Compilation Coffee is laser-focused on its customers and coffee, so there are no espresso machines or latte art competitions. Pairing a Poursteady with a back bar of 10 Baratza Fortés, customers can select daily from 10 different coffees, made to order by the cup (hot or iced) as a pour over.Any cup, be it black or Au Lait, cow's milk or alternative milk from NuMilk, is $5 for a 12 oz. cup. Customers can even purchase 4oz tubes of the entire bean menu, so they can mix and match, or even buy three different ones — their version of a flight.
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Compilation Coffee debuts on St. Mark's Place
The state of this Stuyvesant Street retail space
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
These cats need a home
Remembering East Village artist M. Henry Jones
In 1975 he moved to New York City, where he attended the School of Visual Arts. He soon became one of many prominent figures in the East Village alternative art space, working with several artists and musicians, and founding Snake Monkey Studios, a concept based out of his apartment on Avenue A.Jones' films throughout the 1970s and 1980s transcended the boundaries between moving and stagnant imagery, employing a meticulous and carefully crafted process to give viewers a unique visual experience. His early works are also representative of some of the earliest interactions between music, and films intended to complement its structure; one of Jones' most widely recognized films, "Soul City," is a stroboscopic color film created in collaboration with The Fleshtones. The two-year production of the two-minute film required each individual frame of the group's performance footage to be precisely cut, tinted and rephotographed.The film made its debut on the music and art scenes in 1979 and was unlike anything that had ever been done before. "Soul City," along with Jones' other animations for musicians pioneered the music video artistic concept years before MTV and the rise of music videos as we know them today.
Visiting him in his studio or running into him in the East Village neighborhood where we both still lived was an adventure in its own right. My head would spin getting lost in the weeds of his enthusiasms, but I'd always walk away elevated by the conversation, inspired by his hands-on approach and dedication, in his words, "to make the world a better place."
Fans of Jones often refer to him as a “technical genius” but he is probably better described as a forward-looking visionary blessed with stubborn perseverance. Because his first works date nearly a decade before the widespread use of computers and digitization, Jones was restricted to labor-intensive analog techniques to create effects that would soon be facilitated by digital programs like Photoshop.Today we marvel not only at the visual effects he produced but also at the arduous, time-consuming processes he needed to use to achieve them. In hindsight, it becomes clear that the technology itself was the true subject of Jones’ work, as well as its most important component.
What is the city planning for the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park?
Full reveal at 15 Avenue A
The new retail tenant is expected to be a wine bar/restaurant from Bushwick-based pizzeria Roberta's. (First reported in September 2019.)
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Tuesday's parting shot
Report of a 2-alarm fire at 11-13 Avenue D
... with the "under control" coming at 2 a.m. ...Manhattan 2-Alarm Box 0415, 13 AVE D, MULTIPLE DWELLING A, 1 FLR STORE
— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) September 13, 2022
Nearby residents reported seeing flames coming through the roof of the six-floor building. (H/T Bobby G.)Manhattan 2-Alarm Box 0415, 13 AVE D, MULTIPLE DWELLING A, 1 FLR STORE, Under Control
— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) September 13, 2022
Astor Wines & Spirits has new owners — its employees
In 2006, the shop moved from Astor Place to its current home in the De Vinne Press Building at 399 Lafayette St. on the NE corner of Fourth Street. In 2008, Astor Center — an educational facility that offers classes on wine, spirits and cocktails — opened at the same location.The sale was made to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). In an ESOP transaction, the current stockholders sell their shares to the ESOP, and are paid over time from the company’s earnings. Shares in the newly formed ESOP are free to employees who redeem those shares at retirement.On retirement, the redemption value of the employee’s shares is predicated on the success of the business. ESOPS generally have higher sales and job growth than non-ESOP companies. Examples of other ESOPS include Publix Super Markets, WL Gore (the makers of Gore-Tex) and Bi-Mart.
A new broker for 44 Avenue A
As noted before, we've talked with several residents who'd love to see the space used for some type of cinematic venture similar to the Metrograph, the boutique two-screen theater — which also features a restaurant, a bookstore and a lounge — down on Ludlow Street.
Signs of fall: the Feast of San Gennaro starts Thursday
Monday, September 12, 2022
Go hear Andrei Codrescu at the Bowery Poetry Club
Noted (again)
Good Beer is closing
As the name suggests, Good Beer has always stocked an impeccable selection of domestic and international beer across every style. And it gets deliveries from local breweries several times a week, so you can simultaneously support the locally owned store and the city's flourishing brewery scene.
A full reveal at Zero Irving on 14th Street
Thirteen vendors will occupy the 10,000-square-foot venue with an outdoor patio. Urbanspace is curating a dynamic lineup of chefs, food entrepreneurs, and exciting new restaurant concepts. The result will be more than a market: it will be a fertile ground for the food community, a place where ideas are shared and creativity and individuality shine. At least 25% of the Food Hall will be reserved for use by first-time entrepreneurs or start-up companies operating for less than four years.
Jo's Tacos coming to 14th Street
J. Crew signage official a day before its grand opening on the Bowery
Lenders have taken over controlling ownership after a federal bankruptcy court approved J. Crew's reorganization plan. That deal left investment firm Anchorage Capital Group as the retailer's current majority owner. Kevin Ulrich, Anchorage's CEO, said in the release that his firm sees "an immense opportunity for growth and expansion at each brand," which includes the J. Crew and Madewell banners.
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Sunday's parting shot
Week in Grieview
Mayor Adams gives the all clear to the water at the Jacob Riis Houses
This comes after the news Friday in which Environmental Monitoring and Technologies Inc. admitted that its earlier findings of arsenic in the water were incorrect.This morning, @nycHealthy reviewed the final test results for contaminants and we can confidently say the water at @NYCHA Jacob Riis Houses meets EPA standards. I wouldn’t ask residents to do anything I wouldn’t do, which is why I stopped by Riis Houses to drink the water myself. pic.twitter.com/0eTnIBDyaZ
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 10, 2022
Other reactions...I know the last eight days have been unbearable for the residents of Jacob Riis Houses, but, this morning, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reviewed the final test results for contaminants and found the water to be well within EPA drinking water quality standards. We can confidently say the water at Riis Houses is and has been free of any discernible amount of arsenic since the initial tests were initiated in August and meets EPA standards. I would not ask the residents of Riis Houses to do anything I wouldn’t do, which is why I have already stopped by Riis Houses and drank the water myself.As we stated yesterday, NYCHA nor any other city agency will test water through Environmental Monitoring and Technologies any longer, and the city intends to pursue all available legal options on behalf of the residents of Riis Houses and will look for how we can reimburse residents for costs incurred over the last week. In regard to the Legionella bacteria reported earlier this week, we suspect these results are inaccurate.As public health experts have noted, Legionnaires Disease cannot be contracted by drinking water. Additionally, we are actively reviewing our Legionella surveillance data, and have found no reported or confirmed cases of Legionnaires Disease at Riis Houses over the last 12 months.
After being on the ground hearing directly from residents this week and laying out questions + demands below, we heard little from the City at tonight’s mtg with Riis families.
— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) September 10, 2022
Blaming an outside vendor for NYCHA’s mistakes is not accountability. These families deserve better. https://t.co/rcSWQMA1Wg