Manhattan's first medicinal marijuana dispensary is now for lease on 14th Street

A for-rent sign has arrived on the front doors of 212 E. 14th St., just east of Third Avenue. 

As you may recall, this space was previously Columbia Care, Manhattan's first medicinal marijuana dispensary. This outpost closed at the end of May without much fanfare, in contrast to the hoopla surrounding its opening in January 2016. 

Here, the medical conditions approved for marijuana prescriptions were limited to cancer, HIV/AIDS, ALS, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis, among several others. In addition, the NYC dispensaries would only sell 30-day supplies of marijuana in the form of oils, pills or tinctures. (Columbia Care still has an outpost out in Riverhead.)

And what came next: In March 2021, New York State legalized adult-use cannabis by passing the Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act. That legislation created the Office of Cannabis Management, governed by a Cannabis Control Board to oversee and implement the law. 

Since then, we've seen the arrival of legal and, mostly, unlicensed cannabis shops around the city. 

Columbia Care originally signed a five-year lease with a five-year renewal option. The Super Saving Store closed in 2011 and was the last retail tenant before the building underwent a gut renovation/expansion. 

Still, despite the for-lease sign, Community Board 3's Cannabis Control Task Force will hear an application for the address for a business called Flower Guys (Dai Ma LLC) this month. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• New East 14th Street retail space already gone to pot 

• Columbia Care brands its marijuana dispensary on East 14th Street 

• A patient visit to the medical marijuana dispensary on 14th Street

[Updated] The Black Ant has closed on 2nd Avenue

We've fielded some queries about Black Ant in recent weeks. 

Paper has covered the front windows at 60 Second Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street for a good part of the summer ... and there's a sign stating, "We are temporary [sic] closed." 

There isn't any mention of a closure on the Mexican restaurant's website, and their phone goes to a full voice mailbox. A sold-out pulsd deal for a "$39 Michelin Guide Boozy Cocktail Brunch For 2 (a $120 Value)" expires in October.

However, OpenTable lists them as "permanently closed." Turns out we missed the Instagram post noting their last day on June 2.

This development coincides with the recent sale of the two buildings at 58 and 60-62 Second Ave., which sold for nearly $14 million.

The Black Ant opened in May 2014. The place drew generally solid reviews and attention for its ingredients, including "tribal delicacies like grasshoppers, worms and, yes, the namesake ant." 

Sidewalk bridge removal reveals a business closure on 1st Avenue

Photos by Steven 

Late last week, workers removed the sidewalk bridge from outside 165-167 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street, where we learned that the obscured business here, Hay Hay Roasted, had closed. (The other storefront, the former Commodities at No. 165, has been vacant for 20 months.)

The restaurant, which served Cantonese roast meats and noodle soups, opened this past Dec. 16. They announced their closure on May 28 via Instagram. 

The notice left for patrons on the gate didn't go into too much detail: "We regret to announce the closure of our East Village location. Despite our best efforts, this decision, though difficult, reflects our commitment to adapt and thrive."

Being under a sidewalk bridge during the business's entire existence could not have helped. In fact, we didn't even realize that the place had shut down.

Hay Hay Roasted's Mott Street outpost remains in service.

The signage at No. 167 remains from Tatsu Ramen, which closed in the fall of 2021.

Grand openings: G's Cheesesteaks on Avenue B at Houston

Photo by Stacie Joy 

G's Cheesesteaks officially opened yesterday at 6 Avenue B on the NW corner of Houston. (It was first mentioned here.) 

The storefront (and upstairs floors) have undergone extensive renovations recently. This is the first retail tenant in 15 years in the long-empty building that the new landlords call The B. 

Daily hours: 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Find the menu here.

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

The second day of the annual Tompkins Square Park Riot reunion shows was canceled due to the threat of thunderstorms. (Several downpours occurred during the afternoon.) 

However, Scott Sturgeon (on the left, from Leftöver Crack/Choking Victim/Star Fucking Hipsters), who was set to open today as a special guest, did eventually play a set later in the day... along with Tibbie Skye West on bass and a few other familiar faces (Shayne!). 

You can read more about the Tompkins Square Park police riots of Aug. 6, 1988 here.

Early evening views

Thanks for all the rainbow pics early this evening ... this reader photo is from Houston and Allen...

Week in Grieview

Posts that past week included (with a Friday evening photo from 4th and A)... 

• Details on the arrests for the deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park on July 12 (Friday) 

• Former St. Emeric property will yield to housing for seniors and formerly homeless individuals (Friday) 

• A few more details on the future of East Village classic bar Lucy's (Thursday) 

• Scoop: After nearly 30 years, Starbucks is closing its Astor Place location (Sunday) ... Farewell to the Astor Place Starbucks, now officially closed (Monday) ... Before (and after) Starbucks on Astor Place (Tuesday) 

• Report: Whole Foods leasing the former Associated space on 14th Street in Stuy Town (Monday) 

• ICYMI: Mount Sinai receives conditional approval from the state to close Beth Israel (Monday) 

• Report: RYCO Capital buys 6 East Village rentals in $103-million deal (Wednesday) 

• Reopening day at International Bar (Thursday) 

• Oh no! O'Flaherty's has departed its gallery-performance space on Avenue A (Friday)

• A broken window at Two Boots (Tuesday) 

• Cuts & Slices bringing its acclaimed oxtail pizza to the Lower East Side (Wednesday) 

• A new restaurant for the former Mighty Quinn's space on 2nd Avenue (Tuesday) 

• Aoi Kitchen closes on 6th Street; owners announce new concept for the space (Monday) 

• EV restaurant roundup: Four Four South Village, Don Chicken, De La Soul donuts and more (Wednesday) 

• Sammy's Halal reopens on 1st Avenue (Tuesday) 

• The J. Crew-Jack's Coffee combo has opened in NoHo (Monday) 

• Buy Me Flowers pushes up daisies on 7th Street (Thursday)

• These are the opossum days of summer in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)

• Curbside advice about discarded couches (and other large items) (Tuesday) 

... and on the heels of recent posts about East Village NYC T-shirts for sale at a Forever 21 in San Diego and a neighborhood named for the East Village in Downington, Pa., ... a reader shares this signage from Barcelona, home to a well-reviewed vintage shop called Loisaida...

In case you want to rent the former Tower Records on 4th and Broadway

The news we broke this past week that the Astor Place Starbucks closed after nearly 30 years brought back memories for some people of another nearby business: Tower Records on Fourth Street and Broadway (1983-2006). 

A different broker now has the property. (This is fairly recent, and the listing isn't online yet.) 

The large space, which includes a mezzanine (Blink has the second floor), has been vacant for nearly five years. Build Studio was the last tenant. Previously, it served as the MLB Fan Cave, which closed after four seasons in 2015. 

You can read some history of 692 Broadway here. 

While we always preferred browsing in smaller indie shops, such as the many that once lined St. Mark's Place, including Sounds, Joe's CDs, 13 CDs, Venus Records, Mondo Kim's, Norman's (on Cooper Square), Rockit Scientist Records, etc., we killed a lot of time at this Tower. (We had a friend who worked nearby, and we ducked in here quite a bit while waiting to meet up.)

And ICYMI: Tower Record lives on... online.

By the way, have you seen "All Things Must Pass," Colin Hanks's 2015 documentary about the Tower Records chain? It's right here, courtesy of YouTube... 

 

Feeling the need for Suburban Speed

Photos by Stacie Joy 

This past Saturday (July 27), Brooklyn-based Suburban Speed was a late addition to the Show Brain-presented afternoon of live music in Tompkins Square Park. 

It was maybe not the most enviable slot, with just a few people out early for the show, along with some curious passersby. 

Regardless of the time, Carson Walsh (vocals, guitar, soprano saxophone, power drill) and Seth Sosebee (bass, keyboards) were intent on delivering a compellingly abrasive and anarchic set of songs that commanded attention.

To date, Suburban Speed has released several singles ("Pink Plastic Lighter," "Monte Carlo" and "Provolone Pimps.") With their unconventional song structures and Walsh's sometimes free-form vocals delivery, we're looking forward to hearing how they put it all together on a full record.

You can follow the band here.

Sunday's opening shot

There is a new mural for August by Rx Skulls outside the 2nd Avenue F stop.

EVG Etc.: A garbage dilemma on 10th Street; a chance to catch night fever

Above: 4th Street cooling center 

• Why 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue poses a challenge to Mayor Adams' "trash revolution" (Gothamist) 

• Two NYPD sergeants shot and wounded responding to a robbery on Delancey and Eldridge (1010 WINS ... the Post ... CBS News) 

• DA announces indictment in horrific collision that killed four and injured seven others at Corlears Hook Park on July 4 (DA's office... previously on EVG) 

• Why Chika and Don Tillman decided to close their 10th Street dessert bar, ChikaLicious, after 21 years in business. (Grub Street) 

• An East Village best restaurants listicle (Time Out) 

• The red-tailed hawk fledglings are getting around Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography) 

• 50 years of the Ramones at CBGB (The Bowery Boys) 

• The mystery balcony on the Bowery (Ephemeral New York) 

• Catch a screening of "Saturday Night Fever" Monday at the Village East by Angelika (Official site) 

• An ongoing series with films that incorporate preexisting documentary transcripts into fictionalized or re-staged contexts (Anthology Film Archives) 

• This September, Belarus Free Theatre returns to La MaMa with "KS6: Small Forward," a new stage production based on the life story of Belarusian international-basketball-player-turned-activist Katsiaryna (Katya) Snytsina (La MaMa) 

... and free today on 10th Street at First Avenue (H/T Steven)...

 

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[Updated] The 36th annual Tompkins Square Park Riot reunion shows are happening this weekend

The free concerts commemorating the 36th anniversary of the Tompkins Square Police Riot of Aug. 6, 1988, are happening this weekend.

Bands are scheduled for today and tomorrow. The first band up today, Donut City, says they're on at 2 p.m. sharp. 

----

Updated 8/4 2:42 p.m.

Due to the threat of rain/storms this afternoon, the show has been canceled. However, Scott Sturgeon (Leftöver Crack, Choking Victim and Star Fucking Hipsters) and a few others who were added to start the bill will still be playing. 

----

And on Sunday...

Saturday's opening shot

Balmy on the Bowery... and NYC's heat advisory has been extended through this evening (and likely Monday). 

Here is the city's Cool Options NYC website.

Friday's parting shot

A view of this evening's double rainbow... thanks to Cecil Scheib for the photo!

Three's company

 

This week, local trio Hello Mary (Helena Straight, Stella Wave and Mikaela Oppenheimer) released more new music (and a video!). 

The track "Three" is on the band's forthcoming record, Emita Ox, due out on Sept. 13. 

Hello Mary is headlining a show at Bowery Ballroom on Oct. 24.

Time again for Summer Streets, now with an extra 2 hours on Saturdays

The annual Summer Streets celebration returns on the first three Saturdays of August. 

Starting tomorrow (Saturday!), miles of NYC roadways will be closed to vehicles so that people can run, walk, and bike — often in the same direction. 

As in previous years, this car-free zone includes Lafayette, Astor Place and Fourth Avenue from the newly extended hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (previously 1 p.m.) 

You can find more details about Summer Streets at this link, including the sponsors and free exercise classes on Astor Place.

Report: Former St. Emeric property will yield to housing for seniors and formerly homeless individuals

As expected, the Archdiocese of New York has struck a deal to develop the block-long property on 13th Street and Avenue D that formerly housed the St. Emeric church and school. 

A collaborative effort involving Community Access, Spatial Equity, Duvernay + Brooks, and the Cooper Square Committee is reportedly launching this project to provide homes for seniors and formerly homeless individuals, including those with special needs who qualify for supportive services.

As 6sqft reported: 

Under the terms of the deal, the developers would create 570 affordable housing units across the full-block site. The project calls for two towers, one measuring 240,000 square feet and the other 570,000 square feet. Up to 60% of the homes will be reserved for homeless New Yorkers.

And... 

The first phase of construction will be as-of-right and kick off in 2026; the team may pursue a rezoning for the second phase. Any change in zoning would require the project to go through the uniform land use review procedure (ULURP). 

The now-deconsecrated church, founded in 1949, merged with St. Brigid on Avenue B in early 2013. The site adjacent to the Con Ed power plant includes a former school building, greenhouse, and large parking lot. 

In March 2022, a local church official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed that the former church and school would be torn down. The source also told EVG's Stacie Joy that the Archdiocese wanted to "do something positive for the community, perhaps something like affordable housing." 

The Archdiocese previously went the luxury route, selling two former East Village churches for over $80 million in recent years. 

The link below has more background on this story... 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The former St. Emeric property could yield a 570-unit affordable housing complex on Avenue D

Oh no! O'Flaherty's has departed its gallery-performance space on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After a rollicking 18 months at 44 Avenue A, O'Flaherty's is out of the gallery-performance space on the NE corner of Third Street. 

We spotted a for-lease sign on the gallery's awning early yesterday morning. Artist, curator and owner Jamian Juliano-Villani confirmed the closure. 

When asked if she'd reopen in the neighborhood, she offered: "We're looking for a space where the sun sets at the entrance, not rises." When we asked her if there was anything else, she said, "Yes, Billy's pregnant," referencing O'Flaherty's gallerist Billy Grant.

O'Flaherty's debuted in February 2023 with "O'Flaherty's gelitin O'Flattering," featuring the Vienna-based performance group gelitin. The shows attracted big crowds.

And Juliano-Villani often seemed to be having the most fun of anyone...

Other memorable events included the debut of a Café (with art!) last August, which showed the work of seven artists and offered mac and cheese and chicken fingers, which may or may not have been part of the show. 

Less kitschy offerings included solo work by longtime East Village resident Donna Dennis, part of the architectural sculpture movement of the early 1970s.

Broker Chandler Slate said the O'Flaherty's space is available immediately with an asking price of $29,000 monthly.

Upright Citizens Brigade Theater closed UCBeast in February 2019 in this space. The comedy venue opened in September 2011, and UCB took over part of the expanded Two Boots empire — the video store on Avenue A and the Pioneer Theater around the corner on Third Street.

O'Flaherty's previously had a year-long run at 55 Avenue C at Fourth Street, culminating with a mobbed show in July 2022.

At 44 Avenue A, the shows were few and far between but never dull. 

Details on the arrests for the deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park on July 12

Photo (from July 12) by Stacie Joy 

Reporting by Stacie Joy 

NYPD sources shared more details on the arrests of two suspects in the July 12 fatal double shooting in Tompkins Square Park. 

According to media accounts and police sources, the NYPD arrested two men last week — Angel Sardina, 63, and Rafael Macias, also 63. 

The men, who each have an extensive criminal record, "were both staying in a Pike Street shelter-type situation." Officers from the Gun Violence Suppression Unit made the arrests, and the two were processed at the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street. 

Sardina allegedly fired the shots that killed 74-year-old Fermin Frito, who was said to be selling drugs at the chess tables inside the 7th and A entrance to Tompkins Square Park. A second man, 44-year-old Edwin Rivera, was also shot in the ambush just before 10 a.m. It's not immediately clear what role Macias played in the shooting. 

Public records show that the charges against Sardina include murder in the second degree. He is being held without bail at the Eric M. Taylor Center in East Elmhurst. 

Police previously said this was a turf war over drug sales. "This is a targeted attack against a perceived drug rival," an NYPD source told us last month. 

The chess tables remain closed behind barricades, and officers from the 9th and 13th Precincts have been on patrol in and around the Park—both on foot and in vehicles. Members of the NYPD's Mounted Unit have also been spotted patrolling the area. 

In the wake of this incident, the 9th Precinct is emphasizing its commitment to community safety and is encouraging residents to participate in its upcoming National Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 4 to 7 p.m., an event designed to strengthen police-community partnerships.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Police: Turf war over drug trade cause of last week's deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park 

These are the opossum days of summer in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven

Hello, is it me you're looking for? 

It has been a while (January), but we finally have an opossum sighting in Tompkins Square Park—with photographic evidence!

Over the years, opossums have been sighted in Tompkins Square Park (hence its own EVG opossum tag). 

We don't know how many members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia might live in the Park. We've tried to tag them, but we haven't gotten close enough with the spray paint. (That is a joke!)

Anyway... enjoy the cuteness...