Wednesday's parting shots

Photos by Stacie Joy 

As seen at St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church on Seventh Street today ahead of Gov. Hochul's visit...

... here are her remarks following the 6 p.m. mass...

Happening now: I'm giving remarks at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in New York City to show support for our Ukrainian neighbors. https://t.co/rlH7utfP9T

— Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) March 3, 2022

What was up with that plane today?

We received several queries late this morning about a low-flying airplane over the neighborhood (see screengrab of a Twitter DM above)... we were away at the time, and never heard anything else about it... perhaps you did?

How Veselka is helping with Ukraine relief efforts

Photo by Steven

Veselka, which has been serving up traditional Ukrainian food since 1954, has long served as a gathering spot for the city's Ukrainian population. 

And since Russia invaded Ukraine last Thursday, the restaurant on the SE corner of Second Avenue and Ninth Street has seen long lines as New Yorkers have come out to show their solidarity.

"Many of our staff members are Ukrainian. Everyone is up all night, talking to family members," Veselka's third-generation owner Jason Birchard told the Daily Mail. "Some are so distraught, they can't even come to work. They are hanging by a thread, feeling so angry, upset and helpless." 

Veselka accepts donations for Ukraine relief efforts, including cotton socks, heavy-duty gloves, batteries, flashlights and personal health items. (Find a list of items here.) You may drop off the items at the Ninth Street entrance. 

In addition, as announced yesterday, all proceeds from Veselka's borscht sales — in-store and take-out — will go to Ukraine relief...

Veselka has teamed with the Razom For Ukraine organization to handle all donations. 

The restaurant is open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ... with a midnight close on weekends.

A quick visit to Jane, now open on 9th Street

Jane debuted on Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

The curated kitchen and home specialty shop is a sibling to the family owned East Village Postal around the corner at 151 First Ave. 

We've been meaning to stop by and check it out... which EVG contributor Stacie Joy did the other day... 

Jane is at 328 E. Ninth St. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday from 1-7 p.m. Check out the shop's Instagram account here. 

Despite the recent closures of The March Hare, Verameat and Eileen Fisher (all for different reasons), this block between First and Second still has a nice vibe with newcomers such as Jane, Art+Ray, Pillow-Cat Books and Spooksvilla.

Second time around: A Repeat Performance pops up at 3rd and B'Zaar

Photo by Stacie Joy

A Repeat Performance, featuring the work of 30 local designers, vintage vendors and artists, is the latest pop-up market extravaganza for the 3rd and B'Zaar space at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Here's more about the concept this time around (and in case that signage looks familiar!):

A Repeat Performance Market is a tribute to the past days of the East Village that we cherish so much: the artists, creatives and small business owners that made this neighborhood what it is.

The sign in our window used to proudly hang on 1st Ave at the shop A Repeat Performance which was open for over 30 years. Sadly, this shop and many other East Village classics have shut their doors for one reason or another.

3rd & B’zaar strives to bring support to small businesses like these that need a fresh start or are just getting started by offering space in a brick and mortar shop at an affordable rent.

A Repeat Performance, the bric-a-brac shop at 156 First Ave., closed in July 2019 after 39 years in business. The sign became available ... and the fine folks at East Village Vintage Collective on 12th Street became the proud new owners. (EVVC co-owner Maegan Hayward is a founder of 3rd and B'Zaar.)

The market is open through May 29... with hours of 1-7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Check out the 3rd and B'Zaar Instagram account for updates and features on the participating vendors.

March 1

The first day of spring is coming up on March 20!

Photo today on Second Avenue and 12th Street by Lola Sáenz...

'Gossip Girl' is filming today xoxo

Crews are out today to film scenes for the HBO Max version of "Gossip Girl" ...  so expect to see some lights, cameras, trucks and action nearby along streets that include Bond between the Bowery and Lafayette.

This will be for season 2 of the standalone series to the CW version (2007-2012).

As you likely know, several unresolved storylines hang in the balance after Season 1. What can we expect from Audrey, Aki and Max's new relationship? How will Zoya fare making new friends away from Julien? And what of the possible Kate-Julien collaboration? Feel free to leave your thoughts on the EVG GG LiveJournal!

City has unvaccinated educators doing remote learning now from the former St. Brigid School

A handful of NYC public school teachers who received medical or religious exemptions to the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate are now working remotely from the former St Brigid School on Avenue B and Seventh Street. 

Yesterday was the first day of teaching remote classes from here. EVG contributor Stacie Joy confirmed the use of the space during a brief visit to the school, where masking is mandatory. 

A source on site said the Department of Education (DOE) would be using the building until the school year ends in June. It was not immediately known how many teachers were working at the St. Brigid site. Stacie spotted at least 20 employees, including custodial and security. (By the end of last September, the DOE had granted medical and religious exemptions to 530 staff members, the Daily News reported. The teachers had previously been working from home, sources said.)

One teacher, spotted leaving the building, declined to comment on how the first day went. 

As previously reported, city workers — including teachers, supervisors, and school staff members — were told they will be fired if they do not either get the vaccine by Feb. 14 or agree to remain on leave without pay and drop their objection to the policy. (Last month, the Supreme Court denied a request from a group of NYC teachers seeking to block a vaccine mandate for employees who were not given a religious exemption, per NBC News on Feb. 11.)

According to CBS News on Feb. 15: "The 1,430 workers who lost their jobs represent less than 1% of the 370,000-person city workforce and the number of terminations was far fewer than expected before the ... deadline to get the shots." 

Late last year, interior renovations began at the school on the NE corner of Seventh and B, prompting speculation about what might be next for the building.

In February 2019, the Archdiocese of New York announced that St. Brigid School would cease operations at the end of that academic year, a move that blindsided students, parents and faculty alike. Founded in 1856, the Saint Brigid School was one of seven Catholic schools marked for closure by the Archdiocese in 2019. 

Given its A-plus EV location with Tompkins Square Park views, some residents have figured this property would end up a high-end residential complex much like the former Mary Help of Christians on Avenue A and 12th Street. 

Demolition watch: B Bar & Grill edition

There seems to be a lot of interest in the ongoing demolition of the former B Bar & Grill space on the SW corner of Fourth Street at the Bowery. 

We hear from people who are either a) sad to see the onetime hotspot in such a state or b) happy to see the onetime hotspot and early 1990s Bowery gentrifier going down. 

Either way, here's a look at the demolition about a month in (and NOT sponsored by Boss or Pinko) ...

... and through the blogger portals...

And next UP: a 21-floor office building. We got a first look at the Midtown-friendly monstrosity here.

The B Bar (b 1994) never reopened after the PAUSE in March 2020. 

Previously on EV Grieve:
• CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development

• B Bar & Grill lays off its staff without severance

• Permits filed to demolish the former B Bar & Grill on the Bowery

• First sign of the B Bar & Grill-replacing 21-story office building on the Bowery   

Monday's parting shot

Photo today on Second Avenue by Grant Shaffer ...

Grub street

Photos by Steven 

A delivery worker carrying for Grubhub tonight lost his load on Second Avenue at Ninth Street, which sucks for all involved.

Despite a few near-misses...

... the delivery worker was able to snag the bag... no idea about the state of the contents inside...

6 posts from February

A mini month in review... 

• A visit to CLLCTV.NYC (Feb. 22) 

• RIP Al Landess (Feb. 19) 

• The 1980s East Village as seen through the lens of photographer Peter Bennett (Feb. 18) 

• You may now open a business in the former NYC HQ of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (Feb. 11) 

• Where are they now? Catching up with Willie from Odessa (Feb. 9)

• I Am a Rent-Stabilized Tenant (Feb. 2)

RIP Nick Zedd

Nick Zedd, a longtime East Village resident who spearheaded the Cinema of Transgression film movement, died yesterday in Mexico City where he resided since 2011, according to his Instagram account. 

The artist and filmmaker, born James Harding, was 63. 

According to a recent GoFundMe campaign, he had been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis C and cancer. 

Zedd spent his career on the fringe, directing no-budget films including "They Eat Scum" (1979), "The Bogus Man (1980)" and "Geek Maggot Bingo” (1983), and editing The Underground Film Bulletin from 1984 to 1990. In 2004, Zedd started making a TV series with his then-girlfriend, Reverend Jen, called "The Adventures of Electra Elf." 

Per a 2015 feature in Filmmaker Magazine:

Back in 1985, Zedd coined the term the “Cinema of Transgression” to describe the campy movies full of shocking sex and violence that he and other artists like Lydia Lunch, Richard Kern, and Kembra Pfahler were making on the Lower East Side. They were scrappy movies shot on 16mm often with pornographic punchlines.

Among the social media tributes...

R.I.P. Nick Zedd, the NYC underground filmmaker who coined the "Cinema of Transgression" movement. pic.twitter.com/FxsqQLPsQk

— Film at Lincoln Center (@FilmLinc) February 27, 2022

Farewell to American filmmaker Nick Zedd (1958-2022), who spearheaded the 'Cinema of Transgression' movement in the 1980s, edited the Underground Film Bulletin and joined the dots between Kembra Pfahler, Richard Kern, Tessa Hughes Freeland, Lung Leg and Lydia Lunch. pic.twitter.com/OveAVS3Jbh

— Robin Rimbaud - Scanner (@robinrimbaud) February 27, 2022

Extremely sad to hear of Nick Zedd's passing. The real deal. His work (along with Kern, Lunch, Wojnarowicz, Dick, etc) is a necessary station for anyone with even half an interest in what lies beyond the gated enclaves of boundaried taste. A mad genius of the cinema.

— thee deklane (@theedeklan) February 27, 2022

RIP Nick Zedd, one of the realest to ever do it. Watched all his films (and public access work 🙃) in a 24hr period a few months back and permanently broke my brain in the process. Max respect to a true underground king! pic.twitter.com/QSmGGF3pi9

— ᘻᓰᖽᐸᘿ 𝔹 (@_RareArt) February 27, 2022

Zedd is survived by his partner of 15 years, Monica Casanova, his son Zerak and step-daughter Amanita Funaro. 

You can read an EVG interview with Zedd from 2013 before a retrospective at the New Museum right here.

A cafe-coffee shop in the works for Houston and Allen

Photos by Stacie Joy

Renovations continue behind the plywood at 200 Allen St., that thin strip of a storefront on the SE corner of Houston...

Workers at the scene told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that a cafe-coffee shop was in the works for the space, though they didn't have the name of the business...

Eastanbul Gyro Kebab and Smyrna Bakery closed here last fall. Empire Gyro, with a 24/7 schedule, opened here in February 2019 ... with the conversion to Eastanbul (and Smyrna) in the summer of 2020. The space was previously Sugar Cafe for 10 years. 

And once upon a time! Economy Foam (and later, & Futon) anchored the corner from 1937 to 2003...

Doctor doctor, give me the news: MedRite Urgent Care opening on 14th and 3rd

MedRite Urgent Care is opening a facility on the SE corner of Third Avenue and 14th Street. (Thanks to Pinch and David Sippel for sending photos!) 

The walk-in clinic has more than a dozen locations around NYC and the metropolitan area.

And the new outpost is about 60 steps away from the CityMD location on 14th Street ... 

As for the new MedRite storefront, this space has been on the retail market since the Capital One® branch moved away in July 2016. 

And the corny headline inspiration source.

A look at the in-progress new home of Bleecker Street Bar — on Broadway

All has been quiet on the new Bleecker Street Bar front this past year or so... But!

The bar provided an update on Instagram (where the top pic is from) late last week: 

We have been quiet but we have been busy! We promised you the best Bleecker Street Bar 2.0 we could make and we are happy to say we are building! It's been an incredibly long and hard couple of years for so many people and we can't wait to welcome all our people back and raise a glass to resilience and community. 

As previously reported, the neighborhood bar's 30-year tenure on the corner of Bleecker and Crosby came to an end in August 2020. Per the owners at the time: "All of our efforts to negotiate a reasonable lease extension with our landlord have failed." 

However, they lined up a new space just around the corner at 648 Broadway between Bleecker and Bond. 

In the Instagram comments, management figured they'd be open by late summer/early fall.

K-Dogs and K-pop on St. Mark's Place

Oh K-Dog is opening a branch at 36 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, as we noted last summer. 

This past week, new signage (h/t Steven!) arrived next to the shop that will sell Korean-style snacks such as stuffed hot dogs and egg toast ... for K-pop Albums and Goods. 

People have asked about it... a side business, perhaps? We'll see! There isn't any mention of it on the Oh K-Dog site or social media.

Oh K-Dog also has outposts on Ludlow Street and Seventh Avenue South, with several more planned for the city.

As for this storefront on St. Mark's Place... not much has had success here in recent years. Joe's Steam Rice Roll was the most recent tenant, quietly closing in March 2021. Other concepts included Cheers Cut, the Taiwanese mini-chain of fried foods ... Friterie Belgian Fries ... Fasta ("Pasta Your Way") ... and the $1.50 branch of 2 Bros. Pizza.

Sunday's parting shot

#StandWithUkraine at Big Bar on Seventh Street today.. thanks to Michael Quinn for the photo...

The Black History Bowl returns to the Lower East Side

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The second-annual Black History Bowl took place yesterday afternoon at the Baruch Playground on the Lower East Side...

Once again, the event featured residents, community groups and local elected officials commemorating Black History Month ... bringing together young adults and their parents. (There were also two games of flag football.)

Donations allowed for snacks, drinks and meals for 60 kids... with any leftovers going to the Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry at Trinity Church on Ninth Street and Avenue B. 

Here are a few photos via EVG contributor Stacie Joy...

The Black History Bowl was created by Ty Lemons — aka For the Love of the City, a neighborhood resident and coach, mentor and event planner.

Week In Grieview

Posts this last week included (with a photo outside McSorley's by @ArtieAthas) ...

• The #SupportUkraine Humanitarian Effort (Saturday) 

• Local Ukrainians react to the Russian invasion (Friday)

• Cleaning out and preparing to rebuild Essex Card Shop on Avenue A (Tuesday)
• Lady Wong brings the desserts of Southeast Asia to 9th Street (Thursday)
• A visit to June First Skincare (Wednesday)
• Meg is on the move (Saturday)
• Another step to make outdoor dining permanent (Thursday)
• Missing: the fruit vendor on 1st Avenue; the taco cart on 2nd Street (Friday)
• A visit to CLLCTV.NYC (Tuesday)
• Rowdy Rooster debuts on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)
• Reports of suspicious fires in Stuy Town (Wednesday)
• Tribute-filled façade of former Basquiat studio painted over (Tuesday)
• Ralph's returns on Avenue A (Thursday)
• Blick makes it signage official on 4th Avenue (Wednesday)
• Cutting down a sycamore tree on 9th Street (Thursday)
• Verameat has closed (Tuesday)
• Bistro Marylou opening at 41 St. Mark's Place (Friday)
• Joey Bats opening a shipping outpost on Houston Street (Tuesday)
• A Neighborhood Loading Zone for this block of 9th Street (Monday)
• So long to the Union Square Walgreens (Monday)
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