Here's how you can rent those thousands of titles from the collection of Kim's Video

The massive collection of DVDs and videos from East Village legend Kim's Video is now available to rent from the Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan. (Background on all this here.)

Alamo released details late last week about how people can watch these films. For starters, you need to visit the Alamo, which opened last fall, at 28 Liberty St. This is in the space formerly known as One Chase Manhattan Plaza between Nassau, Liberty, William and Pine Streets.

To the Alamo press release!

The white whale of movie collections has landed at Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan and we're making it available to you fine folks for free. That's right — Kim’s Video is back! Starting now, an ever-growing selection of over 15K titles are available for rent, for free, from our Lower Manhattan location.

There are thousands of deep cuts, hard-to-find titles, and rarities spanning genres such as "Roller Skating Classics," "Monkey Business" and "Nunsploitation." You know, the essentials. We'll have DVD players and VCRs available for rent, just in case you don't keep functionally obsolete technology lying around your house. You can even see some of these rare finds on the big screen as a part of our monthly Kim's Video Presents series, curated by Nick Prueher of the Found Footage Festival (and longtime Kim's Video member!).

Rentals — up to three at a time — are free for five days before a late fee kicks in. Alamo requires a credit card on file for rentals.

The Kim's empire had a modest start in Yongman Kim's dry-cleaning business at 99 Avenue A in 1986 ... the last Kim's Video closed in 2014.   

And Kim was at Alamo Drafthouse last Thursday for the media preview ... this photo is via the Alamo Instagram account...

Week in Grieview

Posts from the past week include (with a shot of 1st Avenue at Houston) ...

• A visit to Le Phin, the new Vietnamese cafe on 10th Street (Wednesday) 

• Essex Card Shop is now in its reconstruction phase on Avenue A (Monday) 

• Help for an East Village teacher who lost everything in an apartment fire (Thursday) 

• Bike-lane upgrade underway on Houston (Monday) 

• Commemorating International Transgender Day of Visibility on 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street (Friday) 

• Everytable bringing its fast-casual concept to Avenue B (Tuesday) 

• El Rinconcito makes it signage official at new Avenue C home (Monday) 

• Farewell to Holyland Market on St. Mark's Place (Thursday) 

• Bracing for new construction at the former B Bar & Grill space on the Bowery (Monday) 

• Demolition grinds on at 38-48 2nd Ave. (Thursday) 

• A 1-day strike at Anthology Film Archives (Friday)

• A look at the just-finished mural 'Ukraine: A History in Solidarity' (Wednesday)

• Remembering Taylor Hawkins as Iggy Pop in the 'CBGB' movie (Sunday) 

• Bar Veloce looking to open an outpost on the Bowery (Monday) 

• Openings: Avenue A Deli and Grill (Thursday) 

• Venus Over Manhattan opening a gallery on Great Jones (Wednesday) 

• Coddiwomple makes closure permanent (Tuesday) 

• Former Eileen Fisher space for rent on 9th Street (Tuesday) 

• Discarding an oversized photo of yourself: A cautionary tale (Friday) 

... and always been intrigued by this building on 14th Street near Third Avenue... especially with the new tag on top... 

On the topic of tags... a reader shared this photo... showing that someone tagged the entrange to the luxury Steiner East Village on 12th Street at Avenue A...

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A springtime choral concert at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer

The Most Holy Redeemer/Nativity Parish on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is hosting an evening of choral and violin music tomorrow (Monday!) night. The event takes place from 7-8:30 p.m. The concert is free. Find more info here.

East Village filmmaker turns to Kickstarter for 'Marble Dust'

Andrew C. Jacob, a filmmaker born and raised in the East Village (his father and cousins worked at Veniero's), is embarking on his biggest project. 

Jacob, a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, is working on a short narrative film titled "Marble Dust," a psychological thriller involving "a repentant sculptor attending the closed casket ceremony of her dearly departed lover, Lily." 

He has a Kickstarter campaign underway to help make the production a reality. You can read more about the film, including the cast, via this link. (The campaign ends on April 17.) 

If all goes well, Jacob hopes to film some scenes in the East Village. 

"It's a big part of my DNA," he told me, "and is a place I will always call home."

Sen. Schumer announces infrastructure funding for community gardens at La Plaza Cultural

Photos by Stacie Joy

On Friday morning, Sen. Charles Schumer visited La Plaza Cultural on the SW corner of Ninth Street and Avenue C to announce infrastructure funding (aka "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law") for NYC community gardens...

Joining him for the announcement were Sen. Brad Hoylman and local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera...

We will update when we receive more specifics — beyond the general announcement/photo opp — about the funding for the community gardens... 

Spring has Sprung!

Community gardens are the green gems of so many communities across the city.

That’s why I was thrilled to announce funding from the infrastructure law we passed that will support 260 community gardens across all five boroughs! pic.twitter.com/HStgZMJ2UL

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 1, 2022

About 'the War of the Mushrooms' at the Ukrainian Museum

Here's information about a timely new exhibition at the Ukrainian Museum, 222 E. Sixth St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square, opening tomorrow (April 3).

Via the EVG inbox... 

"The War of the Mushrooms" is a group of 10 original illustrations by Ukrainian artist Nikita Kravtsov. Drawing inspiration from the eponymous folk tale, a popular classic in Slavic cultures and the subject of a 1909 publication of the tale featuring illustrations by the prominent Ukrainian graphic artist, Heorhii Narbut, Kravtsov's contemporary interpretation reimagines the tale with paintings of scenes from Russia's current war on Ukraine. 

Mushroom soldiers shoot mushroom missiles at projectiles fired from Russia onto Ukrainian soil, cities, and innocent civilians. The creative pictures drawn by Kravtsov in pencil and painted in vivid colors should not be misunderstood as simple cartoons and illustrations one finds in comic books. The subject matter is serious and representative of the massive assault by Russia on Ukraine and Ukrainian culture. Kravtsov reacts to the unwarranted war and the destruction levied on his homeland in his own inimitable style.

Kravtsov will be on-hand for the exhibition opening tomorrow. 

The Museum is open Wednesday-Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Find more details here. 

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Artwork from the series "The War of the Mushrooms," Nikita Kravtsov/Courtesy of the Ukrainian Museum 

Photo of Kravtsov by Alex Neprel/Courtesy of the Ukrainian Museum

A group art show opens today at Theater for the New City

There's a new group show, dubbed "April Fools Not 4 School," in the gallery space at Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. near 10th Street. 

The show's opening, featuring "art, music and energy," takes place from 3-6 p.m. today (April 2, and sorry for the late notice — I only just received the info).

Don't fret! The work will be up all month in the gallery space, open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Curated by Marcus Chae.

[Updated] 1 wedding and a demolition

As reported on Thursday, workers are demolishing the deconsecrated and shuttered (as of July 2015) Church of the Nativity at 44 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street. 

EVG reader Leo points us to a photo now displayed on the plywood outside the church... showing a wedding there from June 2007...

We're told that this is Tanya Theriault and Matt Vogel, two former Maryhouse volunteers who now live in New Orleans with their family. Father George Anderson, who died in 2020 at age 86, performed the ceremonies. 

Thank you Felton Davis!

Updated 4/3 

Someone removed the wedding photo... so Felton Davis put up a new photo on the plywood... a shot of Dorothy Day at the entrance to Nativity Church, circa 1978 ...

Standing next to the photo — Day's granddaughter, Martha Hennessy. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Remembering Dorothy Day, with a call for a shrine in her honor on 2nd Avenue

Friday's parting shot

Happy April 1 from Tompkins Square Park...

Our 'Town'

 

Jon Spencer & the HITmakers have just released a new LP (Spencer Gets It Lit) ... the video here is for the track "Worm Town." Dig it!

Commemorating International Transgender Day of Visibility on 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street

Yesterday marked the annual International Transgender Day of Visibility, "a time to celebrate transgender and non-binary people around the globe and acknowledge the courage it takes to live openly and authentically." 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared images and a video of a projection from Second Street and Second Avenue...

Noted

An Oscar-night Will Smith wheatpaste... as seen in Freemans Alley at Rivington. 

Art by @zui_nyc. 

H/T @catscoffeecreativity

Discarding an oversized photo of yourself: A cautionary tale

Photo for illustrative purposes only

I upload dozens of random photos from around the neighborhood on the EVG Instagram Stories. 

Several months ago, I came across a poster-size photo of a couple (mid- to late 20s?) placed atop a mound of trash bags on a block along Fifth Street. I wondered why this poster ended up here. And why would anyone have a poster-size photo of themselves? 

This shot, which I deleted from my iPhone a while ago, was among some photos shared on Stories. 

The couple in the photo recently reached out to me. Let's call them G & M.

"A few months ago, you posted a photo in your Instagram Stories, which was a large poster of my fiance and me that we threw out while moving — because having a large picture of oneself is weird — and ended up just very prominently in the trash pile," G wrote. 

Oh!

"A friend from Seattle actually sent me the picture asking, 'Hey, is everything OK' when he saw it." 

G was OK with me asking a few questions about all this. 

"You can definitely write it up if you want to — it might serve as a cautionary tale for other people who have an oversized picture of themselves they don't know what to do with." 

For starters, everything is all good with G & M! 

OK, so why did they have this wall-size photo of themselves? 

"The photo was used as a centerpiece on a table at our engagement party in November 2020, and then we were given it to take home. It sat in the corner of a room with stuff piled on it until we discarded it when we moved out," G explained. "It was a pretty stressful move, so as a large object we were tossing out, we just left it — I think on the basement or the trash room."

The couple moved from the East Village to Brooklyn in April 2021. The big pic sat somewhere in their former apartment building until late last year. Months! So they never knew the photo's fate until their friend from Seattle sent the message after seeing the EVG Story. 

G & M thought they had rid themselves of large photos of themselves. Turned out that another acquaintance saw the picture on the trash pile and documented it. 

And this past Christmas during an annual "Secret Satan" exchange with friends — where you give someone a gift making fun of them. The person who had M took the photo of their picture in the trash and had it blown up to approximately the size of the original one and framed. 

"So we're right back to having a strangely large picture of our faces at home," G said, "but we are planning on keeping it because it's a bit too funny not to."

A 1-day strike at Anthology Film Archives

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Here are a few scenes from last evening's strike at the Anthology Film Archives on Second Street at Second Avenue. 

As previously reported, AFA staff voted unanimously last year to unionize with UAW Local 2110, whose members include employees at cultural institutions such as BAM, MoMA and the Guggenheim. 

According to employees: "AFA's negotiating position and current contract offer are untenable."

Thursday's parting shot

So long to some open-air pay phones along Avenue C... workers were seen uprooting them earlier today.

Last year, workers removed pay phones on Avenue A. (No sign of LinkNYCs in their place!) 

Thanks to Heather Dubin for the photo!

6 posts from March

A mini month in review ... with a photo from March in Tompkins Square Park by @miche.nyc ... 

• Massive film collection from the former Mondo Kim's is heading to Alamo Drafthouse downtown (March 23) 

• Rest easy, citizens of 12th Street — the large animal invader has been slain (March 22) 

• Gaia Italian Café Shop is coming to the East Village (March 17) 

• Let's take another look at the eerie remains of the long-abandoned 6 Avenue B (March 10) 

• Another visit to Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen (March 3) 

• How Veselka is helping with Ukraine relief efforts (March 2)

Mid-afternoon mannequin break

Photo by Steven 

As seen outside the now-closed Himalayan Vision at 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

As of about 3:30 p.m. today, there were a few discarded mannequins left, but people were quickly scooping up the various parts. 💖💖💖

Workers at Anthology Film Archives set to strike this evening

Workers at the Anthology Film Archives have decided to hold a one-day strike. 

Tonight from 6:30-9:30, workers will set up a picket line outside the theater on Second Street at Second Avenue. The activities include a selection of "anti-capitalist shorts" screened outside.

According to the letter posted to the @AFAworkers account, AFA staff voted unanimously last year to unionize with UAW Local 2110, whose members include employees at cultural institutions such as BAM, MoMA and the Guggenheim. 

As the letter states, "AFA's negotiating position and current contract offer are untenable." 

Read on for more details.

🗣️AFA WORKERS ON STRIKE!

Join us on our picket line March 31 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM in front of AFA (2nd Ave and 2nd St, Manhattan)!#AFAONSTRIKE #unionyes #local2110 @AFAworkers pic.twitter.com/oE4PhdfXhv

— Anthology Film Workers (@AFAworkers) March 29, 2022

Tonight's screenings at the 52-year-old theater include two showings of Ted Fendt's "Outside Noise."

H/T Leo

Help for an East Village teacher who lost everything in an apartment fire

Jean Finnerty, a teacher and co-founder of the Children's Workshop School on 12th Street, lost everything when her apartment caught fire on Tuesday. 

Maria Velez-Clarke, principal at CWS, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Finnerty replace her personal items and find long-term housing. 

Per Velez-Clarke: 

Over the years, Jean has served as a leader in our school and has taught nearly all grades at the school, and this year is serving as our health and wellness physical education teacher. She has mentored and supported thousands of children over the years and works to nurture the next generation of public school teachers as the student-teacher coordinator at CWS. 

You can find the GoFundMe here.

H/T Salim

Farewell to Holyland Market on St. Mark's Place

Photos yesterday by Stacie Joy 

Holyland Market is now certified closed. 

As we first reported on March 14, the Israeli grocery at 122 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue was closing at the end of this month after 18 years in business. 

Moving forward, owner Eran Hileli (pictured below) will focus his time and attention on his blossoming hummus business — the 4-year-old Holy Hummus, now available at 700-plus stores in the United States, including locally at Westside Market and Union Market. He said he is introducing 12 new products/flavors, including spicy w/red s'chüg, roasted pepper, roasted garlic, za'atar flavored and green s'chüg.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by the shuttered shop yesterday ... as Hileli continued to clean out the space...

In a previous interview with Stacie, Hileli said he had challenges finding help and felt burned out after working through the pandemic. He was also unable to find a buyer for the market. 

While we're happy that Hileli has found success with his hummus (and it is delicious), we hate to lose yet another unique shop in the neighborhood — and in NYC. 

As The Times of Israel recently noted: 

Expats could score their favorite products from home at Holyland, down to lavender-scented Pinuk hair conditioner and the Friday edition of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, in a store that felt like it could be located in Tel Aviv or Ashkelon — a Middle Eastern parallel to New York City’s beloved bodegas.