Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Webslinger bong curb alert
The future of the unlicensed weed vendors
So what might happen in the months ahead to the numerous unlicensed sellers who have popped up all over the East Village and every other city neighborhood?
Curbed had a piece on this topic the other day titled: "The Weed Bodega Was Beautiful While It Lasted."
[P]er New York's Office of Cannabis Management, the era of the weed bodega — the tacky, snack-filled corner-store purveyor, like the regular bodega's stoner cousin — is about to be over. Instead, the state's legal weed retailers will be subject to an extremely long list of regulations that includes rules on everything from location to security to aesthetics.The compliance requirements will undoubtedly be onerous and expensive for many of the operators vying for licenses, but the décor rules in particular seem designed to kill the gray-market upstarts that flooded the city in the beautiful, wild period between decriminalization and the rollout of official licenses.It's as if regulators walked into a humble weed bodega — Cloudy Vibez, Weed 4 U, Kannabis Korner — and banned everything they saw: "cartoons," "bubble-type or other cartoon-like font," "bright colors," "neon," the terms "candy" or "candies," "kandy" or "kandeez," and "symbols, images, characters, public figures, phrases, toys, or games" commonly marketed to people under 21.Also barred are signs or business names "depicting cannabis, cannabis products, or the imagery or action of smoking or vaping." As the city begins to enforce these rules in earnest, the welcoming visage of a rasta Alvin the Chipmunk will begin to disappear from our streetscape.
Meanwhile, the city is cracking down on the illegal shops ... not to mention the sidewalk vendors, as seen on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.
This past Dec. 7, we received multiple EVG reader tips about busts underway at East Village shops (photo below by Derek Berg) ...
Per the site:
The task force is led by the sheriff's office — the enforcement arm of the city's Department of Finance — and also includes the police department, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and the state Office of Cannabis Management.Mayor Eric Adams announced the creation of the task force in mid-December. In a two-week span, officials said at the time, the task force had inspected 53 storefronts across the city and seized more than 100,000 illegal products worth about $4 million. Officials also issued 500 civil violations and 66 criminal summonses over that time, Sheriff Anthony Miranda said. All told, the city has conducted 248 store inspections, including 23 in December, through Dec. 29.
Another factor in the potential demise of the unlicensed shops: a survey (results here) conducted by the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association found the presence of potentially deadly E. coli, salmonella and pesticides in many products from 20 unlicensed stores that publicly advertise selling marijuana, as Bloomberg reported.
As the Post noted, the study also found that there are "likely tens of thousands of illicit cannabis businesses currently out of bodegas, smoke shops, or other retail locations" that are licensed to sell other products.
So as the enforcement becomes stricter and the fines pile up, what will the owners of the unlicensed businesses do moving forward — especially if their shops, many looking like a set-piece from "Bullet Train," don't meet the state's requirements? What kind of empty storefront surplus might be upon us in the months ahead if smoke shops don't open in every vacant space?
Top photo from Dec. 29 by Steven
Blue & Cream has left the Bowery for Bleecker Street
After 15 years on the SE corner of the Bowery at First Street, Blue & Cream has relocated its flagship outpost to 409 Bleecker St. in Greenwich Village.
In a message to patrons, the mid-2000s Bowery gentrifier painted themselves as a trailblazer along this corridor... "before the hotels, museum and galleries popped up."
From Mikey's to Smileys on Avenue A
The business logo is of a smiley face with marijuana leaves for eyes (see the brand's Instagram account) ... presumably another unlicensed weed-related shop.
Until early November, this storefront had been home to Mikey Likes It Ice Cream for nearly nine years. Founder Michael "Mikey" Cole announced that his company was undergoing a reorganization and that they would reopen a new flagship location elsewhere in 2023.
In an Instagram post, Cole stated that the Avenue A store closed following the constant "day-to-day battle and hardship" during the pandemic.
In other storefront news here, the psychic is no longer in the space next door (though the awning remains)...
Health scare: IG-Fit closes on 14th Street
The IG-Fit Health Club closed at the end of 2022 at 244 E. 14th St. near Second Avenue.
A sign on the door for IG-Fit members states that the gym lost its leases after a "protracted litigation with our landlord originating from COVID-mandated closure." (There isn't any mention of the closure on the gym's website or Instagram account.)
In a sliver of a silver lining, management apparently struck a deal with GYM NYC at 155 E. Third St. just east of Avenue A for IG-Fit members to "immediately continue your fitness routine."
And "for those who work or live further north, we also made arrangements with Synergy Fitness" at 1781 Second Ave., which is pretty far north of here at 96th Street.
Monday, January 2, 2023
A happy birthday mural for Ray on Avenue A
Photos by Stacie Joy
In honor of Ray’s 90th birthday this month, the folks behind the East Village-based Lisa Project surprised the proprietor of Ray's Candy Store today with this colorful new mural by Peach Tao outside 50 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street.
Later, Ray was brought from the shop to check out the new artwork in person...
There are easier (but admittedly, less photogenic) ways to dispose of Christmas trees
Photo by Andrew Jacobs
As seen this morning on Avenue B and 10th Street.
Meanwhile, MulchFest continues ... residents can drop off their trees in the middle of Tompkins Square Park (where the others are piled). The chipping commences this coming weekend.
On Astor Place, a yearn to spin again
The city removed the barricades from around the cube in late April 2022. At the time, we were told that the spinning mechanism for the 1,800-pound cube, which manually rotates around a pole hidden in its center, was not working. A DOT spokesperson previously told us that they didn't have a timeline for repairing the spinning component.
The Post had a follow-up on this yesterday. A spokesperson basically said the same thing, that the "DOT is planning a repair to restore the Cube to its original, spinning condition." And: "We'd love to see it so people can spin it again. That's what Tony wanted — he wanted it to be enjoyed and not to be put in a cradle."
Tony Rosenthal's sculpture first arrived here in November 1967.
Previously on EV Grieve:
• Spin city: The Alamo remains out of commission on Astor Place (May 6, 2022)
New exhibit showcases collection from New Yorker cartoonist Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell
The show also serves as the launch party for her new book, "What Did I Do Today?"
Some details via the EVG inbox:
The show: Spanning 10 years of cartooning, Today showcases a collection from New Yorker cartoonist Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell about the little things. From small talk to mundane thoughts, Campbell's cartoons, paintings and more focus on finding hilarity in everyday life.The book: This illustrated six-month journal helps you find joy, curiosity and your screaming inner voice, with prompts for things you've done, seen, felt and heard each day. Instead of being focused on productivity, the journal is like a retroactive to-do list, inviting you to be naturally creative by writing down the sometimes mundane, sometimes silly, but always interesting parts of your day-to-day life.
In addition, she'll be teaching two workshops at ArtsClub on Jan. 20 and 28. The pitch: "Not only will students learn the basics of cartooning, they'll also be given the tools to find humor and inspiration in your day to day-to-day life and build a routine to discover your creative side." Find more details here.
ArtsClub is at 311 E. Third St. between Avenue C and Avenue D. The opening-night reception is 6-8 on Thursday.
Sunday, January 1, 2023
Sunday's parting shot
Photo by Peter Brownscombe
On this first day of January, Ray celebrates his birth month at Ray's Candy Store, 113 Avenue A near Seventh Street ... as he turns 90 ...
Week in Grieview
Posts this past week included (with a storefront photo from Ink on A)...
• Gregg Singer's reign as owner of the former of P.S. 64 is said to be over (Thursday)
• Remembering longtime East Village resident Dr. Kamala Joie Mottl (Friday)
• O'Flaherty's opening an art gallery at the former UCBeast space on Avenue A (Thursday)
• Long-vacant 8th Street building where worker died is being offered as a development site (Tuesday)
• That's all for East Village mainstay Dallas BBQ (Wednesday)
• The city's first legal, regulated adult-use cannabis shop opens on Astor Place (Wednesday ... Thursday)
• Yo La Tengo celebrates Sun Ra Arkestra at its annual Hanukkah show finale (Tuesday)
• Pure Wine debuts on 10th Street (Friday)
• Icicle works: Frozen pipes cause damage to several East Village businesses (Tuesday)
• 133 Avenue D, co-owned by A-Rod, is on the sales market (Thursday)
• Sunny's Florist will be closed all of January (Friday)
• HAGS is reopening on 1st Avenue (Friday)
• MulchFest begins (Monday)
• Signage alert: Red Onion on 10th Street (Friday)
A memorial on Avenue A for James Cunningham
Video footage at the scene, police officials said, shows the two men arguing for about 20 seconds before Codrington is seen slashing Cunningham with a knife. NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said the two men had no prior connection before Dec. 19.
Police officials said that the same knife was used in a violent rampage in which Codrington also allegedly killed a doctor in Marcus Garvey Park and assaulted several other people before his arrest on Christmas Eve.
The Daily News reported that Cunningham was a regular at Spike's, 218 Avenue A ... "who often came into the bar to order a seltzer or soda, never drank alcohol but instead used the bar as a community center."
One EVG commenter had this to say about Cunningham: "He was my friend for 35 years and was the best type of person. James would have given the last of anything he had so another wouldn't have to go without."
On Dec. 22, Codrington allegedly choked a bartender and stabbed two Good Samaritans at Teddy's Bar and Grill on Second Avenue in East Harlem. Media reports stated that Codrington showed up at the bar with a pit bull and a baseball bat to settle a score.
Police reportedly used surveillance video from Teddy's to link him to the knife attack on Avenue A.
Early on Dec. 23, a 60-year-old pediatrician was found dead in Marcus Garvey Park. Police said that Codrington and the victim, Bruce Henry, got into a verbal spat that ended with the doctor being stabbed multiple times. The NYPD's investigation led detectives to Codrington and his girlfriend driving Henry's Mercedes-Benz in the Bronx on Christmas Eve.
Essing said Codrington faces two counts each of murder and attempted murder and additional charges of second-degree assault and criminal mischief. Codrington had 12 prior arrests, Essing said.
Codrington reportedly confessed to the crimes, telling police that he tossed the knife used in the crimes into the Hudson River.
Sunday's opening shot
Not sure why someone discarded these — you can technically wear them ALL YEAR.
And Happy 2023!
Photo on Ninth Street this morning by Steven...
Saturday, December 31, 2022
The most-viewed EV Grieve posts from 2022
Dallas BBQ menu pic by Stacie Joy
As we've seen in previous years, posts related to crime and closings were among the most-viewed posts for 2022...
• Dec. 31 is the last day for East Village mainstay Dallas BBQ (Dec. 5)
• Stuyvesant Street closings official: Angel's Share, Village Yokocho and Sunrise Mart are gone (April 4)
• About those fireworks last night on the East River (Oct. 13)
• Man found dead with a slash wound to his neck on Avenue A (Dec. 19)
• Exclusive: This is the new tenant for the former Gem Spa space (Oct. 3)
• "American Horror Story" brings the porn and 1980s mobiles to 9th Street (July 1)
• Police: Delivery man slashed in face at 7th Street and Avenue A entrance to Tompkins Square Park (Oct. 6)
• SantaCon 2022 route revealed (Dec. 8)
• Lower East Side mainstay El Sombrero has closed (Nov. 30)
• Basquiat's former loft space on Great Jones is available for lease (Nov. 7)
The Grassroots Tavern closed on New Year's Eve 2017, and the space is still empty
As we mentioned in the fall, the retail spaces now have their fourth broker looking to lease the storefronts.
The Grassroots Tavern was the last business here, closing after service on New Year’s Eve 2017... ending a 42-year run in the lower level. The upstairs tenant, the record store Sounds, shut down in October 2015.
After the Grassroots closed, Bob Precious tried to open a bar-pub here, but those plans never materialized after 18 months.
As noted, No. 20, known as the Daniel LeRoy House, was built in 1832. It received landmark status in 1971 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
And perhaps in 2023, we'll see a new tenant here.
As a P.S., we were sorry to hear that longtime co-owner Doug "Dougie" Bunton (who always wore the same leather vest!) died back in the spring at age 67. We did not receive any other details about his passing.
Previously on EV Grieve:
• An end of an era at the Grassroots Tavern
• RIP John Leeper
• RIP Bob Spedalere
• 20 St. Mark's Place, home of the Grassroots Tavern, has been sold
• Your chance to live in this historic home above the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place
• New owner lined up for the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place
• After 42 years on St. Mark's Place, the Grassroots Tavern closes on New Year's Eve
• RIP John Leeper
• RIP Bob Spedalere
• 20 St. Mark's Place, home of the Grassroots Tavern, has been sold
• Your chance to live in this historic home above the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place
• New owner lined up for the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place
• After 42 years on St. Mark's Place, the Grassroots Tavern closes on New Year's Eve
The Tompkins Square Park Greenmarket is CLOSED this Sunday (New Year's Day!)
In case you have plans to visit the Tompkins Square Park Greenmarket tomorrow (Sunday, Jan. 1)...
Per Grow NYC: "All Greenmarkets, Farmstands, and Fresh Food Box locations closed. No clothing or food scrap collections."
They'll be back on Jan. 8.
H/T Steven
Why you might need to change your New York's Eve plans
ICYMI: Management for the grocery on Avenue A and Fourth posted (with festive signage!) their holiday hours earlier this week... noting a 10 closure tonight, New Year's Eve...
Otherwise, Key is back to its 24/7 schedule.
Meanwhile, see you in Times Square!
Saturday's opening shots
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer
and Vixen
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Friday, December 30, 2022
Built to 'Still'
A top-20 album of the year contender... here's the Irish band Just Mustard with "Still" taken from the May release, Heart Under ...
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