Friday's parting shot (aka April 28)

As seen on 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue today... via Robert Miner

Hitting a high note

 

"Little Stoner" is a new track from a recently released record by singer-songwriter Max Stalker-Wilde. 

The video, filmed on 16mm by Jonas Bishop Hayes, was shot around the East Village, where Stalker-Wilde was born and raised. And Ray's Candy Store, where Stalker-Wilde has worked for the past few years, has a starring role. 

"In fact, I had to make a couple of milkshakes and egg creams during the shooting just so I could get the foot traffic moving faster for production's sake," he told us. 

Check out more of Stalker-Wilde's music at Bandcamp.

Meanwhile, on Avenue A and 9th Street...

A reader-submitted photo this afternoon... happy Friday!

A look at Wicked Heathens, now open on 9th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Wicked Heathens, a jewelry store carrying clothing, accessories and candles, recently opened at 337 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

I stopped by the shop and met with owner-designer Martha Henry and manager-designer Daymone Edmonds, who has a clothing brand — Culture and Fate — also carried at Wicked Heathens.

Henry discussed what drew her to the East Village from Brooklyn to set up her first brick-and-mortar outpost. 

"Back when I used to do artist markets, there was such an amazing community of creators. During the pandemic, I was forced to focus on online sales and started working from home, but I felt like I lost that community," she said. "Years later, I decided it was time to open a brick-and-mortar [shop] filled with like-minded creators and makers. The East Village has such an amazing community of small businesses that really support each other, which is what drew me to open up in this area."

Hours: Monday-Saturday, noon-7 p.m.; Sunday, noon-6 p.m. 

You can keep tabs on Wicked Heathens via Instagram.

On St. Mark's Place, office building 1, tree 0

EVG reader Bruce Tantum shared the above photo from Wednesday morning ... when workers cut down a tree that had managed to survive the intermittent construction the past three-plus years at the office building going up on the NE corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place.

Not sure exactly what kind of tree this was (the NYC tree map listed this as a Callery pear), but it looked plenty healthy to us, as seen last year ... it just had the misfortune of being behind the construction plywood...

... the rendering for the building even shows a similar-looking tree on St. Mark's Place...

One of the neighborhood's more unique apartments is now a storefront

Interior renovations are underway at 102 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue... the space had been on the market since last summer... 

This retail conversion brings an end to the space serving as a residence. Anthony Pisano lived in this converted storefront full of antiques and whimsical curiosities for nearly 40 years. He died in 2018 at age 86. Check out some interior pics from his home here.  

The space was a residence until last spring... when there were vintage Playboys in the window... and a cat tower with some sleepy kitties. The resident(s) vacated the place leaving behind a Misfits Mansion painting.

No word just yet on who the new tenant is...  

Thursday's parting shot

Here's one of the paintings by Bill Rice featured in the exhibit, "Around the Corner" at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, 208 Forsyth St. between Houston and Stanton. (Previously mentioned here.)

Here's a snippet of a review of the show via Hyperallergic today...

Bill Rice's paintings ... are glimpses of East Village life — the old East Village of crime, abandonment, and cruising, of obscure figures with good muscle tone, surreptitious oral favors in the parks and alleys, stoop-front sales, and hanging out. His surfaces are slowly built up from thin layers of oil paint with an occasional putty-like vector or a colored stripe or, at times, a skeletal architecture or diamond-shaped fence pattern. Looking at his works we are moving constantly, roving, scanning the neighborhood where he had lived since 1953, when rent controls were still in place and you could get by on a few welfare checks and some decent luck.

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

The show runs through May 13. Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, noon-6 p.m. or by appointment.

NYC institution Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse attempting a Lower East Side comeback

Updated 5/17: Sammy's received the OK from Community Board 3.

Break out the jars of schmaltz! NYC classic Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse is on the comeback trail. 

Yesterday, Community Board 3 released its May calendar... and a familiar name is on the SLA & DCA Licensing Committee docket for May 15...

Sammy's ownership is applying for a new liquor license for the long-vacant 191 Orchard St. between Houston and Stanton. The questionnaire isn't online just yet, so we'll have to wait and see what Sammy's 2.0 might look like in this 2,500-square-foot space.

Sammy's closed in early January 2021 after 47 years of serving up ice-encased vodka, smeared pitchers of schmaltz and enormous platters of meat from the lower level at 151 Chrystie St.

The restaurant had been shuttered since the PAUSE of March 2020, and this wasn't a business ready-made for delivery or outdoor dining.

In an Instagram post at the time, owner David Zimmerman left the door open for a return.

We may be closed now, but when all this is over and we feel safe enough to hold hands during the hora, we will be back stronger, louder, and tastier than ever before. We are New York. We will survive this. We will always cherish the memories we shared with all of you.

First, though, Sammy's will need to get approval from CB3. The space has been vacant since the Sixth Ward lost its liquor license in 2015 after eight years in business for reportedly serving burgers and steaks when it had applied for the requisite permits by stating it would sell vegetarian fare. 

The bar had long drawn criticism from locals. In a denial for a new concept at the address in March 2022, the CB3 minutes state that the Sixth Ward "was a known problem... with SLA complaints of operating beyond its stipulations, operating beyond the legal capacity without applying for a certificate of occupancy, and using an illegal back yard that did not meet DOB requirements."

While this has nothing to do with Sammy's, the stigma of previous tenants can make it challenging for new applicants. Community groups and some residents have also spoken out against new applicants looking to open in this area below Houston dubbed Hell Square.  

No new grocery now for the former Associated space on 14th Street in Stuy Town

Plans for a new grocery store at the former Associated Supermarket space on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue are not moving forward.

Several residents participating in a Tenants Association meeting earlier this month passed along the tip.

A spokesperson for Beam Living, the Blackstone-owned management company that oversees Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, confirmed the news.

"We have decided not to proceed with the potential new grocery offering at this time and are focused on finding a tenant that complements the area's existing offerings, continuing to build on our successes of adding great new tenants to the neighborhood," the spokesperson wrote in an email to EVG. "We are excited that in recent years both Trader Joe's and Target, two best-in-class brands that provide fantastic food offerings at a good price point, have opened directly across the street from the contemplated new grocery location."

As you may recall, 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.

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. 

Last fall, we heard about ongoing discussions regarding an 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 sources explained 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 must be a "club" only for "residents and their guests." 

While the plans didn't materialize for the Chef's Local Harvest, the Beam Living spokesperson was quick to tout other additions in recent years, including Rosemary's East, Bread Story and "a successful and well-received renovation of Hane, the popular local Japanese restaurant."

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.

 EVG photo from the fall of 2022

A career-spanning exhibition of Andy Warhol's work at the Brant Foundation

More than 100 career-spanning works by Andy Warhol will be on exhibit at the Brant Foundation, 421 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, from May 10 to July 30.

Here's more about the show, titled "Thirty Are Better Than One" ...

... the survey spans the entirety of Warhol's illustrious career, from his early drawings and intimate Polaroids to instantly recognizable silkscreens and sculptures. "Thirty Are Better Than One" pulls in large part from the Brant Collections, which includes an expansive and coherent selection of Warhol's work. It is curated by Peter M. Brant, founder of The Brant Foundation and an early patron, collaborator, and close friend of the artist.

Tickets for the show are $20 ... there are discounts for students and folks 65+ ... and tickets for East Village residents are $15. Details here.

At the first show in the space in the spring of 2019, the Brant Foundation featured art by Jean-Michel Basquiat — some 70 works collectively valued at $1 billion. Brant later extended the show by a few weeks.

The Brant Foundation features 7,000 square feet of exhibition space over four floors. Brant bought the building — a former Con Edison substation and Walter de Maria studio — for $27 million in August 2014.

Sign of Summertime: the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival set for Aug. 27 in Tompkins Square Park

The City Parks Foundation yesterday announced its SummerStage series lineup, which includes dozens of free and benefit concerts in neighborhood parks.

Of interest around here: the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival will be in Tompkins Square Park on Sunday, Aug. 27. 

Details on what to expect in Tompkins on that day... via the City Parks Foundation website... 

This bill of all-star musicians is led by alto saxophonist and bandleader Charles McPherson, who famously performed with Charles Mingus in the '60s and recorded ensemble renditions of Charlie Parker works for the soundtrack to the 1988 Parker biopic "Bird." He performs here with Terell Stafford, a veteran of his quintet and a gifted, versatile trumpet player with an adventurous expression of lyricism.

Vincent Herring's Septet, Something Else!, a new group that draws its name from Cannonball Adderley's 1958 classic Blue Note LP. The portfolio of music played by "Something Else" includes some of the most iconic toe-tapping Soul Jazz Songs ever created from the books of Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Timmons, Horace Silver, Bob James, Pee Wee Ellis, Quincy Jones and many more. 

Chelsea Baratz's HERA collective — named after the Olympian queen of the gods — is a unique group of groundbreaking female artists and bandleaders assembled to showcase original works. More than just an ensemble of talented players, each musician that performs with HERA has her own band, her own original music, and her own sound, like featured vocalist and Growing Up Jazz founder Andromeda Turre. 

Opener Michael Mayo, a student of jazz legends Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, wields a commanding and otherworldly voice that’s taken him around the world and back again.

The festival started in Tompkins Square Park in 1993 ... taking place near or on Parker's birthday on Aug. 29. Additional dates were added in Harlem in 2000. 

Parker, who died in 1955 at age 34, lived at 151 Avenue B from 1950-1954. That residential building between Ninth Street and 10th Street is landmarked.   

A familiar face is leaving Key Food

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Arrman Mohammed, a manager at Key Food on Avenue A who always seems to be there when we are, is (semi) retiring. His last day here is on Saturday, April 29.

He started at Key Food in 1986 as a teenager on Long Island. He said he walked in, asked for an after-school job, and was given one in the deli. 

Mohammed, now 56, has worked at Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan locations for 35-plus years. He has been at the Avenue A store for the past decade.

He will enjoy not working for now, saying he would "take my alarm clock, put it under my feet, and crush it. No more waking up at 4:30 in the morning." 

Upcoming plans include spending time with his 28-year-old son... before a move to Florida, where he hopes to take up a position with another Key Food. (Florida has 50-plus Key Food stores in the state.) 

Mohammed encourages people to stop by and say goodbye this week before he clocks out one last time ...

Poetica Coffee debuts on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Poetica Coffee opened its doors yesterday on the SW corner of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue. 

This week, the shop will be in soft-open mode with a limited food menu and hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eventually, Poetica will open daily at 7 a.m. ... with an early evening close. 

Our previous post has more about what to expect here.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Exclusive: This is the new tenant for the former Gem Spa space

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

A new era for chess in Tompkins Square Park...

[Updated, we were faked-out edition] Today in miracles on Houston and Avenue B

For the first time in eight-plus years, there won't be a sidewalk bridge on the NW corner of Houston and Avenue B. [OOPS — see the update below!]

Workers from the Department of Miracles were removing the long-standing structure today. (Thanks to EVG reader Miriam Abrahams for the photo!) 

In February, we reported on the long-vacant building's new owner, an LLC linked to Penn Capital South, whose portfolio includes multiple EV properties. A gut renovation is in the works.

The liquor store in the retail space has been closed since the owner passed away in the fall of 2009 at age 89. (See the shop's frozen-in-time interior here.)

This was one of the abandoned buildings owned by the estate of the mysterious team of Arthur and Abraham Blasof, both long deceased. However, No. 6 has been generating some income with the cell-phone towers on the roof. 

Updated 8 p.m. 

Well then! So much for that sidewalk being free of a sidewalk bridge... so workers removed the old one and have erected a new sidewalk bridge (thanks again to Miriam for keeping tabs on this!).

As you were!

Previously on EVG:

• Because you've always wanted to know what the inside of the long-empty 6 Avenue B looks like

• Let's take another look at the eerie remains of the long-abandoned 6 Avenue B 

Here are the official local Open Streets for 2023

This past Earth Day weekend, city officials unveiled the list of 2023 Open Streets, 160 locations that equal nearly 300 blocks in the five boroughs...

This year’s new Open Streets feature locations across the five boroughs, including in Bushwick & Brownsville, #Brooklyn; South Jamaica, #Queens; & Soundview, #theBronx. More Open Streets are being finalized, with anticipated launches on/after 7/1. Details: https://t.co/Cvz8Quf16F

— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) April 22, 2023

The Open Streets initiative launched in the spring of 2020 to give pandemic-weary residents more space to take in the outdoors. 

Only some people are enamored by the program. Per Gothamist: "Opponents of the program have complained about losing valuable parking spots, and argue that Open Streets inhibit emergency vehicles and hinder residents with limited mobility."

Here are the local Open Streets...

• Avenue B, Sixth Street to 14th Street (limited local access)

Hours: Daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Partner: The Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition

• Bleecker Street, Mott to the Bowery (full closure)

Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 5-11 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Partner: Von Design Ltd 

• Bond Street, Lafayette to the Bowery (full closure)

Hours: Monday-Friday, 4:30-11 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Partner: il Buco 

• Fourth Street, the Bowery to Second Avenue (full closure)

Hours: Thursdays, 4-9 p.m.

Partner: Fourth Arts Block (aka FABnyc) 

• Seventh Street, Avenue A to First Avenue (full closure)

Hours: Monday-Friday, 4-11 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, noon-11 p.m.

Partner: Overthrow Hospitality 

Top photo on Avenue B via @loisaida_oscc

Reminders: Tompkins Square Library branch now closed for renovations

Photos by Steven

The Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is now closed (as of yesterday) for renovations. (First mentioned here.)

According to an email to patrons, the closure, expected to last three months, will "facilitate improvements to the building, including preliminary work on a new Teen Center at the library, as well as replacing the branch's flooring and a fresh coat of paint." 

During this temporary closure, patrons are encouraged to use the following nearby branches: 

• Ottendorfer Library, 135 Second Ave. 

• Hamilton Fish Park Library, 415 E. Houston St. 

• Jefferson Market Library, 425 Sixth Ave. 

The branch opened here in 1904 and is expected to be back in service in early July.

Asbestos abatement for the vacant storefronts along Stuyvesant Street

Earlier this month, workers erected a sidewalk bridge along 29 Third Ave. (home of the Bean) and the empty storefronts at 8-14 Stuyvesant St.

Work permits at the DOB show a pending permit for "retail store white box interior renovation." (We have also yet to see any for-lease signs here.)

We're waiting to see what might be happening with these high-profile spaces.

In the interim, Asbestos Abatement Notices have arrived on the plywood... noting the removal of asbestos... with a projected completion date of Feb. 23, 2024.

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. 

Signage alert: The restaurant-bar in the works at 309 E. Fifth St.

Signage is up for a new restaurant-bar at 309 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue... Eden shared these shots from the other day...

Last September, Community Board 3 approved a license for an applicant to open a Thai restaurant here under the trade name Ni Yom. (Application here.) Perhaps they decided on a different name for the establishment.

The previous tenant at No. 309, Jiang's Kitchen, closed after ownership opted to relocate to 65 St. Mark's Place and open Jiang's Kitchen in November 2021.

Monday's parting shot

Avenue A sky views...