candy bags will be issued by us!

Overthrow is also looking for volunteers to hand out candy. If you're interested, then you may email: speakup@overthrowhospitality.com 

FA debuts on 9th Street; the green bench arrives in Tompkins Square Park

FA — better-known as Fucking Awesome World Entertainment — debuted on Saturday at 420 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The skateboard company and streetwear brand, co-owned by pro skaters Jason Dill and AVE (aka Anthony Van Engelen), opened its first retail space in Los Angeles in 2019. This is the first East Coast outpost for FA.

The shop's grand opening also saw the arrival of the green bench, a very special guest brought here by the owners of FA and currently a block away in the skating (TF) area of Tompkins Square Park. 

Here's more about it via Curbed, who first reported about it coming here:

The green bench is in Tompkins Square Park right now.

If you're a skateboarder — or a former skateboarder, or at least somewhat skateboarding-adjacent — and live in New York City, that sentence cannot be read without an exclamation point. The green bench! That's because this particular 300-pound piece of steel street furniture has become one of the most storied objects to skate around and on, and its arrival on the East Coast adds a coda to a two-decade saga of discovery, theft, loss, reconstruction, and a particularly hard-won switch backside noseblunt slide across its 13-foot arc.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy went to check out the green bench...

... and found it in heavy use ...

Back to FA, their store hours are Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

No. 420 was previously Puppy Love & Kitty Kat, the 10-year-old pet supplies and grooming shop that closed in 2019.

Storefront photo by Steven. Thanks to William Klayer for sharing pics as well.

Blank Street coffee looks to be opening an outpost on 3rd Avenue

Blank Street, the fast-growing NYC coffee brand founded in the summer of 2020, looks to be opening an outpost at 36 Third Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

The address just showed up on a Google Map of locations for Blank Street. (Thanks, Upper West Sider, for pointing this out!)

Here's more about the company via a Grub Street profile from August:

Blank Street has managed to underprice the competition. A cappuccino costs $5 at Blue Bottle, $4.15 at Starbucks, and $3.90 at Dunkin' Donuts. At Blank Street, it's $3.50. To achieve this, [founders Vinay Menda and Issam Freiha] have had to fundamentally rethink what customers like them really want from a coffee experience today, and what that might mean for the future of the beverage in New York City. 

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Blank Street is not just the way that the founders have fastidiously optimized their own operation but also the vision that Menda and Freiha have to update the thousands of coffee carts already doing business on city streets.

The two plan to have 100 locations operational by the end of 2022. 

Blank Street takes over space last leased by Frisson Espresso, which closed in September 2019 after 20 months in business.

This seems like goldmine territory for coffee given the proximity to college students (NYU and Cooper Union have dorms nearby). There is also plenty of competition, including the Bean across Third Avenue. Plus, the storefront-obscuring sidewalk bridge surrounding the residential building (The St. Mark at 115 E. Ninth St.) has been up for five-plus years.

Photo yesterday by Steven!

Sun meets the sidewalk again along this stretch of 2nd Avenue

Workers removed the sidewalk bridge from outside 111 Second Ave. here between Sixth Street and Seventh Street on Monday... re-introducing sunlight and the storefronts (New Yorkers Foodmarket and Le Fournil Bakery) to this west side of the Avenue. 

And you can get the full view of Le Fournil's newish sign, which debuted back in the summer...

The sidewalk bridge had been in place since the bakery opened in December 2019. (The sidewalk bridge went up in the fall of 2019 for exterior work at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.)

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Reader report: new laundromat washed up before it opens?

We've been meaning to note that a laundromat is opening at 60 Avenue B between Fourth Street and Fifth Street... previously site of a laundromat. 

An EVG reader (who shared both of these pics) points out a 14-day rent demand on the gate...

Per the document, the total rent due is $9,510.44 (the monthly rent is $4k). Hopefully, the owners can get this sorted out to open.

Convincted felon Steve Croman is the landlord of the building.

When life gives you a bulky sidewalk bridge, play tetherball

As seen today on the Urban Umbrella scaffolding around Cooper Union's Foundation Building ... thanks to Goggla for the photo! 

(And the sidewalk bridge is NOT being removed ... at least not now...)

Office building for 3 St. Mark's Place appears stalled for now

As we reported earlier this month, workers at the development site on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place removed the barriers from around the work site... allowing pedestrians to use the sidewalks once again — for the first time since the barricades arrived in June 2020 at this gateway to the East Village...

Several weeks later, there's not much going on at the site as work appears to have stopped. (The excavator has moved from one spot to another.) Meanwhile, there aren't any posted work permits on the plywood... 

In addition, the rendering for the proposed office building has been discarded inside the pit, where little progress can be detected (soil testing started in March 2020)...

What's all this mean? Well, don't expect construction to commence anytime soon.

In August, The Real Deal reported that Madison Realty Capital was moving to foreclose on Real Estate Equities Corp.'s (REEC) leasehold interest at 3 St. Mark's Place.

Some numbers and background from TRD's report:

Madison has owned the $48 million loan package backed by REEC's East Village property since 2019. The real-estate private equity firm acquired the debt from South Korean financial services firm Hana Financial group, which provided REEC $79.1 million of debt and sold the $48 million portion to Madison Realty Capital.

Madison filed a complaint with the state Supreme Court in Manhattan, alleging that REEC defaulted on the $48 million mortgage, which combines an acquisition loan and construction loans.

A REEC spokesperson said that they "are working on a recapitalization plan and are optimistic that this will be resolved soon."

It's not known where REEC is with this plan.

According to the Department of Buildings, there's a Stop Work Order "due to contractor withdrawal" dated Sept. 27.

The partially approved work permits dated from May show that the building is now 9 floors — 45,207 square feet in total, with 3,400 square feet designated for a commercial facility.

As you may recall, a 10-story office building had been in the works here.

In October 2020, the City Council's Zoning Subcommittee voted down REEC's application to transfer air rights from the landmarked 4 St. Marks Place to the new building across the street.

With the air-rights transfer, REEC would have been allowed to build 8,386 square feet larger than the current zoning allows here.

REEC picked up the 99-year leasehold for the corner properties for nearly $150 million in November 2017. The previous buildings here, which included retail tenants such as Korilla BBQ, the Continental and McDonald's, were demolished in 2019.

Bottom two photos by Steven