Coffee talk

As seen outside the recently opened Blank Street coffee on First Avenue and 13th Street...

"Caffeine [or caffiene] is a drug! And expensive shit. Smoke pot. Ha! ha!"

Caturday's news: 'Bad Pussies' mural tagged on 3rd Street

In the last day or two someone tagged (defaced?) the "Bad Pussies" mural on Third Street at Avenue B... The mural has been here since at least 2007 (the earlier Google Street View goes back) ... and some previous EVG coverage here.

Summer Streets Saturday No. 2 TODAY

Today is another Summer Streets day ... in which nearly seven miles of NYC roadways are closed to vehicles for people to run, walk, bike, reflect on all the good in the world, etc. 

As you likely know, this car-free zone includes Lafayette, Astor Place and Fourth Avenue from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

You can find more details about Summer Streets at this link.

Friday's parting shot(s)

Photos by Stacie Joy 

We're just admiring the newly painted and looking fine and fresh checkouts at Key Food on Avenue A and Fourth Street... still, the checkouts are on the list to be replaced in the ongoing Key renovation period ...

The live music in Tompkins Square Park tomorrow (Saturday!)

A good lineup of bands tomorrow (Saturday!) afternoon in Tompkins Square Park... with Claudi from Pinc Louds headling a slate that includes InCircles and Jade Tourniquet ... plus Datapool and Two-Man Giant Squid. Show times listed from 1:45 to 6.

Touch me I'm 'Dick'

Ladies and gentleman, the very first video from local band Girl Dick ... with "Girl Dick."

Help for Chino Garcia

Photo of Chino Garcia for EVG from September 2021 by Stacie Joy 

Friends have launched a crowdfunding campaign to help longtime neighborhood activist Carlos "Chino" Garcia. 

Here's more via the GoFundMe: 

Everyone in Loisaida the Lower East Side knows Chino Garcia. He has been an activist and community volunteer since he was a teenager. He has helped individuals, community groups and served on numerous boards and commissions. 

Now Chino needs help from the community. Over the past year, he has had numerous medical issues. We are looking for a decent, affordable senior-assisted living facility in the community that he loves. 

We would appreciate your assistance in helping Chino secure that housing. Also, the funds to keep him comfortable and happy. The way he has helped our community for so many years 

You can find the campaign link here, which includes some video interviews with Garcia. 

This article at Village Preservation has a lot more about Garcia, who moved to the neighborhood in 1959.

Here's the midnight email that employees of the Trader Joe's Wine Shop received about the closing on Union Square

Photo yesterday by Max Uhlenbeck

Updated 8/17: A new report suggests TJ's shut the store after learning employees wanted to unionize.

As reported yesterday, the Trader Joe's Wine Shop on Union Square — the brand's lone such establishment in the state — shut its doors after 15 years on 14th Street ... surprising patrons and, apparently, staff in the process. 

A tipster told us that employees — including management — were not informed this would happen until 12:01 a.m. yesterday. 

Here's the email to staff...

The email reads in part: 

Effective Thursday, August 11 our NYC Wine Shop in Union Square will be closed. 

It is now time for us to explore another location that will allow us to optimize the potential of our one and only license to sell wine in the state of New York. In addition, the space currently used for the wine shop will be used to improve the overall operations of store 540, our grocery store in Union Square. 

You will be paid for all days through __________. 

During this time, we will be working with the Mates, Merchant, and the Crew, and will talk indovidually with each of you about the opportunity to transwer to another Trader Joe's store in New York City.

A Reddit user, ID-ing himself as a former store employee, left this comment on the site:

The store still gets plenty of foot traffic, even after the pandemic - so I promise that isn't the issue here. Both the wine store and the grocery store next door are in a building owned by NYU, which is fine for the grocery store, but the wine store had to jump through hoops constantly to keep NYU happy. In fact, the wine store even has the license to sell their TJs brand liquor that you see in other states, but NYU wouldn't allow them to sell it due to their proximity to underage college students.

If anything, we'll see the wine store pop up somewhere else in Manhattan, probably adjacent to one of the existing grocery stores, and I promise it'll be a way better store than it was now that it's out of NYU's grasp. 

The Trader Joe's Wine Shop on Union Square has permanently shuttered — effective today

Updated here. Updated 8/17: A new report suggests TJ's shut the store after learning employees wanted to unionize.

After 15 years at 138 E. 14th St. near Irving Place, the Trader Joe's Wine Shop – the only one in NYC (AND NEW YORK STATE) — shut down today. 

A note on the door thanks patrons for the 15-plus years of business... and states that employees will be paid through Aug. 28. There is also a tease of "an even better wine shop experience"to come somehwhere ...

A Reddit post claims that employees received no warning of the closure. 

Meanwhile, TJ wine shop fans are NOT pleased...

NYC TikTok is outraged that the Trader Joe’s wine store in Manhattan is closing pic.twitter.com/npdZsW9Gsv

— Benjamin Goggin (@BenjaminGoggin) August 11, 2022

The Trader Joe's outpost next door remains open.

H/T Brandon

A visit to Aliens of Brooklyn on 9th Street

Photos and interview by Stacie Joy

It’s 7 p.m., and I’m meeting Joseph Angel Tijerina, the artist/owner behind the Aliens of Brooklyn clothing and accessories brand, which recently opened its first storefront at 305 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, as he closes up for the day. 

It’s his birthday, but he’s agreed to chat with me about the history of the pop culture brand, his Mexican heritage, his ’90s-era Taco Bell inspiration, and his love of collabs with other brands — all before heading out to celebrate.

What is the origin of Aliens of Brooklyn? How did you arrive at the name, and what was the inspiration behind the brand? 

As a child of the ’90s, I recall watching the original “Ghostbusters” movie, going to my mother and telling her that I would live in New York City one day. And she then would shoot me down with a simple “No.” I would ask why, and she would say, “It’s too far and too big.” Plus, she’d miss me too much. But in my mind, all I did was dream big. 

I would later graduate from Wade College art school in Texas, and my mom would pass away from a heart attack. That was the catalyst that led me to move to New York. I had never even been to the city, just watched movies and dreamt about it.

Aliens Of Brooklyn came alive the moment I moved to Crown Heights in 2012. The culture, the vibe, the space where an artist could complete their puzzle of whatever it was that they couldn’t convey anywhere else. All my puzzle pieces were finally connecting. I was finally healing. 

The people in Brooklyn were so vibrant, and everyone dressed however they wanted. I never knew I could come to a place where trends were ever-changing and there felt like no rules. I think this is what they meant when they said to find your tribe. And I have no idea who “they” are. 

This brand is absolutely inspired by the people I’ve met and the ones I people-watch. I did Google to see if actual aliens were living in Brooklyn, and some articles popped up about sightings. I sort of knew this name was special, and so it stuck. 

It’s something about constantly feeling like an outsider and creating a world where everyone is actually invited to the party. Being in Texas was great, but I realized being in NYC was better. I could be OK with where I came from, who I’ve become, and who I was becoming. 

And although there is so much more to me than my race and sexual orientation, I absolutely embrace that I’m a Mexican American and an LGBTQIA+ brand. It makes me brave, and it might make people struggle to be brave too. I think the thing I’m really proud of is that I’m a Mexican who owns a successful business. I’ve always wished my mom could see me at this stage of my life because of how far I’ve come. I’d like to think that she’s around working through me somehow. 

You recently opened a shop in the East Village. How has a brick-and-mortar location differed from your pop-up and Artists & Fleas vending background? 

Well, the locals are this tight-knit community who basically have welcomed my brand with open arms, which is something I’ve always needed. We don’t always have to be pushed away. We can treat each other with respect and kindness. It shows with the East Village, and I was pleasantly surprised. I think they might recognize that I’ve come with an interesting point of view. And to me, art is exactly that. In my eyes, the East Village is always a place where the artists migrate, and I find that sacred and want to honor the history already created here. 

Pop-up markets can be really hard but also fulfilling once you hit your sweet spot of being satisfied with your brand, and it’s not always about the money. I think those are big lessons that many artists struggle with because what you love may not pay the rent at first, although it can. You just have to go back to the drawing board and problem solve for a bit. 

Doing markets for almost 10 years gives you a lot of experience. I’m so happy that the customers helped the brand become so successful by buying hats and beanies at our pop-ups. But having a hit item in markets doesn’t always translate to having a hit brick-and-mortar store. I am still learning, but with a store, I get to have a fully realized concept and aesthetic. I’m enjoying every moment of it.

Your Instagram teased the inspiration for your shop décor was ’90s Taco Bell. Has that come to fruition? 

[Laughs] A picture of Taco Bell in the 1990s was actually on my vision board for the store. I was inspired by the pastel motif, so I painted those exact colors on our walls. My brand is known for neon colors and tie-dye, but it is always evolving and ever-changing. 

I love the 1980s, 1990s and Y2K era. So, Taco Bell walls one day, and then we might be inspired by Blockbuster the following week. Who knows? I just know I’m going to try to make the customers smile and laugh when they walk by. 

You have done some collabs with other brands. Do you foresee future collaborations? And what’s next for the brand?

Collaborations are so fun and a lot of work as well. But it is great working with other small businesses or artists and cross-promoting your audiences. You gain all these wonderful people who only discovered you because of that collaboration.

I for sure can see myself doing many more collabs in the future. I will always pay it forward — some of my first gigs were popping up in front of another small business boutique and selling hats outside their front window on the sidewalk. 

I want to grow the business in a way that customers can customize anything they see in the store. Leonardo da Vinci said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” So, to me, that leaves space for all of us to make things happen. 

And there’s still so much art to be made and work to do. I can’t wait to see what happens next with the brand!

You can keep up with what’s happening with Joseph and the shop here.

Aliens of Brooklyn is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

iSouvlaki has closed on 12th Street

Photos by Steven 

After two years at 139 E. 12th St., iSouvlaki has apparently closed here just west of Third Avenue. (H/T EVG reader Todd!)

Workers have removed the iSouvlaki signage and the interior is in some disarray...

There isn't any official notice about this closure. This outpost is no longer on the iSouvlaki website, which lists a new location coming soon to Chelsea. 

The quick-serve concept offered falafel, salads and other traditional Greek cuisines... via James Paloumbis, whose credits include Merakia on West 22nd Street and Gossip Coffee in Astoria. 

Previously here: Greekito closed in November 2018, shortly after changing up concepts from the Wayside, a cafe-coffee shop that lasted six years.

Let's see how long this space stays vacant... seems like a decent location with its proximity to NYU and New School dorms... not to mention venues like the Loews Village 7 and Webster Hall...

Seeing (Empanada Mama) red on 14th Street and 1st Avenue

Workers put a coat of red paint on the storefront on the NW corner of First Avenue and 14th Street yesterday. (H/T Pinch and Peter!)

And those workers continue to tell inquisitive passersby that the space will soon be home to an Empanada Mama. (We first reported this in May.)

We still haven't seen any official coming-soon signage just yet. This would make for the fourth EM in the city, including one at 95 Allen St. on the Lower East Side.

Papaya Dog shuttered here last fall, ending a 16-year-run.

P.S.

The Panda Express still wasn't open as of yesterday across 14th Street.

EVG Etc.: The first 10th Congressional District TV debate; Coleman Skatepark at 10

Photo by H.H. in Tompkins Square Park 

• 18-year-old suspect in a fatal East Village shooting has been apprehended in West Virginia (PIX 11 ... the Post ... previously on EVG) 

• Highlights from the first televised debate in the race for the 10th Congressional District: "Dan Goldman and Carlina Rivera ... weathered attacks for their personal finances — Goldman, an heir to Levi Strauss, for investments in Rupert Murdoch's conservative News Corp. and Rivera for holdings in a fund that invests in gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger." (POLITICO ... Gothamist) 

• "Murphy's has been attracting fans and skeptics with its well-designed interior and $6 Jamaican patties" on Ninth Street (Eater ... previously on EVG) 

• Checking in on HAGS on First Avenue (Eater) 

• The Coleman Skatepark beneath the Manhattan Bridge turns 10 (Quartersnacks) 

• The M102, which runs from the East Village to Harlem, is the slowest bus in the city (Thrillist) 

• In conjunctiopn with the ICP's new exhibition, "William Klein: YES – Photographs, Paintings, Films, 1948-2013," the Anthology Film Archives hosts screenings of a selection of his films (Official site) 

• Three chances to see Jim Jarmusch's "Stranger Than Paradise" on a big screen this weekend (Metrograph) 

• Loving to hate Dimes Square (The Daily Beast) 

• On the town with the East Villains TikTok crew (The Cut) 

• Why the gallery Magenta Plains doubled down on Chinatown (artnet)

Wednesday's parting shot

The late-afternoon shadows in Tompkins Square Park as caputured by EVG reader dwg today...

El Primo Red Tacos primed for 151 Avenue A

Renovations continue inside the north storefront at 151 Avenue A, where the first NYC outpost of Miami-based pop-up hit El Primo Red Tacos is in the works here between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

As the name suggests, El Primo specializes in "red tacos," which Eater Miami describes as "birria tacos dipped in a soup-like liquid that gives them a red glow." 

And more from Eater:

El Primo "focuses on one thing only: birria, beef shoulder that is slow cooked in a “red” stew made with tomatoes and seasonings. The chefs then fill tacos with the beef, which also stains the tortilla giving them that red color, and then serves it with a side of broth made with the birria cooking liquid to dip the tacos in."

Reps for owner Frank Neri, who hails from Tijuana, will appear before CB3's SLA committee on Aug. 22 for a new liquor license for the space. According to the questionnaire on file with CB3, the quick-serve spot will have seating for 10 guests inside. They also plan on getting the backyard space licensed, which could accommodate 28 people. Proposed hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, with a 3 a.m. close Thursday through Saturday. (The outdoor space would close at 10 p.m., per the questionnaire.) 

The questionnaire includes a menu from Miami...

El Primo's Instagram account lists a September opening for the East Village. 

The CB3 SLA meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 22. You can tune in via Zoom here.

This north storefront at 151 Avenue A has been vacant since Mamani Pizza, a 99-cent slice joint, closed in June 2017. (Because someone will mention it: San Loco was in the south storefront at No. 151 until February 2014.)

5 years later, signs of progress at 180 2nd Ave.

We're now into year number 5 of gut renovations at 180 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street ... which has meant almost five years of a blocked bike lane and a section of Second Avenue ... not to mention a sidewalk bridge blocking out the light for sidewalk cafes at the restaurants on either side of the building — Pangea on the right and Cacio e Pepe on the left.

According to the previously approved work permits with the city, workers are converting the building to residential use and adding two floors — from five to seven — in the process. Permits show that there will be one residential unit on each floor. (Condos?)

As the top photo shows, workers appear to have started the framework for that seventh floor. (See below for a rendering of the all-new No. 180.)

As previously reported, dating to June 2017, the building was designed to earn LEED Platinum and Passive House certification, complete with a green roof with solar hot water panels for each residential unit.

The Chicago-based Polish National Alliance was the previous owner of No. 180. The building housed the Józef Pilsudski Institute of America, the largest Polish-American research institution specializing in the recent history of Poland and Central Eastern Europe. (They found a new home in Greenpoint.) According to public records, an LLC bought the building for $6.75 million in June 2014. City Realty listed the new owner as Robert Stern.

As for the ground-floor retail space, the Ninth Ward was the previous tenant. That New Orleans-themed bar closed in February 2016. The Ninth Ward was said to return to this space after the gut renovations, but that was in mid-2017.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The renderings for the all-new 180 2nd Ave. include Leonardo DiCaprio on a Citi Bike

A memorial for Jack the cat on 7th Street

In recent days, several EVG readers (thank you!) have let us know about Jack the cat, "who was so super adorable and hung out on the fence between B and C on Seventh Street." 

Jack died in May, though the memorial arrived on the north side of Seventh Street at the start of the weekend...

A message at the memorial states that Jack died after an illness. "Many thanks to all his friends — he so looked forward to your visits... We all miss him."

Signage alerts: Hi-Note on Avenue B; Le Burger on 5th Street

From the EVG inbox... reader-submitted photos showing new signage... Annabelle shared the top pic from Hi-Note, opening soon at 188 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street in space that was previously the jazz club Rue-B. 

This will be a coffee shop-cafe-karaoke bar (at night) combo from the team who ran Baby Grand, the now-closed karaoke bar on Lafayette. (Read our previous post on Hi-Note for more.)

You can follow the Hi-Note Instagram account for updates.

Meanwhile, signage is up (H/T JG!) for Le Burger at 540 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B... the former home of Black Iron Burger (RIP 2019).

According to the questionnaire from last month on the CB3 website, ownership ran the now-closed UES spots 1742 Wine Bar and Giorgio's Brick Over & Wine Bar.

The hours here are to be noon to midnight daily.

Tuesday's parting shot

A look at the clouds late this afternoon/early evening from Tompkins Square Park when it seemed as if we were in for a storm... photo by Steven...

Prince of the city, 9th Street edition

A recent arrival on Ninth Street at First Avenue ... Prince art courtesy of Billy Barnacles (in a collab with Dave Hogan)... Billy often leaves his art around town for people to find. 

Thanks to Steven for the photo!