Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with "A Clockwork Orange" jacket sighting on 1st Avenue via Derek Berg) ... 

• Unveiling Donald Suggs Jr. Way on 6th Street and Avenue B (Tuesday) 

• About Love Not Money, a new record store on the LES (Thursday) 

• Report: Man shot on St. Mark's Place on Friday night (Saturday)

• Resurrection: Halloween Adventure is open on 4th Avenue (Thursday)

• The Pyramid is closing once again (Thursday)

• Coming attractions: Beer and wine for the AMC Village 7 on 11th Street and 3rd Avenue (Monday) 

• ICYMI: The new athletic fields at Pier 42 (Monday)

• The 'See You Next Tuesday' book from Sophie's will be here next Tuesday (Tuesday) 

• A familiar new owner for the development site at 280 E. Houston St. (Wednesday)

• Otto's Shrunken Head celebrates 20 years on 14th Street (Monday) 

• The 3rd annual Mask-Querade taking place on 7th Street this Oct. 30 (Tuesday) 

• New ovens for Two Boots Pizza on Avenue A (Monday) 

• Legends of the fall: Lucy (Wednesday)

• For rent: space ideal for a gallery on 6th Street (Wednesday) 

• Catching up with Jimmy McMillan (Saturday) 

• Reader report: A single-car crash on Clinton takes down a light pole (Wednesday) 

• Another new broker for the long-vacant 20 St. Mark's Place (Monday)

• Check out this mural of Mia Farrow from "Rosemary's Baby" outside the Bean on Second Avenue (Tuesday)

• Another day, another cannabis operation arrives (Tuesday) 

... and noting a new awning for the great Gena's Grill at 210 First Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street ... (thanks to Steven for the photo)...

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Sunday's opening shot

There's a clothing swap this afternoon (Sunday, Oct. 23) from 2-5 at La Linea Lounge, 15 First Ave., just north of First Street... you can bring by some men's, women's or gender-neutral clothing to exchange for something else (clothing, not drinks) ...

Saturday's parting shots

A few photos from today... as people were headed to the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Festival ... top two pics by Derek Berg...

... and inside the Park, doggie Jesus was a hit... first photo by Grant Shaffer, the second via Steven...

We'll have more photos and a recap via EVG contributor Stacie Joy in an upcoming post (updated here)...

EVG Etc.: Creating more accessible housing; launching a Ramones fan club

Sky views from Third Avenue

• Local organizations come together to create more accessible housing through community land trusts in the East Village (The Indypendent ... previously on EVG) 

• What NYC's community aid groups need most to help migrants (Gothamist) 

• Roughly 1 in 10 rent-regulated apartments were vacant in 2021, Census survey data reveals (The City)

• 4 ballot measures facing New York City this general election (NY1)

• New York City saw its unemployment rate drop from 6.6% in August to 5.6% in September (Gothamist) 

• Thieves posing as art students robbed galleries on the Lower East Side (artnet)

• Residents sue to halt new towers in Two Bridges (The City) 

• A book excerpt on creating a Ramones fan club from the forthcoming memoir by Kid Congo Powers (Literary Hub) 

• The 95-square-foot EV studio with a shared bathroom that's asking $1,100 (CNBC ... we mentioned these units on St. Mark's Place in 2018) 

• Anna Delvey, now living in the East Village, discusses post-prison life (Page Six ... her "amazing audacity" Vogue) 

• The great old Milady's on Prince and Thompson "revived as a cocktail bar with appletinis and Jell-O shots" (Eater) 

• Reminders: Hitchcocktober continues at Village East by Angelika (Official site)

... and save the date...

Get ready! The LES Halloween Book Crawl is back! 🎃✨️ With new shops and new treats it's going to be a spooky good time. Save the date!October 30th from 12-7pm. See you there! Image ID in thread. pic.twitter.com/eHffloqLDA

— Bluestockings Cooperative (@bluestockings) October 4, 2022

Friend of a Barber would like its bench back

Early Thursday afternoon, two women walked away with a homemade bench outside Friend of a Barber on Fourth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Pleas for the bench's return are going viral on Instagram, as a growing number of residents and businesses are sharing the images taken from surveillance footage. 

The Post is also on the story, referring to the alleged bench takers as "shameless 'pumpkin spice' thieves." (There is some thought that the two believed the bench had been discarded and was available to stoop.)

The shop opened in 2020 ... and the bench was a way "to ensure clients had a comfortable place to wait in the COVID-free fresh air."

Per co-owner Josh Livingston: "The bench has sentimental value for us. It was a labor of love. It's sturdy and long enough for people to social distance. Can I get another bench? Yes, but you can't just take things."

There is a reward for the return.

Report: Jimmy McMillan still fighting to keep his East Village apartment

Photo from February 2013 by James Maher 

Jimmy McMillan, the founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, made a name for himself by running for a variety of offices, including NYC mayor and New York State governor, with his slogan: "The Rent Is Too Damn High." 

We haven't heard much about McMillan, who has had a St. Mark's address for more than 40 years ... a long point of contention with the landlord who has been trying to evict him.

City Limits has an update on the 75-year-old McMillan, currently staying at the Veterans Administration nursing home in Queens. "McMillan, who served in the Vietnam War, has been staying there since February when a stroke sent him to the hospital. He blames an improper dose of medication."

And what about the eviction proceedings on St. Mark's Place? 

Improbably, he is still fighting to hold onto his apartment. The owners of his building at 107 St. Marks Place first moved to eject him from the then-$872/month unit in 2011, arguing that he kept another place in Flatbush as his primary residence and allowed his son to stay in the East Village apartment. McMillan countered that the Flatbush address was the headquarters of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, not his home, and secured a stay of eviction in 2015 that allowed him to remain in the unit. 

But McMillan then fell behind on rent a year later, court records show. He told City Limits that the owner, a limited liability company connected to developer Nader Ohebshalom, would not give him a key in an effort to drive him out of the unit. The landlord’s attorneys from the firm Borah Goldstein have not responded to emails and phone calls seeking comment. 

In July, McMillan made a $10,737 arrears payment to the landlord after giving them another roughly $9,000 in March and April, according to court documents. His regulated rent is now just under $900 a month—not so damn high relative to most East Village apartments—and the court appointed the Jewish Association of Services for the Aged (JASA) as McMillan’s guardian during the previous eviction case. He has challenged that guardianship and said he now appears remotely to prove his capabilities.

H/T John Penley 

Report: Man shot on St. Mark's Place last night

Photos by Steven

A man was shot in the stomach last night around 11 on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue, according to published reports and witnesses. 

The Post reports that the 25-year-old victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital and is expected to survive. 

An exact address wasn't listed. The Citizen app changed the address of the shooting several times, starting with 100 St. Mark's Place. Another resident said it was near 113 St. Mark's Place, where a police presence remains this morning. 

Word-of-mouth from the scene was that three men approached the victim with one of them pulling the trigger. The Post reported that the NYPD recovered three shell casings.

This block of St. Mark's Place is closed to traffic on weekends for sidewalk/street dining.

No arrests have been made.

Updated 10:30 a.m.

CBS 2 has this report...

Friday's parting shot

A moment at the Bowery Mural Wall this evening ... via Lola Sáenz...

Slow burn

 

Last month, Preoccupations released Arrangements,  the Canadian band's fourth record ... the video here is for "Slowly." 

They'll be at Bowery Ballroom on Nov. 18.

Album release day for East Village singer-songwriter Jim Andralis

Photo from July by Stacie Joy

Back in early August, we published an interview with East Village singer-songwriter Jim Andralis. 

A quick update, as people asked us about it: His new LP, "I Can't Stop Trying," is out today. And you can catch him live at the Mercury Lounge on Nov. 6.

Revisit Stacie Joy's Q&A with Jim at this link.

Reminders: The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Festival is tomorrow!

As previously noted: The 2022 version of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade has a new name — and a familiar location. 

The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Festival takes place TOMORROW (Oct. 22) starting at 1 p.m. in Tompkins Square Park. Dan Schachner, a former NFL referee who now serves as host of the Puppy Bowl, is the host. 

Alex Carpenter and Maegan Hayward of the East Village Vintage Collective interviewed organizer Joseph Borduin in this podcast for Jason Charles.net. Listen here.

The Dog Parade/Festival, which outgrew Tompkins Square Park, took place in East River Park in 2018, 2019 and 2021. (That venue is no longer available.) The 2020 pandemic version was mostly virtual, with a small in-person/dog event at Lucky on Avenue B.

Visit a Marble cemetery in the East Village this weekend

Photos by Steven

Both historic Marble cemeteries in the East Village are hosting open days this weekend. (Despite the similarities in name, there isn't any formal connection between the two cemeteries.) 

• The New York City Marble Cemetery (above) on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue is available to visit tomorrow and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Read more about the history of the space here. As far as we can recall, this is the first time the property has been open to the public since 2019.

• The New York Marble Cemetery (below), 43 1/2 Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street, is open tomorrow and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Find its history here. This space has been welcoming visitors on several weekends dating to April.

Steven also took in an aerial view of the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street... 

Thursday's parting shot

Photo from Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

The Pyramid is closing once again

Photo from July 2021 by Stacie Joy 

Updated 11/28

On Nov. 22, Nick Bodor (the Library, Cake Shop, etc.) shared with us his plans for Baker Falls at 101 Avenue A. The old Pyramid will also feature a collaboration with the Knitting Factory. 

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The second iteration of the Pyramid Club comes to an end on Oct. 31. 

We've heard rumors from multiple sources about a pending closure this month here at 101 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

Pyramid management made it official with a late-night Instagram post: 

After many glorious years of being part of the East Village community, we will be closing our doors at the end of the month after our final party. 

Thank you so very much to all of our new and longtime patrons and the promoters and DJs who have hosted events at The Pyramid Club. And a heartfelt thank you to The Pyramid Club team that has kept everything running smoothly and kept everyone safe. We are appreciative and grateful to all of you, your support means the world to us. We have loved serving the community and providing a space for all to be free and expressive through the arts, fashion, music and dance. The wonderful memories and friendships we have made will be cherished forever. Spread the love and keep on dancing...

A quick recap of what has happened here. The iconic East Village venue shuttered its doors in the spring of 2021 after 41 years in business, as we first reported. The club had been closed since March 7, 2020, at the onset of the pandemic.

However, the club made a comeback at the end of July 2021, opening on weekend nights in subsequent months.

As we understood it, the daughter of the longtime club owners, who are also the building's landlord, was running the show with a few familiar faces who previously worked at the venue. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

Exclusive: Iconic East Village venue The Pyramid Club will not be reopening after year-long PAUSE

Love Not Money is a new record store in Chinatown

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Love Not Money is a new record store and collectibles shop at 42 Eldridge St. between Hester and Canal in Chinatown. 

You may recognize owner Joshua Gabriel, who previously ran City Fun on First Avenue between Second Street and Third Street...

While at City Fun, Gabriel started selling some used vinyl... and continued doing so as a pop-up business after moving on from the East Village shop. 

Love Not Money debuted last weekend.

"I don't have much of a mission statement, to be honest, though my life has been music and art since I was 4 or 5," he said. "It's always been a dream of mine to open my own shop and immerse myself in both ... and I was given the opportunity to do just that. It's incredible and sometimes doesn't feel real."

The shop takes its name from the second Everything But the Girl record.

"It's so twee, so anti-establishment...inherently naive with a somewhat antagonistic purity of intent," Gabriel said. "It was an easy choice."

You can find new and used vinyl here ... as well as other music-related collectibles, such as T-shirts and pins ...

Love Not Money is also on the lookout for records... Gabriel said that he is always buying collections, large and small, and enjoys all kinds of music. (He started listing disco, punk, Latin, Afrobeat, new wave, reggae, hip-hop, pop, jazz, metal, R&B/soul, rock & roll, techno, folk, avant-garde...) 

He said he will also happily look at music ephemera such as posters, music/graphic t-shirts, cassettes, old magazines/books/fanzines/band flyers, and stereo equipment. 

"I'm very intent on everything I sell to be clean, functional, and in upstanding condition, and I pay well for quality," he said.

Love Not Money is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can follow them on Instagram here.

About the LES Arts & Culture Open House this weekend

FABnyc has organized the LES Arts & Culture Open House for Open House New York.

From 2-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday afternoons, more than 20 organizations will host open houses and offer free programs welcoming people inside cultural spaces and "fostering more connections between neighborhood arts and culture groups and residents." 

You can find a list of participating East Village and LES organizations here.

As the FABnyc organizers said: "Arts and culture groups were hit hard by mandatory COVID closures, which lasted nearly two years, and they are not fully back yet. The Open House is one element in FAB's efforts to sustain the vibrant and diverse culture of the LES."

Resurrection: Halloween Adventure is open on 4th Avenue

Photos by Steven 

Yesterday's post about the pop-up Halloween shop on Avenue A prompted queries about two longtime businesses... Yes, Halloween Adventure is now open for the Halloween season on Fourth Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street. Gothic Renaissance has remained open next door beyond just this fall.

There was some speculation that last fall would be the last here for both shops.

As you may recall, back in January 2021, Halloween Adventure's owners announced it was closing due to a pandemic-related drop in business during 2020. After an effort to sell many gift cards, the shop was able to return for another Adventure last fall.

However, as The Real Deal reported in September 2021, the retail condo at 808 Broadway and 104-110 Fourth Ave. was for sale with a $15.95 million ask. The block-through property combines two adjacent buildings: 808 Broadway (completed in 1888) and 104-110 Fourth Ave. (circa 1981).

Per TRD:

After staving off closure for one more year, this season will be Halloween Adventure's last at its longtime East Village location.

However, they returned from the dead once again. It's not known what their plans are beyond this season. We didn't spot a listing online for the retail condo here.

Meanwhile, it's now business as Halloween usual... 

The company that operates these two stores has been around since 1981, starting in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Halloween Adventure first arrived in the East Village with a pop-up in 1991 and continued to do this in various locations until 1996, when they found this current space.

Legends of the fall: Lucy

Photos by Gabby Fiorentino 

From a recent night at Lucy's (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern), 135 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street ... with longtime proprietor Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius...

Reader report: A single-car crash on Clinton takes down a light pole

There were reports of a single-car crash this morning (around 7) on Clinton Street between Stanton and Houston. 

EVG reader Miriam Abrahams came across the scene shortly after the driver of the Volvo — for unknown reasons — veered into the bike lane and crashed into a light pole, which sent it to the sidewalk...

There was an initial report on the Citizen app that a person was "trapped underneath a pole after an auto-collision." There weren't any follow-up alerts. 

It also appeared that the car slammed into a pile of trash bags before striking the pole.

A search of the car's license plate revealed a variety of recent traffic offenses...

As of 09:46:57 AM EDT on October 19, 2022:

Violations by year for #NY_KPT3966:

2 | 2021
9 | 2022

— How's My Driving NY (@HowsMyDrivingNY) October 19, 2022

As of 09:46:57 AM EDT on October 19, 2022:

Known fines for #NY_KPT3966:

$1,410.33 | Fined
$1.37 | Reduced
$1,408.96 | Paid
$0.00 | Outstanding

— How's My Driving NY (@HowsMyDrivingNY) October 19, 2022

The Halloween Pop-Up Store pops up on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A pop-up shop for the Halloween season is now open at 70 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street (in the vacant storefront between Cafe Social 68 and Mast). 

This is the second year here for the shop, run again by some local entrepreneurs. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy paid a visit the other day...

There are some discounts here: 10% off for students, and 10% off for all EV residents with ID. The shop is open every day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Oct. 31. 

And while Stacie was there, workers opened up a package intended for a shop in South Carolina... in case you needed a child-size costume of a Confederate officer...