Sunday, December 5, 2021
Rite Aid's formerly headless Santa SINGS
Turns out this Santa is animatronic as EVG contributor Stacie Joy discovered today ...
Week in Grieview
Posts this past week included (with a tree trick on Astor Place via Derek Berg) ...
• PlantShed bringing flowers, plants and coffee to 2nd Avenue (Monday)
• Barnyard Cheese Shop making a return as Barnyard Express with weekend-only service (Friday)
• Meet The Acute (Thursday)
• Happy birthday to the Tompkins Square Library branch! (Thursday)
• Clare checks out "Night Moves" by Jacqueline Cedar at Shelter Gallery (Wednesday)
• A new NY See! (Thursday)
• Local students distribute pre-Thanksgiving meals in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday)
• Cutlets Sandwich Co. debuts on 3rd Avenue (Wednesday)
• Ahimsa Garden has left the East Village (Monday)
• Retail space comes into view at the former Hells Angels HQ (Thursday)
• 2 restaurants opened and closed in 6 weeks at this space on 10th Street (Thursday)
• Santa returns to Rite Aid this holiday season with his head intact (Wednesday)
• Mug & Cup in soft-open mode on Avenue C (Tuesday)
• Flamingos Vintage Pound checks out (Monday)
• Openings: 75 Degrees Cafe & Bakery (Tuesday)
• Here's your Smoke City Exotics signage on Avenue B (Friday)
• Happy holidays from Wegmans (Monday)
• Bar None seized for nonpayment of taxes (Monday)
• The VNYL has not been open in a long time (Tuesday)
• 1st Street Prune watch (Monday)
An art fair at the Tompkins Square Library branch
On Thursday afternoon, a group of local writers and artists were on hand with their work. EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by for a visit with ...
... Eve Packer and Ron Kolm...
... Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges... 
... Greg Masters...
... J. Scott Orr of B Scene Zine... 
... Ruth Oisteanu...
... Frank New...
...Delia Anne Parker...
... Carpo...
... Delphine le Goff...
... Sara Ann Rutherford...
A celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe on 3rd Street
You may have noticed the colorful procession yesterday outside the Most Holy Redeemer/Nativity Parish on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.
It was a celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe. (This was a prelude to the official Feast Day on Dec. 12.)
As NBC News reported back in 2019:
For Mexicans and Mexican-Americans as well as other Latinos, Our Lady of Guadalupe is a powerful symbol of devotion, identity, and patriotism. Her image inspires artists, activists, feminists and the faithful.
EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos from the celebration...
Saturday, December 4, 2021
Saturday's parting shot
In addition, EVG contributor Stacie Joy, who took this photo, noted in a not-alarming way that Santa's head is super wobbly ... meaning a headless Santa is once again a possibility ...
EVG Etc.: A deep dive on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project; a night at House of X
• Michael Kimmelman, the architecture critic at the Times, checks in with a long read on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (The New York Times)
• With omicron variant concerns, Mayor de Blasio is considering second shot, booster vaccination mandate for NYC restaurants, concerts (Daily News) More about omicron in NYC (Gothamist)
• In a lawsuit, the family of Jennifer Blumin, who died with her two young children in a plane crash in 2017, says her landlord contained to charge rent for her East 13th Street penthouse for several months after her death (The Post)
• Residents of the Jacob Riis Houses say they are living with inconsistent heat and hot water and no gas service in their apartments (PIX11)
• Interviews with Council House Speaker candidates, including Carlina Rivera (City Limits)
• A four-year-old piece of legislation before the City Council would enable more consistent scrutiny for placement in supportive housing (City Limits)
• The legal battle continues at Children's Magical Garden on Norfolk and Stanton (The Post)
• The fourth International Human Rights Arts Festival takes place Dec. 6-12 at Wild Project on Third Street near Avenue B (Official site)
• Remembering 2 Bridges Music Arts on East Broadway and other long-gone record stores (Interlude Docs)
• One night at House of X at the Public Hotel on Chrystie (The Cut)
• How They Might Be Giants — celebrating their 40th year — made "Birdhouse in Your Soul" (The Guardian ... read our 2011 Q&A with John Linnell)
EVG recent retail recap
• The holiday market is open at 3rd & B'Zaar (Link)
• Karen McDermott, who runs the March Hare with her husband Jason McGroarty, was diagnosed with colon cancer this fall. The toy store on Ninth Street also marked its first anniversary on Nov. 23. (Link)
• A new storefront for P.J. O'Rourke II on Avenue B (Link)
• Jo Laurie Loves debuts on Ninth Street (Link)
• Leekan Designs winding down its operations on the Lower East Side (Link)
... and there's an East Village Flea on First Avenue and First Street today (Dec. 4) from noon to 5 p.m. You can find vendor info @NexusFlea ...
Saturday's opening shot
P.S.
Bonus (accidental) photo from the very moment a FedEx truck passed by the corner...
Friday, December 3, 2021
Horse sense
The Chicago-based teen trio Horsegirl recently released this video for "Billy," a forthcoming 7-inch single (with a cover of the Minutemen's "History Lesson Part II" on side B) via their new label, Matador.
The band has said the song is "a love letter to past music scenes we wish we could have witnessed."
Details on the Suffolk Street Solidarity fundraiser
Here are some details about the event, held at The Clemente, via the EVG inbox...
Bluestockings has been part of the Lower East Side for 22 years and The Clemente for nearly 30. Bluestockings found a new home during the pandemic, and it's right across from The Clemente on Suffolk Street. We are thrilled to be neighbors and for all the possibilities this opens for us to work together.
We're marking this new chapter with a joint fundraiser to mutually support each other's work and connect our already overlapping communities.Speakers: Alok, Rita Indiana, Molly Crabapple, Yin Q, Victoria LawPerformers: Claudi of PincLouds and Choked Up (with Cristy Road)Raffle Items: We have coveted items and great gifts which include thematically curated bundles from Bluestockings merch, Hardcover coffee table books donated by the Museum of the City of New York, tickets and passes to plays and concerts donated by Teatro SEA, and Arts for Art, and more.Suffolk Street Solidarity is a celebration of our communities that will support our spaces' continued survival and shared commitment to solidarity work. Our fundraising goal of $70k will be split equally between Bluestockings & The Clemente.
Find ticket information and more information about the fundraiser at this link.
The Clemente Center is located at 107 Suffolk St. at Rivington.
Marking the 1-year anniversary of the fire that destroyed Middle Collegiate Church
Photo from June by Stacie Joy
On Dec. 5, 2020, a six-alarm fire destroyed the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street, including the sanctuary of the neighboring Middle Collegiate Church.
Middle Collegiate will mark the first anniversary with a pilgrimage to the site on Sunday.
Here are more details via church officials:
The congregation will be making a pilgrimage from our temporary home at Calvary Episcopal Church at 21st Street and Park Avenue South to the ruins of our sanctuary on the one-year anniversary of the fire. We'll be starting the walk at 11:45 a.m. uptown, and should get to Middle Collegiate around 12:15.People are welcome to join us for that but for an easier way to show support, we're just inviting folks at any point during that day to stop by and leave an offering by the construction fence — a flower, a candle, an old photo of the building, whatever they’d like.We thought it would be beautiful if congregants saw other people's offerings when they arrived, and if we continued to collect expressions of love throughout the day.
The FDNY previously said that faulty wiring at 48 E. Seventh St. was to blame for the fire. An FDNY spokesperson told 1010 WINS that the fire had been deemed "non-suspicious." No. 48 was demolished. (More background here.)
Middle Collegiate Church is currently raising funds to help rebuild the sanctuary (link here).
Previously on EV Grieve:
Barnyard Cheese Shop making a return as Barnyard Express with weekend-only service
Text and photos by Stacie Joy
After an October closure, Beatriz Gutierrez is rebooting Barnyard Cheese Shop at 168 Avenue B.
Starting today, Gutierrez will be operating Barnyard Express from the storefront between 10th Street and 11th Street.
Barnyard Express will have a limited menu featuring the six best-selling sandwiches from the original menu (including the Mexican-Cuban with slow-roasted pork, ham, Swiss, avocado, pickled jalapenos, dill pickles and mayo, and the Barnyard Classic with eggs, thick-cut bacon and a farmhouse cheddar). There will also be two vegetarian options in the sandwich mix.
Other items include soup and dessert. (There are rumors of the return of the crowd-pleasing lemon bars.) For now, there aren't any salads or sides.
Also new: Online ordering. (Use this link.) Starting today, patrons can order online and then come and pick it up. No delivery.
Hours: Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the possibility of expanding as time goes on.
Gutierrez said that so many people asked her to reopen, she decided to bring Barnyard back in a limited capacity.
"I feel a huge responsibility ... Food is everything to me," she said. "I am excited, but this is daunting —will people come back?"
She closed in October after being unable to find someone to helm her kitchen. Victor, her longtime cook, lost his brother during the pandemic. Victor returned home this fall to be with his family in Mexico.
So moving forward, Gutierrez will be doing the cooking. Her cousin and goddaughter, longtime counterperson Diana Chain (below left), will be working the front of the house...
Here's your Smoke City Exotics signage on Avenue B
Photos by Stacie Joy
Here's an update on a post from Nov. 17. Signage went up yesterday for Smoke City Exotics at 166 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street.
The shop, selling various snacks and smoke accessories, has been open now for several weeks...
On Nov. 17, we incorrectly reported this was a new outpost of NYC Exotic Snax, specializing in rare imported snacks and sodas like Kellogg's Choco Krispies with M&Ms, Kit Kat Cinnabon and Lay's pickle-flavored super chips from the Netherlands. This is a different Exotic!
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Meet The Acute
Text and photos by Stacie Joy
I recently spent a seasonably warm fall afternoon walking around the neighborhood with them, talking about bands and music, audio engineering, and what it’s like working, touring and living together.
What is the band’s origin story?
Cacouris: We initially met a while back at an MGMT show, but never again until 2017, when we began jamming in a Williamsburg music studio. We instantly began writing and thought of all the ways we could shape our sound that felt unique, relevant and organic.
Butler: It was a clear sign from the universe when we kept running into each other and shared similar opinions regarding music. I wrote bass parts originally before stepping into the drumming/songwriting realm. The first song we worked on together was “Database.” We would play each other songs we loved for hours; he turned me on to Can and The Fall, I showed him Killing Joke and The Adverts.
What is some of the music that shaped your music life — or life in general?
Cacouris: We’re very attached to our rock and roll! From the 1960s through the 1980s, we are tuned into the bands that created this amazing genre, like The Kinks. Bands that shaped my life include The Velvet Underground, The Replacements, The Seeds…
Butler: Ultimately, I can say The Kinks brought us close together. Other than that, I have a passion for 1980s musicians such as Gary Numan, Siouxsie [Sioux], Pat Benatar, Roxy Music, Tears for Fears, Michael Jackson, etc. I also love funk from the 1970s, like Sly and the Family Stone, and reggae such as Steel Pulse.
Cacouris: Obviously, The Fall, we’re named after them. The Stooges’ Raw Power is awesome; we were just talking about it. I’m nuts about Gil Scott-Heron. We love 1980s music, though. The beats and development of rock into this big, booming genre was a real upheaval… And Viv has gotten me to listen to Genesis with a newfound appreciation — you learn something new every day.
How and why did you decide to call the East Village home?
Butler: I was always drawn to the East Village for the creative energy and the starting point of great bands such as the B-52’s, Dead Boys, Bad Brains, Redemption 87, The Heartbreakers, Blondie, Talking Heads, etc. My best friend when I moved here lived on Ninth Street and I would stay on her couch after long music-listening marathons; it was my second home. One of my first jobs was at a restaurant called Aquiloni that doesn’t exist anymore on Avenue A and 12th Street. After work, I would hang and skate in Tompkins.
As for music, the best venues have always been here. I went to some all-ages punk shows at the Continental and ABC No Rio. I even managed to see the Cro-Mags and (part of) Bad Brains. I started out playing drums for open mics at the Bowery Poetry Club. Eventually, I joined bands that played Arlene’s Grocery, Piano’s, Rockwood Music Hall, Webster Hall, Mercury Lounge and more. I took lessons at the music studio on Rivington that is now closed. Iggy Pop and Joe Strummer were also my idols as a kid. We finally got to move here a year and a half ago, and I couldn’t be happier.
How has playing in Tompkins Square Park helped you grow as a band, especially during the pandemic?
Butler: It was no walk in the park! I commend musicians and bands that master the art of playing outdoors regularly. The acoustics are completely irrelevant to a studio or venue and adapting can be challenging yet rewarding. It has definitely been a growing experience and added another dimension to our music.
Cacouris: Yeah, it’s really strange and fantastic. There’s a freedom that comes with playing to a crowd of passersby and music geeks such as ourselves. It brings out the inner life of shows on the Tompkins grounds. A really good thing for us to have done. And it always brings surprises!
You recorded and mixed the new album yourself. Why did you decide to do this and not seek any outside help?
Cacouris: It just felt like the right thing to do. We’ve been working for years at developing our skills in a limited capacity, but putting it all together was really amazing. We had dreamed of building a record from the initial sonic choices to the final cut, and it was an unforgettable experience!
Butler: We started recording last fall/winter, right during a new wave of the pandemic. Most engineers were unavailable due to social distancing, so even if we wanted to work with someone — and we did, our fantastic engineer friend Matt Vanek — it would have been tricky. We were both also interested in engineering something ourselves from the ground up.
We mixed the Infinidy EP ourselves, but Matt recorded us in a very cool way, which inspired us. The studio we rent has engineering equipment and we decided to jump in and learn. There are so many things that go into a good recording, such as the type of mic, distance and feel/way to play that suits recorded music.
You live and work together, do the rigors of all this ever strain your relationship outside the band?
Butler: Our relationship outside of the band is actually not an issue. That would be the easy part, as we enjoy each other’s company. A band is a partnership that can go deeper than any other relationship. It is in itself a marriage based on trust and being your better self, or the opposite sometimes! I am not an easy person to work with, but I am learning how to let up on the material a little and really listen to Stephen’s suggestions.
With music always comes self-criticism, so having a partner to help develop ideas is a great help but can sometimes lead to the old head-butt. It is a learning experience and we figure out what works best as we go. If I worked as a solo artist, I would not have to share everything creatively but would be extremely lonely and unfulfilled (I tried once).
Cacouris: Me too, ha! Working together has been magical and, of course, at times stressful, but delegating tasks and enabling better communication are key.
What are your expectations with the new record? What’s next for The Acute?
Butler: I hope the new record shows the core of who we are. After our first full length is released, we hope to do some touring and start the second album. We have enough material and even can picture the start of a third…
Cacouris: We’re taking it one day at a time. These songs are near and dear to us, and we can’t wait to get the record out to you. Keep an eye out!
You can do just that here.
Check out their new single, "Alien Theatre," right here...
Grant Shaffer's NY SEE
And starting tomorrow (Dec. 3), his NY See panels will be featured on LinkNYC kiosks around the city.
Happy birthday to the Tompkins Square Library branch!
The library's Instagram account shared the top photo yesterday... showing an early look at the crowds gathered after the 1904 opening.
Here's another early look at the building... 
Daytonian in Manhattan has an excellent history of the branch from earlier this year:
The library was instantly popular among the locals. Before the doors opened in the mornings lines would form down the block. Finding a chair in the reading rooms was often no easy task, and children and adults alike competed for popular books to read at home.On October 21, 1911, for instance, The Sun noted, "In the Tompkins Square branch of the public library...there are twenty-five copies each of 'Oliver Twist' and 'David Copperfield' on the shelves. No, not on the shelves. For even with these twenty-five copies apiece it is almost impossible to keep one on hand."
The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as an individual landmark on May 18, 1999.
Meanwhile, the fifth annual East Village Arts Festival is taking place at the branch through Saturday. Find programming details here. And find more of the library's offerings at this link.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Retail space comes into view at the former Hells Angels HQ
This is happening on the ground floor of the former Hells Angels HQ — where members had their clubhouse/bar. As we've been reporting, the 6-story building underwent a gut renovation in the past 18 months. In total, there are 22 units here. (The available apartments have a monthly ask in the $4k range — that's for a studio, per the listings at Better Living Properties.)
In June 2019, real-estate investor Nathan Blatter — the new owner of the building — had some ideas for the storefronts here. As he told the Post: "Blatter said he has been contacted by someone curating a Hells Angels museum, and another about a barbershop." He later flipped the building to Better Living Properties. No word on what might be in the mix now.
The last of the members and/or their entourage moved out of No. 77 at the end of March 2019 from the clubhouse that the Hells Angels had in their possession since 1969. They reportedly ended up in Throggs Neck, a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the Bronx.
Previously on EV Grieve:
2 restaurants opened and closed in 6 weeks at this space on 10th Street
As this photo by EVG correspondent Steven shows, workers have cleared out the space...
The cafe opened at the start of November, taking over for Chichen Itzá, which, by our calculations, was open for 16 days.
It wasn't immediately clear if the folks behind Chichen Itzá were also doing the new cafe concept ... or what made them initially pivot the business after two-plus weeks in existence here.
We didn't hear much, if anything, about either establishment from readers. Despite its short existence, Tompkins Square Cafe racked up 10 five-star reviews on Google.
This address was previously home for 11 years to the Brindle Room, whose closure was official in June.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Santa returns to Rite Aid this holiday season with head intact
EVG correspondent Stacie Joy noted Santa's masked presence in the greeting cards section...
Viewer discretion is now advised
Last year, as EVG reader Daniel shared, Santa was on duty right near the depleted shelf of Entenmann's ... without a head.
It was not immediately known what happened to it. (Stolen? Swallowed? Kicked?)
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