Citing a reorganization, Mikey Likes It Ice Cream closes Avenue A location

As part of a brand reorganization, the Mikey Likes It Ice Cream outpost is now permanently closed at 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

Founder Michael "Mikey" Cole and his team made the announcement in an Instagram post ... with word of a new flagship store coming in the spring...

To all of our fans and supporters, we are so happy and excited to announce that Mikey Likes It Ice Cream is currently reorganizing the company to expand our products and services to the global market. Also, during this transition, we will be opening new locations, and our new Mikey Likes It Ice cream Flagship store in the spring of 2023.

The post stated that the Avenue A store closed following the constant "day-to-day battle and hardship" during the pandemic. 

We were just not able to recover fast enough and come to terms with our current landlord. Although we greatly appreciate the efforts to accommodate our needs, we understand how the pandemic itself hurt all business owners.

Although a bittersweet moment, we are very grateful for what this store has given us as a family. Over the years, we have had the opportunity to meet so many people from various walks of life and have been able to create friendships that we would’ve never had without having this store. 

We have become a staple in the community and have enjoyed watching the children of the community come to the store as children and grow into mature, responsible adults. From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank all of our customers and staff that have been loyal to Mikey Likes It Ice Cream over the years. 

Cole started the business from his parent's Stuy Town apartment, where he grew up. He later opened his first outpost here on Avenue A in 2013 and expanded to Harlem. You can read our 2013 interview with Cole here.

Ice cream aside, we enjoyed the changing artwork on the rolldown gate in the first few years ... where Andre Trenier created one of his 1980s-inspired murals corresponding with the shop's flavor of the month... favorites included Grace Jones... Teen Wolf ... Tootie from "Facts of Life" and ... Prince. 

Until a new outpost opens, you can still find Mikey's products for delivery online.

Image from the summer via @mikeylikesiticecream 

The 9th Precinct touts a big drug bust in Tompkins Square Park

We've heard from residents discussing the uptick in drug sales and drug use in Tompkins Square Park in the past, oh, two years or so. (The comments in this post, for instance.) 

In a tweet on Tuesday, the 9th Precinct announced the following bust in Tompkins Square Park, which yielded "242 vials of cocaine and 108 decks of heroin."

A sign of police activity to come? 

Per the tweet: "We heard your complaints about the drug activities going on in the park and we’ve deployed more resources to the park area."

242 vials of cocaine , 108 decks of heroin and $834 were recovered from a drug dealer at Tompkins Square park by our public safety team. We heard your complaints about the drug activities going on in the park and we’ve deployed more resources to the park area. pic.twitter.com/5su2K9bVxd

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) November 1, 2022

Mug & Cup space is now in possession of the landlord on Avenue C

Photos by Stacie Joy

We hadn't seen Mug & Cup open for several months here at 115 Avenue C between Seventh Street and Eighth Street.

There's now legal documentation on the door... the Marshal has taken possession of the storefront on behalf of the landlord...

The coffee and juice shop opened last November after a long build-out of the retail space. This was the second outpost for Mug & Cup, which got its start in East Flatbush. 

No. 115 had been vacant for the past few years as the building was sold and gut-renovated. The retail space has been empty since Le Jardin Bistro closed in June 2015. Previous ventures here included Apartment 13 and The Porch.

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Steven

As seen on the plywood at the worksite on St. Mark's Place at Third Avenue: 

Every Ten Minutes Stop Working and Take Smoke Break. 

Every Employee Must Take Approximately 30 Smoke Breaks Per 8 Hour Work Day.

Late afternoon fall foliage report

From the Ninth Street and Avenue A entrance to Tompkins Square Park...

Demolition complete on the Bowery for the New Museum annex

Demolition is complete at 231 Bowery, the former 6-floor building that stood next to the New Museum here at Prince Street.

This space will eventually yield to the New Museum's 8-story annex...

News of the annex, which will nearly double the New Museum's size to 115,277 square feet, dates to 2016. 

Here's more about the new building designed by OMA, Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas ... via the OMA website:

The sleek, angular volume will connect laterally to the original museum and house three gallery floors, a cafe, a bookstore, offices, community and educational program space, art storage, and outdoor terraces. 

As a reminder, the renderings (via OMA) for the new structure ... as first seen when the plans were announced in June 2019... 

No. 231 on the Bowery was home to Daroma Restaurant Equipment until the spring of 2011 when they moved down the Bowery (and the owner pleaded guilty to tax fraud). The New Museum bought the building for $16.6 million in September 2008. According to The New York Times, the address once provided "raw studio space for seminal New York artists like James Rosenquist and Tom Wesselmann."

The New Museum opened on the Bowery in December 2007. No word on an opening date for the annex. 

Details about smashing pumpkins (not the band!) at La Plaza Cultural

This Sunday, you can bring your Halloween pumpkins, gourds and Jack-o-Lanterns over to the annual Pumpkin Smash... taking place from noon to 3 p.m. at La Plaza Cultural on the SW corner of Ninth Street and Avenue C.

Reps from the NYC Compost Project will be there to turn those (likely rotting) decorative items into compost for city parks and green spaces.

The event is rain or shine, and there are other family-friendly activities planned during the Pumpkin Smash.

Thanks to Steven for the photo!

Activity at the former Associated on 14th Street

For the first time in a long time, there have been signs of activity at the former Associated space on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue in Stuy Town.

Asbestos Abatement signage went up earlier in October... (and the Wrong Language police checked in later)...

As you may recall, back in February 2021, Stuy Town management informed residents that Chef's Local Harvest, a 10,000-square-foot grocery store, would open in this space (this year).

The family-run market is owned and operated by father-son duo Paul and Aaron Fernandez, who helped create the Union Market chainlet (as seen on Avenue A and Houston) and Ideal Marketplace in Chelsea. 

Here's more from the announcement to residents in February 2021:

Paul Fernandez has operated best-in-class supermarkets in New York City for the last 40 years and has worked to provide quality service and products throughout his career. He grew up in Little Italy after immigrating to the United States at 14, and is a founding member and principal in the Union Market chain, as well as America’s Food Basket Banners. 

Chef's Local Harvest will feature a combination of fresh produce, fish and meat, in addition to a wide selection of prepared food and grab-and-go options via a café, deli and more. 

The space will also conveniently include an entrance directly connecting to the Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village community, providing quick and easy store access for our community. The store will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. 

We're told that this is all still going to happen... and that there's a discussion about some kind of entertainment/performance space in the store... with an outdoor cafe and a new entrance at the mezzanine level. (The deal included 7,300 square feet of the usable basement, per The Real Deal.)

As we understand it, given the unique situation of the interior of the Stuy Town-Peter Cooper Village being zoned as R7-2, any type of commercial enterprise must be a "resident amenity." Hence, any liquor license has to be a "club" one only for "residents and their guests." 

Associated closed in December 2019. Joseph Falzon, the store's owner, previously told Crain's that a confluence of factors had cut business nearly in half. For starters, construction on 14th Street for the L train obscured the supermarket with a 12-foot fence for nearly two years.

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Admiring this MTA employee's jacket along Avenue A...

A very Avenue B Halloween

Photos by Stacie Joy 

In recent years Avenue B has been a solid corridor for trick-or-treaters ... and yesterday's Halloween festivities were no exception, as EVG contributor Stacie Joy discovered...

Owners of Joyface to debut HiLot this week on Avenue C

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

The team behind Joyface is opening a new lounge-restaurant this week at 102 Avenue C between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

HiLot is the name of the cozy and well-appointed space that will serve various drinks and shareable plates (the cold spinach dip in a pumpernickel bread bowl is said to be quite good). 

The place is named for Joyface co-owner Jennifer Shorr’s uncle, a prominent figure in the San Fransisco Jewish gay liberation movement of the 1960s through the 80s. His drag name was Lottie, and his nickname was HiLot, short for HI LOTTIE!, which his friends would yell when he walked into a room. 

The HiLot team includes (from left) Shorr, bartender Carter Wilsford and Joyface co-owner Brian Powell ...

Like Joyface next door, Elizabeth Ingram designed this provocative and moody space...  

... which includes a clawfoot bathtub in the bathroom... 

... and space in the back currently going as "the cuddle pit" ... 

HiLot officially opens on Friday, though some friends-family events are ahead. Moving forward, the hours are Tuesday-Sunday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. You can find updates @hilotnyc.

HiLot takes over from the rather generic Avenue C Restaurant, which went dark in late 2019. Joyface, with the 1970s vintage decor on the SE corner of Avenue C and Seventh Street, opened in December 2018.

A fundraising raffle to help Lower East Side families this Thanksgiving

The second-annual Thanksgiving Fundraiser Raffle is underway... a partnership among Loisaida Inc., the East Village Merchants Association (EVIMA) and Cooper Square Committee. 

Organizers say their goal is to raise $4,000 for Thanksgiving food for Lower East Side-based families.

Via the EVG inbox: 

The funds raised from this online event will go directly toward purchasing Thanksgiving food for the Loisaida Inc. Center's annual Thanksgiving Turkey Drive, which will take place this year on Nov. 21. During last year's fundraiser, we raised $1,541. We were able to provide 500 turkeys to members in need in our community. 

This year, with food costs rising, we want to give even more and have a goal of $4,000! Nov. 1 through Nov. 15, raffle tickets starting from $1-$20 will be on sale. You can purchase tickets to win any of the 40-plus prizes, which total nearly $5,000 in value! Raffle prizes include items and gift cards from local small businesses in the Lower East Side/East Village. 

You can buy raffle tickets or make a donation here. You can also find a list of the raffle prizes at this link.

The former Nomad space is for rent on 2nd Avenue

A small for-rent sign now hangs on the storefront at 78 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.

Last month, owner Mehenni Zebentout announced that he was closing Nomad, his low-key Mediterranean and North African restaurant to take a much-needed break. 

As he wrote on Instagram: "This is not goodbye; more like stay tuned for what's next." 

Whatever he does next won't be from this space. The closing announcement also coincided with a notice that the landlord was now in legal possession of the premises (photo by Stacie Joy) ...

Halloween's parting shot

Photo on Second Avenue by Derek Berg...

6 posts from October

A mini month in review (with a photo from 1st Avenue at 13th Street) ... 

• A look at Thayer, a new cafe-bookstore opening soon on Avenue B (Oct. 27) 

• Unveiling Donald Suggs Jr. Way on 6th Street and Avenue B (Oct. 18) 

• About those fireworks last night on the East River (Oct. 13) 

• Remembering Manny the Peddler (Oct. 12) 

• Long-vacant P.S. 64 now being pitched for medical use, educational purposes (Oct. 5) 

• Exclusive: This is the new tenant for the former Gem Spa space (Oct. 3)