Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Openings: Babs Home and Pantry on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Babs Home and Pantry has debuted at 149 Avenue A between Ninth Street and 10th Street. 

The home goods and gift shop features "local artists, vintage glassware and whimsical decor."
This is the second outpost for owner-operator Anna "Babs" Budinger, who grew up in the East Village. She opened her first shop in Astoria. 

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

F45 Training next for this 13th Street retail space

Coming soon signage is up for an F45 Training space at 110 E. 13th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...
About them:
F45 Training is an Australian franchisor and operator of fitness centers based in Austin, Texas. It has over 2,000 studios in over 60 countries...
And! 
F45 Training merges three leading-edge fitness training styles into one 45-minute functional training class. 
There is no word on an opening date here.

INA NYC, the designer consignment store, was the last tenant in the storefront, closing in 2020

The former Bong World is for rent on 14th Street

Just closing the loop on the Bong World world... as the storefront is now for rent at 226 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

Bong World (March 2022-August 2023)

Monday, October 9, 2023

Key Food would like you to use a basket or cart

Photos by Stacie Joy 

If you've been in Key Food on Avenue A at Fourth Street in recent days, then you've likely noticed an abundance of signage asking patrons to please use the baskets and carts provided...
... and NOT your personal carry-on or reusable bags...
Key management says these new signs are to "passively deter shoplifting." And the signs are definitely more passive than this move to stop a shoplifter at Key.

Dedicating Frances Goldin Way

This past Thursday, the community came together to dedicate the stretch of Fourth Street between Cooper Square and Second Avenue as Frances Goldin Way...
Here's more about Goldin from the Cooper Square Committee: 
Frances Goldin was one of the Lower East Side's most noteworthy and accomplished activists, civic leaders, and advocates for affordable housing. She was a leader in the establishment of the Cooper Square Committee, its affiliates, and the Metropolitan Council on Housing while fighting tirelessly for more than 50 years for the racially just integration of the Seward Park Urban Renewal area. She was dedicated to gay rights and was once honored on the lead float in the annual Gay Pride Parade in NYC. She was also a distinguished literary agent and founded her own firm representing many Pulitzer Prize-winning authors.
The East Village resident died in 2020 at age 95. 

And here's the moment of the unveiling...

A cannabis dispensary is the first tenant for this newly created retail space on 7th Street

Signage is up now for Buy Me Flowers, a cannabis dispensary, at 102 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

This is the very first retail tenant for the space, which for decades served as a residence. 

This appears to be another unlicensed cannabis operation. (You can find a list of regulated, licensed dispensaries here.)

In August, the city put in place a new law to curb illegal stores: 
Introduction 1001-B, now 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. 
Steve Croman is the building's landlord. (A smoke shop is also on the way in one of his retail spaces on Avenue B.)

As previously notedAnthony 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.  

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Taking a 'Deep Dive' at Baker Falls

Starting tomorrow (Monday evening), Baker Falls is presenting its first art exhibition at 101 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

The evening (from 6-8) at the one-time home of the Pyramid Club includes a reading by local playwright-performance artist Edgar Oliver. 

Here's more about the opening via the EVG inbox...
"Deep Dive" is a site-specific constructed environment of sculptural objects and process paintings by Alex Wolkowicz. This is the first time Baker Falls has invited an artist to create an installation. The Pyramid Club has been iconic in New York City nightlife since its opening in 1979 and at the forefront of the downtown performance, drag, punk, gay and rock scene. 

"Deep Dive" honors the opening of Baker Falls and commemorates the Pyramid Club as a cultural touchstone for artists, performers, outsiders and drag queens. While under construction, Wolkowicz treated the space as an archaeological excavation site by collecting textures of the architectural details of the interior space using wet pouring techniques and graphite frottage rubbings. 

The "Deep Dive" exhibition is in conjunction with the production of a new play, "Rip Tide" at Axis Theater, by legendary downtown artist Edgar Oliver, about his formative years at The Pyramid Club. Oliver will perform original works at the opening reception ... 
The event also marks the official opening of the Baker Falls cafe in the downstairs "Fever Dream room."

"Deep Dive" will run until Jan. 9. You can RSVP for a free ticket here.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from the Loisaida Fall Festival on 3rd Street yesterday by Stacie Joy)...

Tenants crowdfund to aid East Village super critically injured in high-speed car collision (Tuesday) 















Look at 6 Avenue B now! (Wednesday) 






...and thank you to everyone for keeping tabs on the tire clamp story... the contraption is now outside the construction office in Tompkins... (photo by Steven)
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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

A final look at the Beastie Boys mural on 14th Street and Avenue A

Photo by Jon Furlong 

Here's a last look at the completed 8-story mural of the Beastie Boys on 14th Street at Avenue A.

As previously noted, Shepard Fairey, in collaboration with the Lisa Project NYC, created this stories-high work from a photo by East Village-based photographer Glen E. Friedman

The mural is part of the ongoing celebration of 50 years of hip-hop.

What a day that was: You can still see 'Stop Making Sense' in theaters

ICYMI: The newly restored version of "Stop Making Sense" has been in theaters in recent weeks to coincide with its 40th anniversary of Jonathan Demme's renowned concert film. 

Locally, you can catch it at Village East by Angelika (Tuesday's screening with a David Byrne Q&A is already sold out) ... Regal Union Square... and Regal Essex Crossing.

 

Sunday's opening shot

A fall-like morning out with temps in the low 50s ... a view from Tompkins Square Park...

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Saturday's parting shot

A seasonal mural outside the Second Avenue F stop by Captain Eyeliner...

The reconstruction of the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park begins on Oct. 16

Photo by Stacie Joy

Signage went up yesterday about the long-anticipated renovations coming to the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park. 

Per the posted signs, the work will begin starting on Oct. 16 and last until Dec. 1.

As we first reported, the Parks Department will reconstruct the multipurpose courts, adding various amenities, including a two-lane seal-coated walking loop and new asphalt.

According to a landscape architect with the Parks Department (from a presentation in February), there's a lot of "asphalt structural damage," and it "needs to be replaced and repaired. And the only way to do that is to take all the asphalt down to the sub base and put new asphalt down." 

Other additions: new benches, a kickball court, a high-low fountain that kids and adults can use simultaneously, and three new basketball backstops at the eastern end.

Skaters are worried the new asphalt will be either too soft or hard for skating, turning this decades-long hotspot into a useless spot.

Previously on EV Grieve:

Bless your pets at Trinity Lower East Side tomorrow!

Pastor Will let us know that the annual Blessing of the Animals takes place tomorrow (Sunday!) at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Avenue B at Ninth Street. 

Per the EVG inbox: 
Inspired by Saint Francis and his love for all God's creatures, on Sunday, Oct. 8, we invite all pets and their parents to join us for our beloved annual Blessing of the Animals!"

There are two opportunities for pets to receive a blessing:  
• At 11 a.m. our regular worship service indoors will become alive with activity as pets join in the prayer and praise! Please be sure all pets joining our service are well-behaved and potty trained. 
• At 1 p.m. a brief blessing will be given outdoors in our garden, perfect for any pets and parents who prefer a blessing on the go! 
Check out last year's coverage here.

Saturday's opening shot

The balloons are coming in nicely this fall in Tompkins Square Park...

Friday, October 6, 2023

Friday's parting shot

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single blog post... above St. Mark's Place late this afternoon...

The 'Kiss' of life

 

Blonde Redhead returns with Sit Down for Dinner, their first record in nine years (worth the wait!). The new songs are said to be inspired by a passage from Joan Didion's 2005 memoir, "The Year Of Magical Thinking" — "Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends."

The audio track here is for "Kiss Her Kiss Her." You can watch the band's epic video for "Sit Down For Dinner (Pts. 1 & 2)" only on YouTube. (There's an age restriction on it that prevents the embed function.) 

The NYC trio that formed in 1993 plays at Brooklyn Steel on Nov. 10

P.S. 
Today is Bandcamp Friday.

Must be the season of the pop-up Halloween shop on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The Halloween pop-up shop debuted a few weeks back for the third season at 70 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street (between Cafe Social 68 and Mast). 

Let's explore this further since it's Oct. 6 today (when did that happen?). The storefront seems fuller this year, with a little more creative use of the space... 
We always enjoy seeing the soon-to-be popular costumes the children might wear this year ... (pretending we don't see Ben Franklin — nerds!)...
... and for the patriots among us...
Costume aside for a moment (note to schedule the colonoscopy)...
And perfect! As we're handing out tabs of acid this Halloween...
Parents, if you are buying the Moshe/Moses costume for your child, please note this bag only includes the hat, neckpiece and robe (tastefully accented with blue sequin at the shoulders). Per the fine print, the "optional accessories" include a beard, mustache and shepherd's crook. (To save money on a fake mustache and beard, we suggest your child stop shaving through Halloween...)
... and here's the always-popular costume representing the private equity firm that bought your apartment building...
The shop's hours are 2-9 p.m. daily... 
Happy Halloweening! 

Here are J. Kathleen White's 2023 dioramas at the 9th Street Community Garden & Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

It's diorama season here on the northeast corner of Avenue C outside the Ninth Street Community Garden & Park. 

East Village-based artist J. Kathleen White's 2023 collection is titled "Flowers" ...
Let's take a closer look... 

• "Home"
• "Donkey"
• "Opera"
* "Veteran"
The dioramas should be up until early November — definitely check them out in person. 

White started creating and sharing the dioramas in 2005. Revisit the early editions here.

Celebrate National Pierogi Day at East Village Meat Market

Tomorrow (Saturday!), East Village Meat Market will celebrate National Pierogi Day... with all sales from the pierogi going to Ukrainian relief efforts. 

They'll serve six varieties from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the shop, 139 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

And as we've seen, this event draws a crowd, so plan accordingly...