Friday, April 7, 2023

A visit with Chris Santana, the bookseller of Astor Place

Photos and text by Stacie Joy 

When we last checked in with Chris Santana, the bookseller of Astor Place had just released a rousing Christmas song

It's unseasonably cold out the next time we see him. 

"I set up the stand when it's 45 degrees or above and the wind isn't whipping," he says.
He has been at it now for two years at the start of this spring here on the corner of Third Avenue and Astor Place underneath the sidewalk bridge of Cooper Union's Foundation Building. 

"Cooper Union has been nice about it, and as you know, my First Amendment rights include selling literature or art without the need of a license," Santana says. "The hardest part of the whole gig is going all over the city digging for books, although there's a certain thrill involved. But the main thrill is making people happy when they get a book that we both think they'll really dig."
There's one constant at his stand. 

"I have an ongoing hand in the dissemination of The Urantia Book, and I’ve been at it for 40 years," he says. "It's a very challenging book, and it takes a degree of cool along with enthusiasm to introduce it. The last thing I want to do is come off as proselytizing when it comes to such an important book, and the bookstand has proven the best way I’ve found to introduce as casually as whoever is interested allows."
He also has a copy of his book, "The Drunken Tourist" ...
Santana has no set schedule for the corner nor a social media account with any updates.

Regardless, he's always a welcome presence. "See ya 'round campus," he says.

Report: Jimmy McMillan is back in his East Village apartment

Photo from February 2013 by James Maher 

Jimmy McMillan is reportedly back in his longtime East Village apartment.

The last time we heard about McMillan, the founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party who made a name for himself by running for a variety of offices, including NYC mayor and New York State governor, he was fighting to keep his apartment of 40 years on St. Mark's Place ... and all while recuperating from an apparent stroke at the Veterans Administration nursing home in Queens. 

Gothamist caught up with McMillan, known by his slogan: "The Rent Is Too Damn High." After years-long battles with his landlord, the two sides have apparently resolved the case.
McMillan now uses a wheelchair and walker as he rebuilds his balance and leg strength. He paces the living room of his garden apartment, back and forth from his couch to an exposed brick wall. He also walks along St. Mark's Place with the help of a home health aide who visits for a few hours each day.

And...

"I'm glad he's home,” said his niece Tennille McMillan, a designer who lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where rents are spiking. "It's been interesting to see how he saw what was going to happen before it was happening. In 2010, people thought he was exaggerating, but now we're here.'

She said she hopes he continues to speak out, "but he has to pay his rent."

Read the full article here

Friday's opening shot

Photo by E. James Smith 

On Avenue A, Superiority Burger, which opened this past Saturday night as we first reported, is now hiring. Do you have what it takes???

Updated 

Closers ...

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Theatre 80 is closed up for now

Photo by Stacie Joy

Yesterday saw Lorcan and Genie Otway, the longtime owners of 78-80 St. Mark's Place, ordered off the property here between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

As previously reported, the Otways have been battling in recent years to save the space, which houses Theatre 80, a 199-seat theater, the William Barnacle Tavern and the Museum of the American Gangster.

The two-building property is set to be sold off to satisfy a $12 million loan that is in default via Maverick Real Estate Partners. As The Real Deal reported: "New York-based Maverick, led by David Aviram, has a reputation for aggressively buying up the troubled debt of real estate landlords — big and small — before raising interest rates to as high as 24%." And per the Times: "The firm, according to court documents, has closed over 130 distressed debt transactions, with a total value of over $300 million." (Our previous post has more background.) 

Several readers said they expected a more dramatic show of force — tickets/seizure notices, court paperwork and padlocks. 

As EVG contributor Stacie Joy observed, a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee was on-hand with a man in plain clothes. The two changed the locks on the commercial spaces and the residential building at No. 78, where the Otways lived. They are no longer allowed to be on the premises, though the other tenants can continue living here.

Still, it wasn't any less traumatic for the Otways. Lorcan had lived here since age 9 when his father bought the buildings to create an Off-Broadway theater in 1964. They were seen leaving the premises with some belongings in a rental truck.

The Otways have a three-week window to raise the rest of the money owed (roughly $6 million) ... and hope for an angel investor. (Lorcan has also said the IRS was being surprisingly helpful.)

New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs has also reportedly supported the theater's survival efforts. The office has already expedited granting a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status to Historic 80 Saint Marks Inc., which will open them up to various grants.

Meanwhile, more than 5,000 people have signed a petition to save the space. Organizers have also asked supporters to contact Gov. Hochul to intervene.

Updated: There is a GoFundMe here.

A sidewalk bridge for the vacant storefronts along Stuyvesant Street

On Tuesday, the EVG inbox lit up as workers erected a sidewalk bridge along 29 Third Ave. (home of the Bean) and the empty storefronts at 8-14 Stuyvesant St. (H/T Steven for the first photos)...
Work permits at the DOB show a pending permit for "retail store white box interior renovation." (We have also not seen any for-lease signs here. Those may arrive after the renovations.) 

This is the first activity we've seen here since the previous tenants moved out last spring.

As previously noted, it was nearly a year ago that news first surfaced — via a tweet by Alex Vadukul, a correspondent for The New York Times — that Tony Yoshida's four businesses along Stuyvesant Street between Ninth Street and Third Avenue were expected to close. Village Yokocho, Angel's Share, Panya and Sunrise Mart were all gone by the end of April

Cooper Union, which leased the buildings from their owners and had subleased them to the Yoshida Restaurant Group for more than 25 years, said it was the tenants' decision to move on. (This post has more background. Yoshida had not paid rent since 2020.)

There haven't been any public statements on what the landlord, believed to be 29 Third Ave Corporation c/o Casabella Holdings, LLC, has in store for the spaces. A Cooper Union rep told us previously that no new building is planned on this site. 

'Around the Corner' with Bill Rice at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects

Bill Rice (1931-2006) "was one of the central figures in the various bohemian enclaves that gathered and overlapped in the Lower East Side of the 1960s," per Brooklyn Rail

Rice lived on East Third Street for more than 50 years and opened a gallery there in the 1980s.

Starting this evening, you'll have the opportunity to see the work of the artist, actor, and scholar at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, 208 Forsyth St. between Houston and Stanton. 

Here's more about the exhibit, "Around the Corner" ... 
Bill's depiction of New York with his Proustian attention to detail creates a kind of visual mythology of the city. He gives equal attention to the bodies and lives of men he loved as to the landscape of taxis, automobiles and storefronts which inhabit his paintings, drawings and notes, interacting with the city through a distinctly erotic gaze. In centering the tangible and the visual Rice creates an ode to the city like a more "out" version of Whitman, using his memory and experience to construct a narrative of his surroundings.

I am interested in what happens around the corner of the surface. My paintings are not designed to be viewed only from the front. The edges are important, I like the feel of paint and canvas and paper. Ideally, I would like to invest the rectangle — the basic unit in any cityscape — with the sensuality, color, texture I find in the streets. — Bill Rice 

The opening reception tonight is from 6-8. The show runs through May 13. Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, noon-6 p.m. or by appointment

Funzi's Pizzeria next for 36 St. Mark's Place

Signage is up at 36 St. Mark's Place for the next quick-serve tenant — Funzi's Pizzeria.
We need to find out who the operators are...  as well as the opening date. The signage simply states, "Funzi Hath Arrived."

This was a quick turnover at the address between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. Oh K-Dog & Egg Toast just closed here at the end of February.

Funzi's marks the seventh food concept at No. 36 — Oh K-Dog & Egg Toast, Joe's Steam Rice Roll, Cheers Cut, Friterie Belgian Fries, Fasta and the $1.50 branch of 2 Bros. Pizza — since 2015

About 325 E. 14th St., now on the sales market

Photo by Steven

The four-floor building at 325 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue is now for sale with a $5.5 million ask. 

According to the Post, which first reported on the sale, the mixed-use property includes four free-market apartments and one retail space, most recently the Crocodile Lounge, which didn't reopen after March 2020. "The entire retail footprint, including the basement, will be delivered vacant." 

And air rights are available too. 

Owner Marie Perugini reportedly inherited No. 325 from her grandfather, who purchased it in 1932. 

Dayton in Manhattan has an extensive history of the building, such as the decades when it operated as a "theatrical boarding house." 
Two boarders who were most definitely not involved in the theater arrived on April 3, 1902. Signing in as Mr. and Mrs. Harry Place, the couple were, in reality, Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, known to authorities as the outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy's "Wild Bunch," Sundance Kid, and his wife, Etta Place.
Perugini, the current owner, told this to the Post:
"An expansive character-laden empty space houses echoes of history, romance, and former intrigue. Perhaps you can sense the presence of those who haven’t quite left. The purchase of this unique property is the foundation for a future that is alive & bright."

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Photo ops outside 50 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street ... previously

Paper trail: Yaeji at Astor Place

Photos by Stacie Joy 

In case you were wondering about the line at the Astor Place newsstand outside the downtown 6 on Sunday afternoon (are people reading newspapers again?) ...
Turns out that Yaeji, the Brooklyn-based singer-DJ-producer, was using the space to offer up the first vinyl (and CD) copies of her latest release, With A Hammer ... 
A newsstand made sense, as she was giving out some zines too ...

A look at Theatre 80 last night before marshals seize the historic East Village venue today

Photos by Stacie Joy 

At some point today, marshals are expected to seize the connected buildings at 78-80 St. Mark's Place, forcing owners and upstairs residents Lorcan and Genie Otway to vacate the property between First Avenue and Second Avenue ahead of a sale via a bankruptcy court.
As previously reported, the Otways have been battling in recent years to save the space, which houses a 199-seat theater, the William Barnacle Tavern and the Museum of the American Gangster. 

Per this December 2021 story in The New York Times, Lorcan said that the theater, which his father bought and started in 1964, and its companion businesses were in good financial health until March 2020 and the start of NY State's PAUSE. 

More background from the Times:
Shortly before then, he had taken out a $6.1 million mortgage against the properties to settle an inheritance dispute, pay legal fees and finance needed renovations. With the pandemic lockdown and a precipitous decline in revenue, that loan went into default and was purchased by Maverick Real Estate Partners about a year ago. The firm, according to court documents, has closed over 130 distressed debt transactions, with a total value of over $300 million.
The Times reported that the original lender later sold the debt to Maverick, which raised the interest rate from 10% to 24% without Lorcan's knowledge. The deficit reportedly ballooned to $12 million, and they filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 in December 2021. 

Last night, EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by the former Prohibition-era speakeasy for — possibly — a last look at the historic East Village venue.
Lorcan, who has been at the address since age 9, was understandably angry and sad last evening about the pending eviction and the kafkaesque situation that has unfolded here since the start of the pandemic ...
After the space is padlocked today, we understand that the Otways will have a three-week window to raise the rest of the money owed... and hope for an angel investor. 

New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs has also reportedly supported the theater's survival efforts. The office has already expedited granting a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status to Historic 80 Saint Marks Inc. 

To date, more than 5,000 people have signed a petition to save the space.

Memphis Seoul unveils signage, storefront

Workers have removed the plywood from outside 123 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, revealing the storefront and signage for Memphis Seoul. (Thanks to Steven for the photo!)

And a night view...

This will be the second location for the restaurant, which describes itself as "Southern cookin' with a Korean kick!" (You can check out the menu here.) Founder Bart Hubbuch opened his first Memphis Seoul in Crown Heights. 

No word on an official opening date. 

Our previous post has more about the restaurant and ownership. 

This address became available after Organic Grill relocated to West Third Street last spring

This is the new projected opening date for Panda Express

Here's a follow-up to our post from Monday about an opening date for Panda Express on the SW corner of First Avenue and 14th Street. 

A spokesperson for Panda Express tells us the following: 
The projected opening date is 6/5/2023. This is not a guarantee that the location will open on that date and is only an estimate of the time frame.
We're now 16 months into the first report of the PE opening on this corner. 

As noted late last summer, there were issues with permits — as in waiting for the city, Con Ed, etc., to approve them. A PE rep told The Village Sun that this outpost wouldn't open until the first quarter of 2023. (One tipster said to us that management here was very late in completing the necessary paperwork for the various licenses, etc.)

Panda Express launched in California in 1983 ... with more than 2,000 locations today, including a handful around NYC.   

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Tuesday's parting shot

From Indict to Indicted on St. Mark's Place...

A new corner of the 'Star Wars' galaxy

EVG contributor Stacie Joy spotted local artist-illustrator Rich Miller starting on a new mural on the NE corner of Seventh Street and Avenue C. 

And a sneak preview of what's to come... a work that includes Grogu, aka Baby Yoda...

RIP Leonard Abrams

Photo from March 23 by Stacie Joy 

Leonard Abrams, the editor and publisher of the East Village Eye, the legendary magazine published from 1979 to 1987 that covered the neighborhood's arts, politics and social currents at the time, died suddenly on Sunday, according to several of his longtime friends. 

Abrams, who started the publication at age 24, had recently announced — much to his delight — that the Eye's archives, consisting of documents, manuscripts, artworks, videos, ephemera and a complete run of the original printed publication, had been purchased by the New York Public Library. (This article in The New Yorker has many more details about the archives.) 

On March 23, Abrams presided over a celebration of the acquisition at the Bowery Electric, an evening that included a performance by the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. 

His friends shared some thoughts on social media about his death... His post-Eye career included opening Hotel Amazon, which brought warehouse-style parties to a former LES school featuring, among many others, De La Soul, Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys. He also made the documentary "Quilombo Countr," narrated by Chuck D, about a community founded by escaped slaves in Brazil. 

However, in recent years, his main ambition was to find a home for the Eye archives.
As he wrote
NYPL's acquisition of the East Village Eye archive is the perfect outcome of our years-long search for the best home for these materials. I can't think of another institution with the breadth and depth of interest, the institutional strength and the dedication to the common good that compares to the New York Public Library — not to mention where it lives. New York deserves to keep this essential trove of materials. It covers a time when it wasn't always easy to love New York City, but we always knew how important it was to bring these voices to the public and to preserve them, even if it meant dragging them from one storage space to another for some 35 years.
In a 2012 interview with EVG, he discussed the legacy of the 72 issues of East Village Eye
I'm most proud of having gotten so many of them out. And hearing someone say something like "I moved to NY because I read the Eye in my home state." I was gratified to have published columns by David Wojnarowicz and Glenn O'Brien and Cookie Mueller and Richard Hell. And to have been told that the term "hip hop" was first printed in the Eye. And to have presented so many idiosyncratic voices in such a deadpan manner, as if what they said was as obvious as the weather. That was fun.

Food City coming to Avenue D

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Workers are stocking shelves for Food City, a new supermarket to open this spring at 85 Avenue D between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...
Not sure at the moment if this Food City is any relation to the longtime shop that closed on the UWS in 2013. 

This space was previously a Rite Aid, which closed late last spring. Avenue D could use another grocer after Uncle Johnny closed in February 2022 at Fifth Street last year to make way for a new 13-floor development. 

Food City will be just steps away from the Food Emporium on the SW corner of Avenue D and Sixth Street...

Captain Cookie takes a break on Astor Place

After a year on Broadway at Astor Place, the Captain Cookie & the Milk Man shop has decided to close up for now. (Thanks to Chelsea Frazer for the initial tip and photo!

In a message to EVG, a company spokesperson said: 
We have taken a step back from retail after our past year of serving East Village and Times Square and appreciate all the fans who came out to share our joy of cookies! We hope to be back in NYC with shops in the future...

NYC Captain Cookie fans can order for delivery on the company's website

The Washington, D.C.-based mobile business operated by Neil Hershman serves "fresh-baked cookies, local milk, and made-to-order ice cream sandwiches." There are storefronts in Washington, D.C., and Raleigh, N.C. 

They opened here at the end of April 2022.

Monday, April 3, 2023

Monday's parting shot

Currently in bloom inside the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ...

ICYMI: Superiority Burger debuts in new East Village home

On Saturday night, the Superiority Burger team unwrapped and illuminated the signage at its new home, 119 Avenue A ... officially launching a new era here between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

ICYMI, EVG contributor Stacie Joy got the first look at the space, the former Odessa Restaurant. You can check out our post here from yesterday for more. 

For now, SB is open from 5 p.m. to midnight, Thursday through Monday. They plan to expand the hours in the weeks/months ahead to include lunch and, one day, breakfast service. 

And about the sign: Tamara Shopsin designed it. (She and her husband Jason Fulford also created the SB placements and menus.)