Friday, January 7, 2022
Snow... snow... SNOW! 2
Thursday, January 6, 2022
To the Tompkins Square Park tree stump art with love
As we've noted, someone has been creating installations atop the stump of the English Elm that came down in August 2020 during Tropical Storm Isaias.
Obviously, the new work is a statement on the duality of human existence.
Thanks to Steven for the photo!
About Hekate Café & Elixir Lounge, opening soon on Avenue B
Photo from early November
Text and photo by Stacie Joy
Lucky Bar owner Abby Ehmann and Brooklyn Roasting Company founder Jim Munson are opening Hekate Café and Elixir Lounge in the weeks ahead at 167 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street.
In a storefront that previously housed a dry cleaners, the new business is across the street from Lucky, the bar Ehmann opened in September 2016.
Here, Ehmann talks about the concept behind Hekate Café and the challenges of operating and opening a business during the pandemic.
What is the concept behind the new venture?
Hekate Café and Elixir Lounge will be a warm space infused with feminine energy, serving coffee and espresso drinks, specialty teas, and magical elixirs. There will also be interesting merchandise for sale with an emphasis on the mystical.
What prompted you to open a second business?
I have had new business ideas percolating — heh — for years; I honestly cannot help myself! Every empty storefront I walk past sparks an idea — what would be good for each space, what I would do with it. I was working on opening a bar/coffee shop/restaurant on the Lower East Side with a couple partners back before the pandemic hit, which obviously put the kibosh on our plans. During the lockdown, I was still thinking about how and where the Hekate concept could become a reality.
When things started opening up, I looked at several spaces and simply didn’t move fast enough to grab them. Then I would be at work, staring across the street at the FOR RENT BY OWNER sign, and think, could THAT work? I consulted with Jim Munson, my “coffee guy” and chief dreamer at Brooklyn Roasting Co., wondering if we could make a little café work, and we decided to give it a shot!
The reasonable rent was really the driving factor for this space. I sure wish more landlords would be willing to work with new businesses, as we have so many empty storefronts, which is a disservice to the neighborhood. I have been very fortunate with generous and understanding landlords, both here at my new location and at Lucky.
How did you come up with the concept for the witchcraft-themed spot?
I honestly can’t recall how the concept came to me! It has gone through many iterations, always coming back to, basically, creating magic. I believe people really crave hope and magic in their lives right now, which has been amplified due to the pandemic. People want to believe and be optimistic, which is difficult in times with so much overwhelmingly bad news. I felt compelled to create something with hope and magic.
And once I decided upon Hekate as the “personality” of the business plan, wonderful things just started happening. People have been seeking me out to collaborate, which I believe is a true necessity to make any business work these days.
How does proximity to Lucky Bar factor into the new location?
Opening a new business right across the street will make it convenient since commuting between locations will only take seconds. Friends who are already coming to Lucky will easily be able to check out Hekate. And my regulars are excited to grab a coffee before or after they’ve had a drink. However, ideally, Hekate will attract an entirely different audience.
What are some of the challenges and rewards of opening a new business during the pandemic?
Government agencies are always a challenge; for instance, learning that 95% of the awnings you see are illegal and working with the awning company to be compliant while also competitive — well, as competitive as an awning can be. They really don’t make it easy to run a business in this city.
The pandemic has inspired a whole new level of regulations and even more regulators. I can’t say what the rewards of opening a new business in a pandemic are yet. I am hoping that, as I’ve said, the desire for a little magic in people’s lives, and our ability to offer some of that, will prove to be very rewarding! I know that providing a haven for weirdos, and my customers’ appreciation of that with Lucky, has been extremely gratifying.
You can keep up with the new business and their opening plans here.
2022 corner watch: St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue
In recent months, we haven't seen much, if any, activity at the development site on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place.
In early October, workers removed the barriers from around the work site... allowing pedestrians to use the sidewalks again — for the first time since the barricades arrived in June 2020.
This past 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." We don't know where this stands now. The rendering has been removed from the plywood, and there aren't any posted work permits.
As you may recall, a 10-story office building had been in the works here. The partially approved work permits dated May 2020 show that the building is now 9 floors — 45,207 square feet in total, with 3,400 square feet designated for a commercial facility.
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, including retail tenants such as Korilla BBQ, the Continental and McDonald's, were demolished in 2019.
For the time being, this gateway to the East Village is prime wheatpaste ad space (Rowing Blazers! Siren Basics!) ... and a corner to watch in 2022.
Delivery app biz Getir gets home at 97 2nd Ave.
Getir launched its NYC app service last month and plans to expand to more neighborhoods in the year ahead.
Here's some blah-blah info about them via their arrival missive:
The company revolutionized last-mile delivery to customers with its 10-minute grocery delivery proposition, offering approximately 2,000 everyday items from chocolate to soft drinks, dairy to cleaning materials, and chips to pet food. Getir was founded in 2015 as the world's first ultrafast grocery delivery service in Istanbul and has grown rapidly in recent years.Getir joins Gorillas and Buyk in using EV space as outposts... and there are others in NYC, like 1520, Fridge No More and JOKR.
In November, The New York Times reported on this app-based speedy delivery world.
Superfast grocery companies have their fans. Nick O'Keefe, a construction project manager who lives in the East Village of Manhattan, signed up for JOKR and Fridge No More in August and now says he may never go back to the supermarket. "The convenience of it far outweighs anything else," he said. "It's the future."But the new services have drawn criticism. One concern is that they could siphon business away from local stores in a city where running to the corner bodega when you run out of orange juice or milk has long been a part of daily life. Some people also worry that online grocers will send more deliverers onto streets already crowded with food app workers racing to deliver takeout orders while they are still hot, or at least warm.
And!
[Now-former Manhattan Borough President] Gale Brewer questioned whether companies were pushing the need for speed too far. "Who the hell needs an apple in 15 minutes?" she said. "If you want something in 15 minutes, go to the store."
Getir might not necessarily be in this space long-term. The six-story building, notable for being the source of a legal tussle between Raphael "I will bury you" Toledano and developer Michael Shah, has been on the sales market for nearly three years. The storefront previously housed some hot pot.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Kurt Russell to the rescue at Metrograph
Kurt Russell is the platonic ideal of a macho American movie star: lantern jaw, dimpled chin, heroic bouffant… the works. The pleasure of Russell’s filmography is that he doesn’t shy away from this fact, but embraces it, goofs around with it.
Sure. But!
Bottom line: Kurt Russell is the greatest and everybody basically knows this, so we’re running a bunch of Kurt Russell movies. It’s just that simple.
"Kurt Russell: It's All in the Reflexes" includes some underrated gems ("Used Cars" and "Breakdown") ... some cheesy guilty pleasures ("Executive Decision" and "Tango & Cash") ... the cultyish ("Big Trouble in Little China") ... and the KR classics ("Escape From New York" and "The Thing.")
Find showtimes here.
And it will be good to see this again on a big screen...
Boilermaker is closing on 1st and 1st
The bar made the announcement on its website and social media platforms yesterday.
In an Instagram post, Greg Boehm, owner of Cocktail Kingdom, whose properties include Boilermaker, the Cabinet, Mace and the Miracle Christmas and Sippin' Santa pop-ups, wrote, in part:
It is with a heavy heart that we are closing Boilermaker. So many amazing memories, late nights, great cocktails, fantastic burgers and wings ... Thank you to all of the staff! Thank you to the bartenders for all of the good times.
Boilermaker opened in the fall of 2014... taking over the space from Golden Cadillac, a similar retro bar from the same ownership that packed it in after eight months.
No word if Cocktail Kingdom will try a new concept here or vacate the space.
Boca Chica, the well-liked Latin American restaurant, was in this space from 1989 to 2013.
Images via @BoilermakerNYC
Tamam Falafel has closed on 14th Street; new location in the works
However, ownership, which includes Simon Oren who runs 5 Napkin Burger next door, announced that Taman will reopen elsewhere (and their UES location remains in service).
Per an Instagram post last evening...
The plant-based Tamam Falafel took over this space from 5 Napkin Burger Express in January 2021.
H/T @vegan.nyx ... top pic via @tamamfalafel
Tree sitters take to East River Park
Photos by Daniel Efram
In the pre-dawn hours on Monday, a group of activists gathered in a blustery East River Park to continue to bring awareness to the destruction taking place as part of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency project.
Group members draped "Protect Me" banners on several of the oldest trees along the greenway just north of the active worksite that starts at Stanton Street... eventually, five people positioned themselves in the trees for several hours ...
Yesterday, the @1000people1000trees account reported that workers cut down a tree in the greenway but stopped their attempts on another tree when more group members arrived.
The group issued a statement on Monday that read in part:
Concerned community members have come together in protection of East River Park from this ecocide needlessly being carried out by the City with an extraordinary lack of safety measures in light of unprecedented conditions created by the COVID-19 surge and in the absence of any State, City or Federal official or Agency willing to claim responsible environmental oversight. In response to these calamitous conditions, we are opposed to any further areas of the park being fenced off and subsequently demolished.
Community members opposed to the current version of the city's floodproofing plan for East River Park gather daily this week at 7 a.m. at the Houston Street entrance...
Tuesday, January 4, 2022
Christo, badass
Cops searching for dapper gun-toting suspect who robbed the Villager Smoke Shop
According to published reports (the Post, NBC 4, Daily News, etc.), the man, dressed in a vest and suit jacket, flashed a gun at the clerk around 9:15 p.m.
Per CBS 2:
Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.Police say the suspect first asked about some products before showing the store worker a pistol and threatening to kill him.
The suspect stole the employee's phone and headphones along with about $700 from the register, police said.
The suspect is described as approximately 6-2, with a light complexion, thin build, with black hair. He was last seen wearing a black facemask, a dark dress jacket, a gray dress vest, a white dress shirt, gray pants and black shoes.
WANTED for A Robbery at 445 East 9 Street . #Manhattan @NYPD9pct on 1/1/22 @ 9:15 PM an individual approached employee and displayed a black and silver colored firearm and demanded property and money. Reward up to $3500Seen them? Call 1-800-577-TIPS Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! pic.twitter.com/daxu8HOPOr
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) January 3, 2022
Reports: Theatre 80, crown jewel of St. Mark's Place, enters bankruptcy, hopes to refinance loan
Let's get caught up on what's happening at Theatre 80, the historic East Village property that houses a performance space, the William Barnacle Tavern and Museum of the American Gangster at 78-80 St. Mark's Place between First and Second Avenue. (There are also several apartments here, and Foxface is a retail tenant.)
Owners Lorcan and Genie Otway have been working to prevent Maverick Real Estate Partners — an aggressive mortgage investor — from auctioning off the two buildings that Lorcan's father first purchased in 1964. (The Real Deal first reported on Maverick's hardball move in October.)
In a story published online Thursday, Lorcan told The New York Times that the theater, museum and tavern were in good financial health until March 2020, when, like other businesses, they were forced to shutter during NY State's PAUSE.
More background from the Times:
Shortly before then, he had taken out a $6.1 million mortgage against the properties to settle an inheritance dispute, pay legal fees and finance needed renovations.With the pandemic lockdown and a precipitous decline in revenue, that loan went into default and was purchased by Maverick Real Estate Partners about a year ago. The firm, according to court documents, has closed over 130 distressed debt transactions, with a total value of over $300 million.
The Times reported that the original lender later sold the debt to Maverick without Lorcan's knowledge.
Maverick, Otway said, then raised the interest rate to 24 percent, from 10 percent, bringing the roughly $6 million debt to about $8 million.
This past Wednesday, as Bloomberg Law first reported, the Otways filed for chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in hopes of avoiding foreclosure by Maverick Real Estate Partners. The properties were being marketed for foreclosure sale by Cushman & Wakefield. As The Wall Street Journal noted, the filing offers "a breathing spell to refinance an $8 million loan."
According to The Village Sun, Lorcan's plan is to ask Gov. Hochul for a low-interest loan for Theatre 80. Per the Sun and CBS 2, he reportedly has support from several local elected officials, including Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, State Sen. Brad Hoylman, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, and City Councilmember Carlina Rivera, who told the Times that "this is a heartbreaking story."
Later this month, John McDonagh is hosting a benefit performance of his show "Off the Meter," a comedic take on his years as an NYC cab driver. The benefit takes place Jan. 21-23 at Theater 80. Find ticket info at this link.
You can also support the business by having some food or drink (with more than a dozen varieties of Absinthe!) at the Willam Barnacle Tavern. They have a nice outdoor space too.
Theatre 80 is a crown jewel in this neighborhood, and in NYC... the kind of place we need to protect and support.
Image via Facebook
Dim Sum Go Go makes it sign official on 1st Avenue
The First Avenue address was previously Punto Rojo, the bakery-restaurant that served traditional Colombian food here until late 2019.
58 1st St. awaits another restaurant
A for rent sign hangs outside now at 58 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Thanks to the EVG reader for the photo!)
Km1 closed here in early December... the restaurant, officially Kilometro Uno, and serving food from the Caribbean, first opened in the summer of 2020... but went dark late last year ... before returning in the fall.
The pop-up establishments VistroBurger and PurpleThai were here between Km1 stints. Those two relocated to Gramercy Park.
As we've pointed out, this address has seen several quality restaurants come and go in recent years. Esperanto Fonda lasted nine months here, closing in May 2017. Before that, this was home to BARA for two years and Prima for three years. The Elephant, a Thai restaurant, was previously here for 17 years.
Perhaps the next concept will be able to stick around longer than a few months or years here.
A look at the corner market coming to 6th and A
As we've noted a few times (here and here), a deli/market is coming to this space. EVG contributor took these photos the other day... you can see things are shaping up (chandelier alert!)...
The business is expected to be open this month, per a worker at the scene...
Benny's Burritos closed here on Nov. 29, 2014, after 27 years in business. The storefront has remained empty in the years since...
Monday, January 3, 2022
An SUV collision on 1st Avenue at 5th Street
EVG reader Chris Ryan shared the top photo from around 8:30 a.m.
Here are more photos from EVG regular Salim showing the damage to the sidewalk bridge and vehicle on the east side of the avenue...
Still piecing together what happened. A reader shared the photos below from just after 2 a.m. ...
The reader believes the minivan slammed into the Ford, which was parked at the time... and the collision propelled it onto the sidewalk...
And what was the driver doing going in that direction on the northbound First Avenue? Was the driver heading east on Sixth Street and made a right and drove the wrong way on First Avenue? A less likely explanation is the driver turned the wrong way off Second Avenue and headed across Fifth Street — and right by the 9th Precinct — before coming to an end here.
Will update if any more info becomes available.
A 6-floor residential building will rise next to 250 E. Houston St.
According to the ALL-CAP style of the DOB online:
NEW 6 (SIX) STORY MIXED-USE BUILDING ON CURRENT VACANT LOT. 2 TAX LOTS (7503 EXISTING - 13 STORY MIXED-USE; 58 TENTATIVE - 6 STORY NEW BUILDING) ON SINGLE ZONING LOT. NO CHANGE TO EXISTING DEVELOPMENT ON LOT 7503.The paperwork for the new building, still pending city approval, shows square footage of 68,531 with a proposed health club in the basement (building amenity?) and ground-floor retail. Passive-house specialists ZH Architects are listed as the architect of record for the project.
To get an idea of the potential size-shape of the new building, check out this Google Maps aerial view ...
As we've been reporting, the businesses in the unrenovated stretch of 250 E. Houston St. have either closed or moved. Kapri Cleaners and the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center relocated to new storefronts closer to the entrance to the 13-story residential building at No. 250. Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins and China Town have closed. The H&R Block outpost is reopening a block away in part of the former Banco Popular space.
Meanwhile, demolition continues in the old storefronts where the new building will rise. EVG contributor Stacie Joy took these photos last week...
... some pics yesterday from Salim, who pointed out that the street-sign scultpure along here has been removed (a faint outline of the art by Ken Hiratsuka embedded in the sidewalk remains) ...
... and an EVG reader shared these photos showing the demolition in the rear of the structure...
East River Park greenway now closing up to 10th Street
Starting today, the greenway that runs parallel to the FDR and along East River Park will shut down up to 10th Street Street, according to the weekly construction bulletin. Workers closed the greenway between Montgomery and Stanton streets starting on Dec. 6. The bulletin notes that workers will "finish protective fence installation" along this corridor. (Click on the image below for more detail) ...
Park entry will remain at Houston, Sixth Street and 10th Street. The city has said they will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of the park throughout construction, expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
On Dec. 31, photo-journalist Nathan Kensinger filed a "Goodbye To East River Park" essay for Gothamist.
An excerpt from the article highlights the slapdash nature of the work to date:
The de Blasio administration has left behind a decidedly mixed climate change legacy, and one of its largest shortcomings has been falling behind on billions of dollars of coastal infrastructure projects initiated in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. This last-minute destruction of East River Park has proved to be disruptive and lacks the transparency and safety measures usually seen at city demolition and construction sites.Visitors to the park, including bicyclists, joggers, skateboarders and wheelchair-bound retirees, were left befuddled by the sudden closure of its southern entrances and paths.No official construction signs, project descriptions or permits were mounted at the demolition sites. Clouds of dust rose up from the removal of the amphitheater's aged concrete, behind a flimsy barrier of dilapidated fences and caution tape.As one of the final acts of the de Blasio administration, the demolition of East River Park marks the last chapter in the mayor's climate change legacy, ending his term on a controversial note, and leaving his successor with a messy process that will take years to complete.
The current plans call for gutting East River Park — burying the existing 57.5-acre land under fill and elevating it by 8-to-10 feet above sea level while also cutting down 1,000 mature trees. The new park is expected to protect the Lower East Side from storm surges until at least 2050.
However, as the Gothamist piece notes, "if sea levels rapidly rise, the park may need to be demolished and raised again."
---
Concerned community members are gathering this morning at 8 at the Houston Street entrance. They are coming together "in protection of East River Park from this ecocide needlessly being carried out by the City with an extraordinary lack of safety measures in light of unprecedented conditions created by the COVID-19 surge and in the absence of any State, City or Federal Official or Agency willing to claim responsible environmental oversight."
An end of the ride: Busy Bee Bikes closes on 6th Street
A for rent sign hangs in the window of the yellow storefront with the handpainted signage, and the space was emptied out over the weekend. On Saturday evening, workers inside the storefront told an EVG reader that they were closed for good.
Several years after debuting, there were some claims that the shop pedaled hot property. And in early 2010, as The New York Times reported, Busy Bee was busted for buying stolen bikes at the time... reopening "after a $4,000 fine and under court-ordered stipulations that include random inspections and severe restrictions on purchasing used bikes."
An owner, the Times reported, was Joseph Malewich, a former NYPD detective. He opened the shop in 2004 with local bike legend Emey Hoffman, who died in 2009.
Busy Bee joins some other bike shops to close in the neighborhood in recent years... including Bikes, By George! ... Landmark Bicycles ... and Danny's Cycles.
As for other shops in business:
• Bfold Folding Bicycles, 224 E. 13th St.
• BikeFixNYC, 334 E. Sixth St.
• CC Cyclery & Co., 530 E. 13th St.
• NYC Velo, 66 Second Ave.
• Trek Bicycle Bowery, 303 Bowery
• Wing Bikes, 345 E. 12th St. (high-end ebikes)
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