Retail options on the Bowery

For-rent signage is up now at 32 E. First St. at the Bowery... where Blue & Cream moved out to a new location (on Bleecker Street) at the end of 2022. (First reported here.)

The retailer arrived at  Avalon Bowery Place in 2007.

Not much info as the JLL listing, except that "restaurant use not permitted" and "logical divisions considered."

Meanwhile, across the Bowery, Olde Good Things is now gone (this happened on Jan. 24; we reported on this pending departure in early November).

This outpost of the architectural artifact dealer specializing in reclaimed building materials and antiques opened here in 2013.  

The listing for 302 Bowery between Bleecker and Houston mentions a "cannabis dispensary" as a potential tenant ...

Sunday's parting shot

New sidewalk addition on Avenue A and Sixth Street... Gem Spa RIP 2020.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo outside St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery from 2nd Avenue) ...

 • First on EVG: Early morning assault outside Ray's Candy Store leaves Ray with a black eye and facial wounds (Thursday) ... An update on Ray (Friday) ... Suspect who allegedly assaulted Ray has been arrested (Saturday) 

• Report: The former Charas/P.S. 64 is headed to auction this March (Tuesday) 

• Fire shutters the recently opened Gjelina on Bond Street (Tuesday) 

• Det. Jamie Hernandez honored after 34 years with the 9th Precinct (Thursday) 

• A youthful exchange of ideas with Dr. Cornel West at Performance Space New York (Monday) 

• Signage alert: O'Flaherty's on Avenue A (Monday) 

• Why this East Village writer is on an apology tour (Friday) 

• Packing up Café Cortadito (Wednesday) 

• 280 E. Houston St. prepped for new building construction (Wednesday) 

• Openings: Bobby’s Night Out on Avenue C (Wednesday) ... Gen Korean BBQ House on 14th Street (Monday) 

• Essex Squeeze has closed its 5th Street outpost (Monday) 

• Signage alert: Saint Pizza on Avenue B (Tuesday) 

• The return of 99-cent pizza?! (Monday) 

• What's going on with Pop's Eat-Rite on St. Mark's Place (Thursday) 

• City removes curbside dining structure from outside AO Bowl on St. Mark's Place (Friday)

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

This is a public service announcement: International Clash Day is Tuesday

This Tuesday (Feb. 7), Seattle's KEXP is hosting its 11th annual International Clash Day. 

The KEXP holiday's 11th annual celebration will be a day of on-air programming all about The Clash, with an exploration of present-day human rights issues that underscore the seminal track's ["Know Your Rights"] relevance over 40 years later. 

You can tune in to the station here from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET. All sessions are archived for two weeks here.

Top photo from 2009 shows Ezo's Clash-inspired (and long-gone) mural on Third Street between Avenue B. It was on the wall outside the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.

ATM FYI

Photo by Stacie Joy

From earlier this week... DOT reps placed these ATM flyers around (seen above on Avenue B)... reminding merchants/landlords that ATMs are not permitted on NYC sidewalks.

Per the signage, ATM fines are $2,500, as of 2011... and now, property owners "may be charged an additional $5,000 for every five-day period that the property owner remains in violation."

A lost and found rummage sale at the Parkside Lounge tomorrow (Sunday!)

This Sunday (Feb. 5!), the Parkside Lounge is hosting a rummage sale, featuring items that have been left in the bar's lost-and-found the past year as well as items from your "favorite staff." 

The sale will also feature some local merchants, such as the East Village Vintage Collective. 

The event is serving as a fundraiser for the New York Transgender Advocacy Group. 

You can check out the sale from 4-8 p.m. at the Parkside, 317 E. Houston St. at Attorney.

[Updated] Suspect who allegedly assaulted Ray outside Ray's Candy Story has been arrested

Updated 7 p.m. 

A second man, ID'd as 55-year-old Gerald Barth, was also arrested. Luis Peroza and Barth are suspected of several assaults, per published reports. According to the Post: "Barth allegedly pointed a finger at Peroza as the muscle in the unhinged incidents..."

Several EVG readers have emailed us about Barth, and that he is well-known in Tompkins Square Park

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The 9th Precinct this morning announced that an arrest has been made in the assault of Ray Alvarez, the 90-year-old owner of Ray's Candy Store. 

Today we informed Ray that we identified and apprehended the perpetrator responsible for this heinous crime.

Special thanks to Warrants Section, 9th Detective Squad, and Intelligent Division. pic.twitter.com/QM9H2DKwaT

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) February 4, 2023

[Updated noon] NY1 reported (and amNY) that police arrested Luis Peroza, a 39-year-old East Village resident. 

As EVG first reported, Ray and his employee Gabe were attacked outside Ray's Candy Store, 113 Avenue A, early Tuesday morning. 

A man struck Ray with what was described as a belt with a rock attached to it… causing a black eye and gash on Ray’s temple. Gabe was hit across the chest.

The suspect reportedly threatened to kill Ray, per the police report. All this apparently happened because Ray turned down an offer to buy seltzer water from the man and his accomplice. 

On Thursday night, a nurse finally convinced Ray to go to Beth Israel. We're told that a CT scan revealed three broken bones in his face and a dislocated jaw. The doctor put Ray on antibiotics and told him to go rest. Perhaps he will rest easier knowing that the police arrested the suspect.

P.S. Ray's 90th birthday crowdfunding campaign continues here.

Updated 3:30 p.m.

Mayor Adams thanked the NYPD in a tweet, linking to the Post's coverage this afternoon...
 

New York’s Finest never rests.

Thank you to the NYPD for their quick work in bringing the suspect behind the attack on the legendary Ray’s Candy Store to justice. https://t.co/QRBlX2g859

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) February 4, 2023

1010 WINS posted this perp-walk footage from today outside the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street...

Suspect Luis Peroza is walked out of the 9 Pct station house to face arraignment on assault charges for allegedly striking 90 year old candy store owner Ray Alvarez. Alvarez is resting at home. He has 3 broken facial bones. He plans to return to his store to work #1010wins pic.twitter.com/LDgCiDSWHk

— Carol D'Auria (@CarolDAuria) February 4, 2023

H/T Stacie Joy

Saturday's opening shot

Early morning on St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue... sunny and 7 degrees, with a feels-like temp of -9. 

High of 26 today with more seasonable 2023 temps in the 40s returning tomorrow, per the weather people.

'Everybody' wants some

 

Bass Drum of Death's fifth full-length release, Say I Won't, is out now on Fat Possum Records. 

The above video is for "Everybody's Gonna Be There."

BDOD leader John Barrett, along with his band, his brother Jim and Ian Kirkpatrick, will be one L-train stop away at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 31.

An update on Ray

Updated 2/4: The 9th Precinct has arrested the suspect in this attack.

P.S. Ray's 90th birthday crowdfunding campaign continues here.

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Many people have been asking about Ray after the assault outside Ray's Candy Store, 113 Avenue A, early Tuesday morning. 

As previously reported, a man allegedly swung a belt with a rock attached to it, striking Ray in the left side of the face and knocking the 90-year-old store owner to the ground, causing a black eye and gash on his temple. 

Ray initially declined to seek any medical treatment in the aftermath, though he was in much discomfort. 

Last night, a nurse finally convinced Ray to go to Beth Israel. 

Today, Stella, Ray's longtime friend and co-worker, told EVG regular Lola Sáenz that a CT scan revealed three broken bones in his face and a dislocated jaw. The doctor put Ray on antibiotics and told him to go rest. We're told that he still can't chew, so he's on a liquid for now. 

The NYPD released a photo from surveillance footage of the alleged suspect (photo at this post).

Photo of NBC New York's coverage by Peter Brownscombe

City removes curbside dining structure from outside AO Bowl on St. Mark's Place

Reps from the DOT and Department of Sanitation removed the small curbside dining space from outside the shuttered AO Bowl at 82 St. Mark's Place just west of First Avenue. (Thank you @pixelkeg for the pic!) 

The dining structure was nestled between two that are still in use at the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop and William Barnacle Tavern. 

As we recall, there had been a DOT removal notice outside the Japanese health-food cafe, which went dark last summer. Upon closing, ownership put the blame on Sen. Charles Schumer in a parting letter posted to the front door. 

Meanwhile, around the corner on First Avenue, @pixelkeg reports that the owners of MáLà Project removed their curbside dining space yesterday.

Why this East Village writer is on an apology tour

Photos and text by Stacie Joy 

I was able to catch up the other day with longtime East Village-based writer Majorie Ingall.

She and Susan McCarthy recently (Jan. 10) released a new non-fiction book, "Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies." (The book is a result of all the work they put into the website SorryWatch, which analyzes apologies in the news, history and culture.)

I was previously all set to see — and hear — Ingall speak at her book launch at P&T Knitwear on Orchard Street one evening last month, but she tested positive for COVID that day — and had to cancel.

Instead, I visited her (after she recovered!) at her East Village home as she crafted Sorry Sorry Sorry bracelets for winners of a book giveaway for Go Fug Yourself. 

You can read more about the book in these interviews at NPR (and here!). Ingall and McCarthy also break down the six (and a half) steps to great apologies right here.

Thursday's parting shot

Photo by Peter Brownscombe 

Updated 2/4: The 9th Precinct has arrested the suspect in this attack.

A scene from today outside Ray's Candy Store at 113 Avenue A as the news spread that the 90-year-old Ray and his employee Gabe were assaulted early Tuesday morning outside the shop. (Story here.) 

As previously reported, a man struck Ray with what has been described as a belt with a rock attached to it… causing a black eye and gash on Ray’s temple. The force of the blow knocked Ray to the ground. The man reportedly threatened to kill Ray, per the police report. All this apparently happened because Ray turned down an offer to buy seltzer water from the man and his accomplice. 

Police released a surveillance image of the suspect (also here). Most local news outlets picked up the story, including Telemundo, as seen above. 

There has been a movement to get Ray to a doctor — or at least bring one to him. He doesn’t want to stop working, though, like he has been doing here since 1974.

[Updated] Early morning assault outside Ray's Candy Store leaves Ray with a black eye and facial wounds

Photos by Lola Sáenz 

The post now includes a photo that the NYPD provided of the suspect (see below) ... Updated 2/3: Ray went to the hospital — details here.

Updated 2/4: The 9th Precinct has arrested the suspect in this attack.

Ray's 90th birthday crowdfunding campaign continues here.

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Word is circulating about an assault outside Ray's Candy Store that left Ray Alvarez, the shop's 90-year-old proprietor, with a black eye and a gash on his temple.

Here's what we've been told via several sources: Early Tuesday on the overnight shift, Ray and his employee Gabe walked outside the shop at 113 Avenue A around 3 a.m. for some fresh air. At that point, two men — apparently known to regulars along Avenue A — approached Ray and Gabe here just north of Seventh Street. 

The men were apparently trying to sell seltzer water. After declining the offer, the men angrily left. One of the men quickly returned, produced a metal pipe with a ball attached to the end, and struck the pair, hitting Gabe in the chest and Ray across the left side of his face. The man then ran off.

The blow left Ray, who fell to the ground bleeding, with a black eye and facial wounds... 

So far, Ray has not sought any medical treatment and continues to work. Last night, he officially filed a report with the 9th Precinct. Two officers stopped by Ray's to take his statement and begin an investigation.

Ray, who turned 90 last month, opened the shop in 1974. We can't recall anything like this happening to him before...  [Updated: See comments — I forgot about the time Marlene (aka Hot Dog) slammed the sidewalk gates on Ray's head.]

Updated 1:45 p.m. 

The NYPD released this image of the suspect... the police report also lists the weapon as "a belt that had a heavy rock affixed to the end" ...

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.

What's going on with Pop's Eat-Rite on St. Mark's Place

Workers recently removed the Pop's Eat-Rite signage outside 123 St. Mark's Place. 

The quick-serve plant-based burger joint had been closed the past year, prompting occasional queries from several EVG readers. So we reached out to Robert Ceraso, owner and creative director of the Endless Hospitality Group, about the status of Pop's, which debuted in September 2020. 

For starters, he said that this was always meant to be a temporary pop-up between Avenue A and First Avenue ... "utilizing the space during the pandemic and getting our employees back to work following the shutdown." 

However, Pop's did build a following during its time here. 

"We have been talking to some landlords in the neighborhood about a smaller space to re-open Pop’s. We think that it would be better served in a smaller space with fewer seats inside and more of a focus on to-go and delivery," said Ceraso, whose other East Village establishments include the Wayland, Good Night Sonny and the Wild Son. "People still ask about it all the time, and we would love to get it back open as soon as possible."

Det. Jamie Hernandez honored after 34 years with the 9th Precinct

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Yesterday morning, East Village and NYPD community members came together to honor Det. Jamie Hernandez, who was retiring after 34 years at the 9th Precinct.

Hernandez, who headed up Community Affairs, took part in a walkout ceremony at the station house on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

... where he was joined by his family...

... members of the 9th Precinct...

... and representatives of the neighborhood's religious community...

Deputy Inspector Ralph A. Clement, the 9th's commanding officer, presided over the ceremony...

Here's part of the longtime detective's farewell...

   

 Hernandez, who told residents he'd be taking an extended vacation, then rode off in a unique NYPD cruiser...

Wednesday's opening shot

It flurried! A little, very little. (Why we'd even mention this.) ... Seventh Street outside Tompkins Square Park this morning...

Packing up Café Cortadito

Café Cortadito has closed its doors at 210 E. Third St., just east of Avenue B, after service this past Saturday. 

As we first reported, Ricardo Arias and Patricia Valencia, the husband-and-wife owners of the popular Cuban restaurant, were facing a rent hike from $8,000 to $15,000 per month. 

On Monday, EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by to find the owners packing up the space. 

On the positive side, they have identified a new location not too far away... though the owners haven't signed a lease just yet. Stay tuned.

280 E. Houston St. prepped for new building construction

Workers have extended the plywood and set up a construction zone along 280 E. Houston St., where a new 12-story building will rise here between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

For the foreseeable future, pedestrians and cyclists will both be using the roadway to pass this property...

There are a few pieces of equipment on-site, though it doesn't appear to be a full-blown operation just yet...

As a reminder, here's what in store... still no word on the number of units... 

In October, as The Real Deal first reported, landlord Samy Mahfar and investors picked up the property from members of the Hirsch family for $36.8 million.

Per TRD's report, "the Hirsch family obtained demolition permits and did enough foundation work to qualify the site for the 421a property tax abatement before it expired in June."

In the fall of 2021, workers demolished the one-level strip of storefronts here (Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins, Subway, China Town restaurant, etc.) adjacent to the 13-floor residential building formerly known as Red Square. 

Openings: Bobby’s Night Out on Avenue C

Bobby's Night Out recently debuted on the NW corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street. 

East Village resident Bobby Gonzales is behind the establishment, which he described as "Tavern-style but more of a bar with great food." The menu includes a variety of tacos and burritos, including vegan options. 

Despite the "Night" element of the name, the space at 145 Avenue C opens at noon... and features a daily brunch service until 5 p.m. There are several projectors and big screens in the space, though he said they go up at night — leaving a lone TV behind the bar — "so people can engage with each other."

Hours: Noon to 4 a.m.

Gonzales, a native of New Mexico, operated La Flaca — billed as "New York's premier New Mexican bar and restaurant" — during a 10-year run (2010-2020) down on Grand at Suffolk. 

Esperanto quietly closed in this space sometime in 2021 after 22 years in service.