Photo by Derek Berg
A good morning to you from Second Avenue at Sixth Street...
Friday, February 16, 2024
Thursday, February 15, 2024
Boris & Horton, NYC's first dog-friendly cafe, announces the 'devastating' decision to close on Feb. 26
Photo by Claire Esparros via the Boris & Horton website
Updated 2/28: The cafe will remain open. Read more about it here.
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After six years anchoring the NW corner of Avenue A and 12th Street, Boris & Horton, the city's first dog-friendly cafe, announced today that it was closing effective Feb. 26.
The notice came via Instagram from daughter-father co-owners Logan Mikhly and Coppy Holzman... the brand is also closing the newer Williamsburg location...
Ownership did not offer a specific reason behind the closings and said they were opting to "celebrate the great times we've had as New York's first dog-friendly cafe."
For the next 11 days, Boris & Horton will sell merchandise and fixtures "at a deep discount."
Later in 2018, Boris & Horton expanded its footprint in the building along Avenue A.
News of the closing shocked regulars, with the Instagram post prompting hundreds of comments in less than 20 minutes.
Source: DA's office mulling charges against tow truck driver in the death of longtime East Village resident Merle Ratner
Photo by EVG
Reporting by Stacie Joy
Charges are pending against the tow truck driver who struck and killed a longtime East Village resident on Feb. 5 while crossing 10th Street at Avenue C.
NYPD sources told us that the incident remains under investigation, stating that the DA's office "is still going back and forth on it if they want to prosecute or not. The NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad thinks they might make an arrest."
When asked about the possible charges, the NYPD source stated, "That's what the ADA is going back and forth with. I don't think they are sure themselves, and that's probably why it's taking [so] long."
According to police and media reports, Merle Ratner was crossing 10th Street at Avenue C with the light at 7 p.m. to visit a friend when she was struck and killed by the driver of the tow truck who was traveling south on Avenue C before turning left onto 10th Street.
Police said Ratner, 67, died at the scene.
According to police and media reports, the 59-year-old driver of the tow truck, owned by Timmy's Automotive in East Harlem, remained at the scene and was given a breathalyzer test.
Meanwhile, the flatbed tow truck involved in the collision has been parked on Second Avenue near Sixth Street for the past week and a half. (Top photo.) Our police source was surprised to hear that the truck remained in this spot, located around the corner from the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
Journalist Liam Quigley pointed out the truck's rear license in an X post on Feb. 8.
According to the How's My Driving NYC account, the plate has 86 violations, including 18 school zone speed violations and six red light camera violations — with over $9,700 in fines.This is the tow truck in the crash that killed Merle Ratner earlier this week. The license plate is completely defaced — a common practice in the industry pic.twitter.com/15jL1hduD1
— Liam Quigley (@_elkue) February 9, 2024
Ratner grew up in the Bronx and lived in the East Village starting in the 1980s. She was a co-coordinator of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign. She also worked as a labor rights organizer at the International Commission for Labor Rights ... and served on the board at the Laundry Workers Center, which organizes low-wage immigrant laundry and food service workers.
Here's more from Ratner in an EVG interview with James Maher in 2017:
My family has a history — my grandmother, when she came from Odessa, was the first woman business agent at the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, and my mother was a member of Local 1707 Day Care Workers. I have a picture in my house of my grandmother; it must have been in the 1920s, with a long skirt with a bustle, the very traditional thing that women wore, holding a picket sign with her friend that said, 'Don’t be a scab.'"
Ngô Thanh Nhàn talked with The Village Sun about his wife of 40 years.
"She loved life and was always thinking about ways to build a society that supports people, not profit," he said.
Daniel's Bike Shop slated for this 14th Street storefront
Photo by Pinch
Signage arrived Tuesday for Daniel's Bike Shop at 313 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
This appears to be the fifth store for the shop, which has outposts in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
The Daniel's Facebook page shows a variety of e-bikes for sale as well as biking accessories. The Facebook page also describes this as a bicycle repair shop.
The business takes over a storefront that was mostly recently a smoke shop called The Tree Shop (and previously Eyes on 14th).
Signage alert: Dear Rufino on 2nd Avenue
Photo by Steven
The Dear Rufino signage is up now at 221 Second Ave., just south of 14th Street.
As we noted a few weeks back, this is the taqueria — via Chef Iván García — taking over the former Chicken & the Egg space... the food establishment in front of the cocktail lounge Sincerely, Ophelia.
The taqueria from the owners of Zona Rosa out on Lorimer Street and Metropolitan Avenue is expected to open soon.
You can find the Dear Rufino Instagram account here.
We are now signage official with the new Bank of America Branch
Photos by Steven
The official BoA signage arrived yesterday at 119 Second Ave. at Seventh Street...
Read alllll the background about the first retail tenant for the building in this post.
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Wednesday's parting shot (part 2)
Photo by Stacie Joy
At Book Club on Third Street today, a pop-up featuring East Village-based florist Bloom Bloom ... pictured is Sophie Bromberg, the floral designer working for Bloom Bloom.
Best sellers were the Japanese sweet pea and the ranunculus (in various colors). Sorry, roses!
2 weeks left before Gizmo closes and relocates from longtime East Village home
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Updated 2/26: Unfortunately, the deal for a new Gizmo space fell through, and Rosa and Hossein are searching again for a new space. Details here.
As we first reported on Jan. 3, Gizmo is leaving its longtime home at 160 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street for a new EV storefront.
Wife-and-husband owners Rosa Malmed and Hossein Amid told me that while they have not secured a new space yet for their sewing supply shop, they are still "in negotiations" for a new storefront...
The last day here is Feb. 28. Until then, expect markdowns on fabrics, trims, and zippers (50% off) and discounted prices on other merchandise.
And be sure to check out the table out front ...
Rosa said she opened the shop 32 years ago because she needed space for her alterations business.
Hossein told us that their rent has increased to a point where the couple can no longer afford to stay here.
Closings: Emilia by Nai on 1st Ave.
Photo by Pinch
A for-rent sign hangs above 174 First Ave. (south storefront), marking the official end of Emilia by Nai here between 10th Street and 12th Street.
There's no mention of a closure on the restaurant's website or Instagram account. A "Closed for Private Event" sign had been on the storefront for months.
This was a return (circa June 2022) to the address for Chef Ruben Rodriquez, who ran Nai Tapas Bar in the subterranean space until a move to Second Avenue in 2018.
Rodriquez has several other restaurants in the neighborhood, including the recently opened Bad Hombre at 29 Second Ave. — the former Amigo.
Per the listing (PDF), the asking rent at 174 First Ave. is $18,500 a month.
The Bloom Bloom-Book Club mashup returns this Valentine's Day (today!)
If you need a gift this Valentine's Day (TODAY), Book Club is once again hosting the East Village-based Bloom Bloom floral design studio at the shop-cafe on Third Street.
From 11 a.m. to whenever the flowers are gone, Bloom Bloom is selling grab-and-go wrapped bouquets and custom floral arrangements.
Book Club is at 197 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
This is the third year for the Feb. 14 collaboration between the two businesses.
Now $1.50, 99¢ Fresh Pizza enters a new era
Top photo by Steven
On the ever-shifting budget pizza front, new signage arrived Sunday at 71 Second Ave., marking the change from 99¢ Fresh Pizza to $1.50 Fresh Pizza here between Fourth Street and Fifth Street...
As far as we can recall, this is the first price increase for the sliceria since its debut 10 years ago. (Bring back Cool Gear!)
And 99¢ Fresh Pizza isn't the only local slice shop to up the price by 51 cents. 99¢ Pizza debuted mid-March 2023 at 418 E. 14th St., just east of First Avenue. By June, their budget slice was going for $1.50.
However, it took ownership until this past October to make the change signage official. (Thanks to EVG reader Tom for this shot from the fall...)
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Storm center: Scenes from around the East Village after Nor’easter moves off the coast
Soon, back to the "Remembering When It Snowed" posts.
Tuesday morning in review
Photo from 9th and A by Steven
Waking to a slushy snowfall this morning... as the entire NYC metropolitan area and northeast corridor remains under a Winter Storm Warning (the first in two years) until 6 p.m.
Readers have reported gusty winds and sloppy sidewalks... though not close to the 4-8 inches forecast (yet).
Meanwhile, flames were spotted coming from a manhole on the southbound lane of Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street ... as the salty runoff caused some sparks here... the FDNY was quickly on the scene.
Thanks to EVG reader Emma for this clip...
We've heard from several readers about the stubborn (and dramatic) manhole fire ... the FDNY (with Con Ed) eventually had to clear out part of (half of?) the open-air curbside space at Kazuza Lounge...
Monday, February 12, 2024
Monday's parting shot
Photo this evening outside Saifee Hardware by Stacie Joy
For the first time in two years, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for all of NYC from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow (Feb. 13).
Per the NWS: "Heavy snow and gusty winds are expected with snowfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches."
Given the forecast, EVG is suspending the "Remembering When It Snowed" posts until further notice.
A Citi Bike docking station for 3rd and A
The station isn't listed on the system map yet, though a Citi Bike rep confirmed this is a permanent dock (and not, say, relocated here from another spot during construction).
Citi Bike, now in its 11th year, reportedly saw record-high ridership numbers last fall. Citi Bike also announced that the current number of e-bikes in the system will double by the end of this year, per Streetsblog.
Meanwhile, the docking station on Fifth Street at Avenue A is still MIA (since October) due to the Con Ed transformer work.
On the CB3-SLA docket: Williamsburg’s Win Son Bakery plans East Village outpost
The bakery opened in September 2019 at 164 Graham Ave. at Montrose Avenue... several years after the Win Son restaurant debuted (to long lines).
Many of their goods have been celebrated, like the mochi millet doughnuts. The New Yorker called their Mortadella Pancake a perfect breakfast sandwich in November. You can check out the Win Son Bakery menu here.
The previous tenant here, the dance studio Exile Professional Gym (EXPG), never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020.
Also on tonight's agenda: The AYS Hospitality Team (that includes Tabetomo on Avenue A) is behind two new concepts on the same block...
• AYS Libations LLC, 126 St Marks Pl (op) — the former East Village Social space ... (PDF here)
• AYS Libations LLC, 122 St Marks Pl (wb) — the former Holyland Market... (PDF here)
Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here. This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.
Peter Jarema Funeral Home ad comes back from the dead on 7th and B
Top photo and new reporting by Stacie Joy
In a surprising move on Friday, workers put up a new ad for the Peter Jarema Funeral Home on the north-facing wall at 108 Avenue B and Seventh Street.
During exterior renovations last June (first reported here), workers sandblasted away the former ad for the funeral home that's on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.
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."
Here is the result of that work last summer...
I reached out to Danny Buzzetta, the owner/managing director of Peter Jarema.
He figured the old ad had been there for at least 60 years and still featured the phone number listed as OR 4-2568 (letters representing 6 and 7 with the known constant of the 212 area code).
Buzzetta said that someone affiliated with the restoration contacted him last year, saying that after the building finished the brickwork, he wanted to put up a new sign as an ode to an East Village "legacy" business. (We're still determining if this was someone from the landlord, Gibraltar Management Company, or the contractor. We're chasing down that lead now.)
"Honestly, I was shocked because I was very upfront that I don't have the money to pay for this, and as appreciative as the thought was, I never actually thought it was going to happen," Buzzetta said. "But lo and behold, here we are!"
Via the NYC Municipal Archives, we found this street view from the early 1940s...
As far as we can tell, the ad is for Treadway Shoes (at 67 Avenue B?). A 1980s photo from the Municipal Archives shows the funeral home ad in place, though it's obviously older than that, given the presence of the dated telephone exchange.
There was also some thought — without much evidence — that the ad was created (or augmented) for filming 1974's "The Godfather Part II" (one of many movies and TV shows filmed at the bar).
Here's the scene (RIP Frank Pentangelli!) shot inside and outside the bar. However, we don't see any ads on the building ...
In case you Wonder what's coming to this Stuyvesant Street space
Wonder currently operates 10 locations throughout New York City and New Jersey, offering pick-up, delivery, and dine-in (ordered via touch screens) from a collection of chefs that include Bobby Flay, Marc Murphy, Jose Andres, Nancy Silverton and Marcus Samuelsson ... and restaurants such as Tejas Barbeque, Di Fara Pizza and Barrio Cafe.
While this is primarily a delivery and to-go business, this outpost will include a dine-in option.
A Wonder spokesperson said they are targeting a spring opening.
As previously reported, Village Yokocho, Angel's Share and Panya closed in these spaces in April 2022. Another restaurant, Sharaku, in the corner space at 14 Stuyvesant St., shuttered earlier in the pandemic. (Sunrise Mart in a separate building next door on the second floor also shut down.)
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.)
Yummy Hive announces itself on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street
Photo by Steven
Signage for Yummy Hive arrived Saturday on the SW corner of 10th Street and Second Avenue.
The logo promises "deli and sips,"... and workers previously told us this would be a corner deli-type place. Seamless has a Yummy Hive menu for the address, and it features a robust selection of breakfast and lunch items. A look inside also revealed a salad bar.
Workers said the space should be open in two weeks.
This storefront has been empty since Capital One® left in 2019.
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