Photo by Derek Berg
As seen on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
Morning!
P.S.
This was a prop for some kind of photo shoot...
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
The city can now fine landlords for renting storefronts to unlicensed cannabis shops
Photo from June by Stacie Joy
As of yesterday, a new city law is now in effect that holds commercial landlords responsible for renting storefronts to unlicensed cannabis shops.
Introduction 1001-B, known as Local Law 107 of 2023, prohibits owners of commercial spaces from knowingly leasing to unlicensed sellers of marijuana or tobacco products, imposing fines of up to $10,000 on landlords for violations.
The legislation followed a Council oversight hearing on the growing problem of unlicensed smoke shops operating across the city. The bill was passed on June 22.
In a statement by Queens Councilmember Lynn Schulman, chair of the Council's Health Committee and prime sponsor of the unlawful cannabis shop enforcement legislation:
"My recently enacted legislation ... will help shut down the illegal cannabis and smoke shops that have proliferated our city and created public health and safety hazards in our communities. This legislation is a game changer and adds another tool to the enforcement toolbox against these harmful businesses."
Per a media advisory about the newly enacted law:
... agencies that conduct inspections for unlicensed marijuana or tobacco sales and find such activity may provide written notice to the property owner requiring they ensure such unlicensed activity is ceased, serving as the basis of the violation. Any subsequent inspection that finds continued violation would make the landlord subject to a $5,000 civil penalty at first, and a $10,000 penalty for each subsequent violation. The commencement of an eviction proceeding shall be considered an affirmative defense for a landlord.It is estimated that New York City is home to approximately 8,000 illegal, unlicensed smoke shops [ed note: half of which seem to be in the East Village]. Consequently, sales by illicit stores undermine the licensed recreational marijuana market, depriving New Yorkers of the tax revenues and community reinvestment funds generated from the 13% tax on legal sales. The products sold in unlawful stores are unregulated and therefore can pose health risks to consumers.
As we've seen in previous months, shops that have been raided-fined have eventually resumed operations, new shops have risen from the ashes of shuttered venues, or new businesses with increasingly cutesy names arrive down the block.
Meanwhile, to avoid detection, several readers have noted at least two shops have removed their signage and only open in the evenings when a coordinated raid is less likely.
Another look at the SW corner of 7th Street and Avenue B
Photo by Stacie Joy
Late last week, workers removed the sidewalk bridge from outside 108 Avenue B, the 5-story building on the SW corner of Seventh Street that houses longstanding tenant Vazac's/the Horseshoe Bar/7B.
As we noted in early June, workers took down the scaffolding and construction netting ... revealing a restored exterior — and some notably absent previous features...
The faded ad for the Peter Jarema Funeral Home on the next block of Seventh Street with the allure of "Air Conditioned Chapels" and a smaller sign for "Vazac Hall Catering" (and "Fine Food") a nod to the business before the current iteration of the bar...
According to work permits on file with the Department of Buildings, the landlord had approved plans to remove the "deteriorated metal cornice" and "build up and maintain existing brick parapet."
Since the June reveal, we've heard from many readers and residents who were sad to see the ghost signage go. (And as we said, the bar's interior retains its timeless charm.)
Read our previous post here for more background on the building and its history.
Confirming that Buffalo Wild Wings for 1st Avenue
This location isn't on the chain's website... and corporate didn't respond to our request for info.
However! We can confirm that this address will be home to a Buffalo Wild Wings. EVG correspondent Steven got a look inside the space the other day ... Wings! Fries! Drinks!
The BWW will make for the fourth wings joint on First Avenue between St. Mark's Place and 14th Street (Dan and John's, Atomic Wings, Koko Wings) ... plus, there's Wingstop around the corner on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.
This retail space was most recently, for a year, Crab Du Jour.
Monday, August 14, 2023
Monday's parting shot
Photo by William Klayer
Sunrise as seen before 6 a.m. today from East River Park...
These 6 East Village buildings will be demolished for a new development on 3rd Avenue
The addresses are 50-64 Third Ave. NOT included: 48 Third Ave., the 4-story building owned by Isfahany Realty Corp. on the northwest corner at 10th Street with Healthy Greens Gourmet in the retail space...
As PincusCo. first reported in May, Kinsmen Property Group, through the entity 62-64 Third Ave., has been buying up the walk-up buildings over the past two years, paying more than $60 million for the parcel.
Most of the retail spaces in the properties were already closed, including, most recently, the Ainsworth on the SW corner of 11th Street in July 2022. (No. 62 was home to New York Central Art Supply for decades until its 2016 closure.)
It's not known what Kinsmen has planned for this parcel, which features 167 feet of prime Third Avenue frontage. According to Real Estate Weekly, Kinsmen Property Group is a joint venture between Toronto-based firms — Madison Group and State Building Group. There are not any new building permits on file with the city. Kinsmen founder and CEO Ari Zagdanski did not respond to a request for comment via Crain's, who reported on the demolition Friday.
Meanwhile, work got underway last week with asbestos abatement at 64 Third Ave. ...
Five walk-up buildings between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue —112-120 E. 11th St. — were demolished in 2016 to make way for the project. Preservations tried to get the strip of residences landmarked, but the LPC refused to hold a hearing.
It was later reported that the buildings had been purchased by David Lichenstein, a significant donor to then-Mayor de Blasio, "one of his political allies, and one of his appointees to the Economic Development Corporation." Lichtenstein and his Lightstone Group later developed the hotel, per Village Preservation.
Previous development along this corridor included the demolition of the two buildings at 74-76 Third Ave. (plus a parking lot) between 11th Street and 12th Street in 2011... which yielded the 9-story luxury residential building the Nathaniel in 2014 with Westside Market in the retail space.
CM Rivera takes steps to address quality-of-life concerns along 14th Street
In response to the ongoing concerns about drug use/sales and general quality-of-life issues along 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera has partnered with NYC Health + Hospitals and Bellevue Hospital to introduce resources to address these problem areas.
According to a news advisory from Rivera's office:
The Street Health Outreach & Wellness (SHOW) unit is a dedicated team consisting of a physician, addiction counselor, social worker, and community health worker. They work together in the field, engaging with known patients and connecting people in need to comprehensive services.They are equipped to offer on-the-spot services while facilitating connections to primary care, substance use treatment, and other social services. The team plans to visit the area on a weekly basis, establishing a usual presence in the community.With a focus on medical support, harm reduction, and social services, the team will connect with individuals experiencing homelessness, addressing immediate needs, and connecting them to an array of available services.
This 14th Street corridor has long been a concern for residents (here and here, for instance). In June, the deteriorating conditions prompted 787 Coffee to shut its doors between First Avenue and Second Avenue.NYC Council Member @CMCarlinaRivera thanked our Street Health Outreach & Wellness (SHOW) program as they provided services on E 14th Street. The roving team, which includes a physician & addiction counselor, connects unsheltered patients to medical care & other services. pic.twitter.com/JZ6TieK3GU
— NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue (@BellevueHosp) August 4, 2023
The chainlet's management said the 14th Street outpost suffered five break-ins in four weeks before the closure. In addition, 787 said some customers sitting outside were assaulted the week before the closing. "We make coffee as an excuse to connect, to collaborate, to create… but when we are afraid to even go to work, it defeats our values, our DNA," they said.
More from Rivera's office:
Historically, this intersection has been a focal point for illicit street vendors peddling subpar goods and intimidating passersby. Our office has worked with DSNY and DCWP to address those concerns. Recently, the area has become a gathering spot for individuals experiencing homelessness or struggling with mental health challenges.Residents have brought numerous complaints to our attention including concerns pertaining to individuals frequently found sleeping on the sidewalks, engaging in the noticeable use of drugs, and exhibiting instances of aggressive and or violent behavior toward others. Our office takes these concerns seriously and is actively working toward addressing and resolving these issues.
In a statement, Rivera said:
"Underinvestment in mental health has created a situation where too many New Yorkers in need of mental health care are unhoused, unemployed, and involved with the criminal legal system. This has led to significant concerns about quality of life and public safety, and the well-being of everyone in our communities. We are all too aware of the persistent structural issues that perpetuate inequities in the healthcare system where historically marginalized communities and the most vulnerable New Yorkers are less likely to be connected with the care they need."
In a series of tweets last month, residents pointed out the drug sales outside 418 E. 14th St., adjacent to the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
First section of the new office building at 360 Bowery glassed up
The developers of this project within the Soho/Noho rezoning area are reportedly a collaboration between SK Development, Ironstate and CB Development.
Sunday, August 13, 2023
Sunday's parting shot
Photo by Stacie Joy
It was a good weekend for live music... including (above) with Federico of Pinc Louds and singer-songwriter K. Porcelain playing a benefit for La Plaza Cultural's solar pavilion on Saturday evening...
Luna turns 4
And since then, Stacie has stopped by to help her family celebrate Luna's birthday.
This year was no different, as she photographed parents Juana and Edward Rivera and Luna's siblings Edward Jr., Rex and Isabella Jane on this occasion last weekend ...
... along with many other friends and family members.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Happy birthday, Luna!
Week in Grieview
• Why the lights were off 3 nights in a row in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday) ... Early this morning in Tompkins Square Dark (Friday)
• These are longtime food writer Robert Sietsema's 10 favorite East Village meals (Wednesday)
• Pink Olive is closing its East Village outpost (Wednesday)
• A fundraiser for La Plaza Cultural, and a new era for Pinc Louds (Thursday)
• The Whiskey Ward set to close next month on Essex Street (Thursday)
• The Tompkins Square Library branch now has a late August reopening date (Wednesday)
• Get a little of the old Essex Card Shop at the new Essex Card Shop (Friday)
• At the O'Flaherty's Café, come for the art, stay for the chicken fingers (Thursday) ... At the opening night of the O'Flaherty's Café (Saturday)
• Last week for Huertas (Monday)
• Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe coming to this prime East Village corner space (Monday)
• Please do not urinate on the former Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)
• The Wren is temporarily closed for renovations on the Bowery (Tuesday)
• Cooper Union's Foundation Building (almost) returns to full view (Tuesday)
• Openings: Memphis Seoul on 1st Avenue (Friday)
• Today in photos of a dead rat, bottle of tequila and pizza box on St. Mark's Place (Saturday)
• First sign of El Primo Red Tacos on Avenue A (Friday)
• Motel No Tell announces itself on Avenue A (Monday)
• RaÃz Modern Mexican is closed for now on 1st Avenue (Monday)
.... and the 50th-anniversary of hip-hop took place on Friday... this mural by William Power and phetus88 has been up in First Street Green Art Park in recent months... 
-----
EVG Etc.: Checking in with the red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park; revisiting 'Frances Ha'
Some headlines from other sources in recent days...
• A tribute to Brice Marden, the decades-spanning abstract artist who ran Rivington Arms on the LES (Artnet News)
• Ex-con who allegedly made menacing threats to women along Second Avenue and Fifth Street back on the corridor after a short jail stint (The Post)
• NYPD investigating an assault on 13th Street and Broadway from June as a hate crime (Gothamist)
• Cat Marnell makes a statement about the Marc Jacobs ads with Kim Kardashian, as seen in the photo above on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place (The Sun)
• This 12th Street co-op for sale has a plant wall (6sgft)
• Red-tailed hawk highlights from Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography)
• Remember the John Spacely "Gringo" mural on St. Mark's Place (Flaming Pablum)
• Some love for P&T Knitwear on Orchard (USA Today)
• There are several upcoming screenings of the 2013 comedy "Francis Ha," co-written by and starring Greta Gerwig — and directed by Noah Baumbach... with scenes filmed in the East Village and Lower East Side (Metrograph and part of a series titled The Color of Black and White)
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Saturday's parting shot
Photo by Daniel Efram
The awesome JessX were among the bands playing in Tompkins Square Park this afternoon.
There are more bands tomorrow afternoon via Show Brain, including Uncle Skunk, Pop Music Fever Dream, Tits Dick Ass, Shred Flintstone and headliner Dead Tooth.
At the opening night of the O'Flaherty's Café
Photos by Stacie Joy
The latest installation is now open at O'Flaherty's, the gallery-performance space at 44 Avenue A and Third Street.
On Thursday night, a steady stream of curious gallery-goers stopped by to check out the work of seven artists... not to mention the accompanying café offering tasty vittles like mac & cheese and chicken fingers...
Today in photos of a dead rat, bottle of tequila and pizza box on St. Mark's Place
August in NYC. ❤️
Saturday's opening shot
By Stacie Joy
The Sock Man — aka Marty Rosen, pictured here — officially kicked off the shop's 40th anniversary yesterday at 99 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.
Some giveaways and stuff are going on at the store this month. (Details are on The Sock Man Instagram account.)
The shop has been at this storefront since November 2016... a rent increase forced him to close his longtime outpost at 27 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.
The Sock Man opens daily at noon, with an 8 p.m. close during the week and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday (and 9 p.m. on Sunday).
Friday, August 11, 2023
Friday's parting shot
Photo by Stacie Joy
As you may have read/seen, today is the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
In the photo, local artist Danny Cortes shows off his tribute at the CLLCTV at Third Street and Avenue B
And 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the Bronx was considered the birthplace of hip-hop. Per Gothamist today:
On Aug. 11, 1973, Cindy Campbell and her brother DJ Kool Herc threw a back-to-school party in the recreation room of this multistory apartment building. Herc figured out how to find the most danceable parts of songs and extend them by playing the same record on two turntables and repeating the sample. Over 300 people showed up to the party, and the building soon became known as where hip-hop was born.
Stop, look and listen
Annie Hart, a member of the under-appreciated Brooklyn-based Au Revoir Simone, just released her fourth solo album, The Weight of a Wave.
The above video, in which Hart does a Yvonne Rainer-inspired dance, is for the Instagram-era single "Stop Staring at You."
And you can see her live on Aug. 18 at TV Eye in Brooklyn.
Get a little of the old Essex Card Shop at the new Essex Card Shop
Top photo by Stacie Joy
Essex Card Shop, 47 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street, recently unveiled some new merch in the form of an Essex Card Shop t-shirt ... in which owner Muhammad Aslam was happy to model for us.
The t-shirt ($24.99) features an illustration by Joel Holland showing the shop's signage when it was one block to the south at 39 Avenue A. (A local news site declared this "one of the neighborhood's greatest business signs.")
It's a quality t-shirt and an easy way to support the shop, which reopened last September after a devastating fire.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)