A celebration of Three Kings Day

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A coalition of community organizations, faith communities and local residents came together yesterday to celebrate Three Kings Day (Los Reyes Magos).

The festivities started with a procession — featuring the Batalá New York percussion ensemble — from the Loisaida Community Center on Ninth Street and Avenue C.

The procession stopped outside the former P.S. 64/Charas/El Bohio Community Center on Ninth Street, which included an appearance by longtime neighborhood activist Chino García, co-founder of Charas...

The final destination was St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue at 10th Street ...

... for a production of "Gifts of the Magi," written by local activist Angie Hernández, which tells "a story of the nativity that celebrates Puerto Rican culture and the rich history of Loisaida."

And making a return appearance on this occasion was the crowd-pleasing Chesney the camel...

This event was produced by a team of volunteers from the community with support from St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, Henry Street Settlement, L.E.S. CommUnity Concerns, the Loisaida Center, Save Our Storefronts, Trinity Lower East Side, JoeyBats Cafe, The March Hare, CONBODY, Exit9, La Sirena and Assemblymember Harvey Epstein's office, among others.

2023 — the year 'Neo Punk' broke

 

Iggy Pop's 19th studio album, Every Loser, is out today. 

The record, which features backing musicians Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and a posthumous appearance from Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, is enjoying some pretty solid reviews to date. 

There are a bunch of audio clips from the record on YouTube... such as the one above for "Neo Punk."

As previously noted, East Village resident John Holmstrom, the co-founder, editor and illustrator of Punk Magazine, created a new issue that's only available with a purchase of Every Loser.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• A Punk Magazine-Iggy Pop holiday 'Loser' extravaganza at Metropolis

• Go on a tour of Iggy Pop's East Village in 1993  

Chipping in for MulchFest

Photos by Jackflashnyc 

Ahead of the chipping festivities in Tompkins Square Park this weekend, Drew and Thorn were spotted bringing some trees into the 2023 MulchFest site. 

Drew also showed a textbook-perfect tree-tossing technique ...

As we've noted, it's important that when throwing a Christmas tree, the head remains an extension of the spine, not bent forward. Also, keep the knees apart to avoid leading the throw with the right knee.

Anyway! Chipping Weekend takes tomorrow and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Per the Parks Department: "We'll chip your tree and give you your very own bag of mulch to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree."

The last days of Timbuktu

Photos by Stacie Joy

As we first reported on Dec. 20, Timbuktu, the Moroccan specialty shop at 45 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street, was closing in the weeks ahead. 

The shop is nearly empty now... owner and East Village resident Del Blaoui said that they only have a few days or a week left and he's looking to sell his showcases and tables ...

According to Blaoui, the new landlords, who took over in the spring of 2021, decided to terminate the shop's lease. 

Blaoui has been in the wholesale business for four decades and has been in this location for 20 years.

Timbuktu is usually open 1-8 p.m. Phone: (212) 473-4955.  

A report of a small fire at Dua Kafe on 14th Street

Updated the location of the fire. And an update via Dua: "We should be opening up again very soon (the plan is tomorrow!) since the damage was relatively minimal outside of the bathroom space."

On Wednesday night around 10:30, there was a report of a fire in the bathroom at Dua Kafe, 520 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Thanks to EVG reader Russell K. for the top photo.) 

The FDNY reported an "under control" from the scene in less than 15 minutes. (Dua has a posted closing time of 10 p.m.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by yesterday... fortunately there was little evidence of any fire, including smoke or water damage. 

Workers at a neighboring business said that there was a small electrical fire in the back and "everything should be fine again soon." 

In the meantime, there are there is a "closed for renovation" sign up at the restaurant specializing in Albanian cuisine (read a Times review of the space here) ...

Bagel Market replacing Bagel Boss on 14th Street

Signage (likely not the final product) is up now for a Bagel Market at 238 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

This will be the fifth NYC outpost for the brand that started in the summer of 2020 ... please chime in the comments if you've tried their bagels.

The business takes over for Bagel Boss, the chainlet that opened a location here in July 2021. They closed several months later in October for, per management, "gas and electric problems" in the building. Bagel Boss never reopened here.  

What's happening at the ConEd substation?

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

There has been a lot of activity this past week around the ConEd substation along Avenue A and on Fifth Street and Sixth Street. 

ConEd hired people to block parking spots on both sides of the facility (many of the vehicles had car alarms that liked to go off for no apparent reason, per neighbors). 

A ConEd employee told this to EVG contributor Stacie Joy: 

"We're replacing a transformer in the station. Since it's so small in there, they set up remote units for the employees. Not all the employees but some of them. We will be here for maybe one to two months, I believe. We will try to keep things quiet! It's a big job." 

Here's a look at the Fifth Street side (and the top pic) ... with the two tanker trucks all but obscuring Sophie's...

... and the Sixth Street side...

Spring cleaning this winter at B-Side

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Updated: B-Side reopened on Feb. 25!

--

Paper covers the windows now at B-Side at 204 Avenue B between 12th Street and 13th Street... causing some speculation among a few readers that the neighborhood bar had closed. 

Not to fear. 

In an Instagram message, ownership told us: "We'll be back in a week or two. Just doing a deep clean for the spring." Which they admitted it needed after 20 years in service.

The bar opened in 2003 ... with new owners taking over in January 2021.

H/T Sonya

Preview 2023: Target Union Square

Back in February 2020, news broke (via the Post) that Target had signed a lease for a 33,000-square-foot outpost at 10 Union Square East in the base of the Zeckendorf Towers. However, the takeover wasn't going to take place until 2023.

That sure seemed like a like way off... and the current tenant at the time, Food Emporium, had a lease until April 2023. Ultimately, the grocer shut down early — in May 2021. 

Meanwhile, unlike Wegmans on Astor Place, who placed signage here the same day they announced the Kmart takeover in July 2021, there wasn't any coming-in-2023 notice for the new Target.

While there still isn't any Target branding at the under-construction site, this location is now on the company's "Future store openings" page...

In walking around the Zeckendorf Towers, it appears the space that was once pub-crawl hotspot SideBar on the SW corner of 15th Street and Irving Place has been incorporated into the incoming Target...

No official word about an opening date, though the construction sign on the 15th Street side notes an August 2023 completion date...

Target opened on 14th Street and Avenue A in July 2018 ... complete with a replica CBGB storefront — called TRGT. 

Parting thoughts on being a small-business owner as Love Thy Beast departs the East Village

As we noted this past summer, Love Thy Beast, the 5-year-old dog boutique at 300 E. Fifth St. just east of Second Avenue, was moving to a larger (by 4x) space in Williamsburg.

This departure is now official as of the end of December.

Owner Tiziana Agnello left behind a poster in the window with details about the new location... as well as some thoughts on the frustration of being a small-business owner in NYC. It reads in part:

We have searched and searched for over 16 months for a bigger location but the truth is landlords do not care to keep NYC colorful and full of artists and small business.

If we did secure a lease brands like Blank Street Coffee would overbid and steal our lease. This happened at more than 1 location.

Agnello, a former prop stylist, started selling her homemade creations online and in several pop-up locations back in 2012 ... before opening here in the spring of 2017. 

As for Blank Street, which some residents presume is a mom-and-pop enterprise, the brand raised $67 million in 2021 thanks to high-profile venture capital funds like General Catalyst and Tiger Global, the founders of Allbirds and Warby Parker, and real-estate titan Tishman Speyer, as The New York Times reported this past September.

Belse has closed on the Bowery

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Belse Restaurant Bar & Brewery has closed its doors at 265-267 Bowery.

A sign for patrons of the high-end vegan restaurant notes the permanent closure ...

Despite that note, the restaurant's Instagram account states: "We are excited to announce that this location will transition to a new vegan restaurant. More information will be upcoming, but we think you'll be happy with the change."

If one vegan concept doesn't succeed...   

Belse debuted here between Houston and Stanton this past June ... the storefront had been empty since Paulaner shuttered in early 2018 after four years in service. 

Signage alert: Wild Rabbit Coffee on 7th Street

Photo by Steven

Coming-soon signage arrived this week for Wild Rabbit Coffee at 110 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

We don't know anything about the establishment at the moment.

This all comes quickly following Jell & Chill's closure here at the end of 2022 after three-plus years in business.

Wednesday's parting shots

Photos by Steven (top) and EVG 

Today in venting the CO2 tanks that were downstairs at the now-closed Dallas BBQ on St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue... with a bonus pic of the almost-empty back dining room...

Feeling blue over this shattered glass

Photos by Stacie Joy

You may have noticed the act of vandalism over at Blue Door Video/DVD, home of the finest window displays south of Bergdorf's ...

A manager said that on New Year's Eve, "a drunk person" tossed a rock into the display here at 87 First Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

4 East Village development sites to watch in 2023

As we start 2023, here's a look at four East Village developments that we've been keeping tabs on...

• 1 St Mark's Place 

A 10-story office building with ground floor retail is in the foundation stages at 1 St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue (see above). Find more background here.

• 360 Bowery 

Foundation work continues on the 21-floor office building coming to 360 Bowery at Fourth Street — the corner space that once housed the B-Bar & Grill. Find more background here.

• 42-46 Second Ave. 

An 11-floor mixed-use building is planned for this former three-building parcel on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street. Work hasn't commenced on the lot just yet. Find more background here.

• 280 E. Houston St. 

An 11-floor residential building with ground floor retails is now slated for 280 E. Houston St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. Workers have been spotted on the property in recent weeks. Find more background here.

Hearth is starting its 20th anniversary year with a renovation

Hearth, Marco Canora's well-regarded Tuscan-American restaurant, will have anchored the NE corner of First Avenue and 12th Street for 20 years come this November.

Ahead of this milestone, Hearth is starting the New Year by undergoing some renovations over the next few weeks. 

In an email to patrons, Hearth revealed that the dining room and kitchen will receive new floors and ceilings and a new energy-efficient heating and cooling system ... not to mention a fresh coat of paint.

They'll be back in service on Jan. 23. 

In other good news, Hearth has signed a new 10-year lease here at 403 E. 12th St.

NYPD looking for 3 suspects in New Year's Eve stabbing on Avenue A

Photo Saturday night by Stacie Joy 

The NYPD has released some information about the stabbing that took place New Year's Eve night around 10 outside 133 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

Police and media accounts stated that "a 32-year-old man was standing in front of 133 Avenue A when a group of people approached him ... and one person from the group began arguing with him, according to the NYPD. The argument then led to a fight, and the assailant stabbed the victim in the head and chest before running away." 

The Crime Stoppers tweet (the time is incorrect on the tweet — it was p.m. not a.m.) shows three suspects in the surveillance video...

WANTED for AN Assault in front of 133 Avenue A,. #Manhattan @NYPD9pct on 12/31/22 @ 10:10 AM After a verbal dispute an individual stabbed the victim in the head and torso before fleeing northbound on Avenue A on foot Reward up to $3500 Call 1-800-577-TIPS Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! pic.twitter.com/4as7vPjsWv

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) January 3, 2023

No word yet on a motive or condition of the victim.

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

Signage alert: Ankara #3

Signage is up now for the new outpost of Ankara Turkish Restaurant on the SW corner of Houston and Orchard.

News of this arrival at 183 E. Houston St. dates to the fall of 2021.

This will be the first Manhattan outpost for the quick-serve restaurant that has two locations in Brooklyn. Their menu shows a variety of gyros and skewers combos... and sides like babaganoush and grape leaves. 

According to the Commercial Observer, ownership signed a 10-year lease for the 3,000-square-foot space (includes basement) with a monthly rent of $25,000. 

This storefront was previously the health-focused Dr. Smood.

[Updated] The 13th Step is now going as Downtown Social

Photos by Steven

The 13th Step is apparently undergoing a name change as we enter 2023. 

The windows of the sports bar-SantaCon hotspot are covered... a sign on the window promises "a big reveal" coming this Friday... (an Instagram post says the reveal is coming today) ...

The bar, from the family of like-minded places like Down the Hatch and Off the Wagon, opened here (with comic-sans signage) in the summer of 2010. 

The Telephone Bar closed here in January 2010 after 22 years.

Updated 4 p.m. 

Apparently, the "big reveal" was today... as you can see, the bar is now going as Downtown Social... and reopens on Friday...

Tuesday's parting shot

Midtown views today via East Village rooftops...