Tuesday, August 20, 2024

That's all for the East Village Neighbors Community Fridge on 12th Street and 1st Avenue

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The East Village Neighbors Community Fridge and Pantry, located at the NW corner of 12th Street and First Avenue, was removed from service yesterday.
For the past four years, the fridge and pantry have been stationed outside S'MAC, where owners Sarita and Caesar Ekya, along with East Village Neighbors, a local volunteer group, helped provide food for people in need. 

However, as we first reported on Friday, the landlord had been fielding calls and complaints from tenants and neighboring businesses about the fridge and pantry for months. (Complaints range from people blocking the street to fighting among those seeking food.) 

Sarita made it clear that her landlord was not to blame, that he was "one of the good guys." However, given the number of complaints, he had no choice but to ask for the fridge's removal. 

The damaged fridge, placed on the curb, was being recycled.

For now, donations can go to the Chelsea Fridge on Sixth Avenue and 15th Street or the Loisaida Community Fridge on Ninth Street and Avenue B. 

Sarita and Caesar hoped to find a new home for the East Village Neighbors Community Fridge. Sarita told us yesterday, "Things are moving, but there have been no commitments from places as of yet." 

Previously on EV Grieve

Monday, August 19, 2024

At the annual Festival Calle 6

Photos by Stacie Joy

The annual Festival Calle 6 celebrated the Lower East Side's diversity and heritage on Saturday afternoon on Sixth Street between Avenue D and the FDR. 

Here are a few scenes from the family-friendly event presented by the Lower East Side Hispanic Committee...

Prepping Theatre 80 for its next chapter on St. Mark's Place

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Workers began prepping 78-80 St. Mark's Place, the historic theater building just west of First Avenue, for its next chapter at the storied address. 

On Wednesday, a dumpster arrived outside Theatre 80... and workers were spotted hauling out items from inside...
First, here is a quick recap of what has happened here in recent years. 

During a bankruptcy auction in May 2023, business and life partners Ori Kushnir and Sivan Lahat, residents and former commercial tenants (Foxface) of the building, reportedly put in the highest bid at $8.8 million. 

The previous longtime owners, Lorcan Otway and his wife, Genie Gilmore Otway, were ordered off the property by a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee in April 2023. (You can read more background here and here.) The Otways lived in an apartment at the address that also housed Theatre 80, the William Barnacle Tavern and the Museum of the American Gangster. 

Howard Otway, Lorcan's father, bought the venue in 1964. (The buildings here date to the mid-1840s.)

The renovation plans

In an email, Kushnir explained that they're preparing the building for asbestos abatement, removing broken appliances and furniture, old carpets, paperwork, etc. No construction is taking place. 

"Once that's done, we plan comprehensive renovations with sustainability, housing, accessibility and preservation in mind," said Kushnir, who currently operates Foxface Natural on Avenue A with Lahat. 

He outlined several goals they aim to achieve, all currently pending approval: 

• Improve the layout downstairs so that the bar can be expanded back to its original size (it was cut in half when Theatre 80 was built in the late 1960s, Kushnir said. 
• Create a total of at least seven legal apartments. ("As things stand, there are only two legal apartments in the whole building," he said.) 
• Repair the facade, roofs, and back wall and improve insulation to reduce heating and cooling energy needs. 
• Make the bar, theater, and first-floor apartments ADA-accessible. 
• "Preserve the theater as a public venue and retain key elements of the facade, such as the blade sign that has seen many names," Kushnir said.
And the big question: Are any commercial tenants lined up for a post-renovation building? 

"Not yet," Kushnir said. "We spoke with several theater companies but haven't found the right fit." 

The building's past lives include a Prohibition-era speakeasy, a bar-cabaret in the 1930s-1940s, a jazz club in the 1950s, and, starting in 1967, an Off-Broadway venue where "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" debuted in March 1967. From the 1970s through the early 1990s, a revival movie theater often showed double features. 

Kushnir shared this photo from the mid-1960s...

Veselka reopens front counter for dining-in customers

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The front counter is back in action at Veselka

On Friday, the East Village staple started service at the five counter stools and two new tables inside the front door of the Ukrainian restaurant on Ninth Street and Second Avenue.
Veselka stopped using the seats during the early days of the pandemic in March 2020. Owner Jason Birchard told us that they "needed to rethink their business model" at the time. 

The front area also had more room for to-go orders and Veselka-branded merchandise during the pandemic...
The return pleased Veselka fans, with people welcoming the diner vibes. As one Instagram user said, "Nothing like a counter-served chocolate egg cream to beat the August doldrums."

On the CB3 docket tonight: a new era for Lucy's, another operator for Lamia's Fish Market

Top photo by Lola Sáenz 

As we reported on Aug. 1, Lucy's new owners will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee this month. 

The owners of Golden Age Hospitality, whose portfolio includes establishments like Le Dive and Deux Chats, seek to take over Lucy's, the decades-old Avenue A favorite owned by Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius that has been closed since late November. Find more background at this link. (FYI: The plans call for Lucy to continue to have a presence at the bar.)

As a reminder, the meeting is tonight 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.  

Another East Village item of interest concerns 47 Avenue B, where, apparently, Lamia's Fish Market will not reopen. The restaurant has been closed since June for "maintenance."

An entity known as Fisherman Hospitality Group Inc. seeks to take over the space between Third Street and Fourth Street that workers recently painted. (Photo below by Stacie Joy.)
The questionnaire (PDF here) for the new seafood restaurant is on the CB3 website. 

9th Precinct issues headphone-theft warning

Photo via @NYPD9Pct

Auxiliary officers from the 9th Precinct distributed flyers last week reminding residents to remain aware of their surroundings while out walking. 

Per the 9th Precinct in an X post: "Recent thefts on 1st and 2nd Avenues involve thieves snatching pricey headphones. Keep an eye on your belongings." 

The 9th answered a resident's follow-up question by stating that the suspects were riding bikes and ripping off pedestrians' over-the-ear headphones. 

Perhaps headphone thefts will be a topic of conversation on Aug. 29 (4 p.m.) during the Build the Block community meeting for Sector D at the Third Street Music School, 235 E. 11th St., between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

Sector D encompasses the north side of Seventh Street to the south side of 14th Street from the west side of First Avenue to the east side of Broadway. (Find your sector here.)

Sunday, August 18, 2024

Sunday's parting shot

St. Mark's Place at Avenue A right before this evening's downpour... the metropolitan area is in a Flash Flood Warning until 10:15 p.m.

Why you'll be shopping at Key Food on Avenue A without hearing a random song from the 1980s

EVG archival photo 
Reporting and videos by Stacie Joy

Shopping at Key Food has changed this past week since The Day the Music Died on Aug. 12. 

The PA system at the grocery on Avenue A and Fourth Street is out of order. 

For shoppers, you won't hear the store's playlist heavy on fringe-y late 1980s alternative hits and some other 1990s chestnuts. (I hear you, Paula Cole — and I Don't Want to Wait!

Aside from the music, the in-house intercom system is also down. So, you won't be interrupted by commands from above for Richie to pick up line 2 or calls about a delivery for the meat department.

Co-manager Dennis Acuna explained that technicians came to fix the intercom and music box (one controller unit for both systems) and found they needed to order a part for the repair. They hope the replacement part arrives soon so the system can be pumping out Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue" and Stevie Nicks' "Rooms on Fire" SOON.

In the meantime, there is just deafening silence in the aisles.

   

"Imagine, you are [in the grocery] only for a little time," Acuna said. "We are here all the time — we miss it too." 

I spoke with a few staffers, some of whom were relieved the music was off temporarily, "It's kind of a relief; it's not as intense in here," said one cashier. Another employee said he missed stocking the shelves to music. 

For now, the only sounds are the moans of the Key Food ghosts, the relentless "please place the last scanned item on the scale" message at the self-checkouts, and the echoes of cases of White Claw being boosted.

 

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a tense moment 😾 outside Casey Rubber Stamps on 11th Street)

• The 4-year-old East Village Neighbors Community Fridge will no longer be in service on 12th Street and 1st Avenue (Friday

• Report of a DOA in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday

• Former research scientist tells all in solo comedy show at Under St Marks Theater (Thursday

• East Village musician Jesse Malin provides an update on his spinal stroke and thanks everyone for their ongoing support (Saturday

• 'Make Me Famous' receives an encore presentation at the Village East by Angelika (Tuesday)

• 50 years of the Ramones (Friday

• Waiting on the Hard Quartet video on St. Mark's Place and 1st Avenue (Monday

• A Bronx Brewery cheer for miniatures artist Danny Cortes on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday

• 'Street Leather,' the rat zine of your dreams, is now available (Tuesday

• Demolition watch: 50-64 Third Ave. (Monday

• Despite filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the local Blink Fitness outposts will remain open (Thursday

• A look at the ongoing renovations at First Houses (Wednesday

• Reader report: the sloppy Joe from the Slopey Joe truck on 14th Street (Monday

• 'The Big Gay Jamboree' announces itself on the classic Orpheum marquee on 2nd Avenue (Tuesday)

• Building the ramp to the new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge (Thursday

• Tree down on 14th Street (Saturday

• Hoarding in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday

• More unlicensed weed shops shuttered, and one return (Monday)

• First sign of Ishq, a new Indian restaurant on Avenue A (Monday)

• (Pink) Signage alert: Loong Noodles on St. Mark's Place (Monday

• The long-ass line this morning in the East Village for those viral chocolate muffins from the Olympic Village (Saturday

... and an X post about viral chocolate muffins goes viral...
Sunday has seen us enter the mock Americans phase...

Here's a look at the 12C Outdoor Gallery, now with a full slate of murals

The 12C Outdoor Gallery now stands complete. 

The final recent addition was created by Brandon Sines, who added his Frank Ape character to the mural lineup on the SW corner of 12th Street and Avenue C...
This link has more about the other recent murals here at the recently renovated 656 E. 12th St.
Robert Galinsky serves as 12C's curator.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Saturday's parting shot

Early evening view from Avenue A and Houston...

A pop-up plant sale on 10th and A THIS afternoon

From the EVG inbox... 
There's a pop-up plant sale by longtime East Village fixture Peter Martin ... he will be offloading tropical tree-like plants, orchids, and more out of his van at hugely discounted prices. Today only on the NW corner of 10th Street and Avenue A until 6 p.m.

The long-ass line this morning in the East Village for those viral chocolate muffins from the Olympic Village

Photos by Steven 

"Muffin Mania" has descended upon the East Village. 

This morning, Isshiki Matcha at 138 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street is (was!) serving up the fudge-centered chocolate muffins that became a thing during the Paris Games. It started when Norwegian distance swimmer Henrik Christiansen posted some TikTok videos raving about the creations served at the Olympic Village. You know the rest!

So Isshiki Matcha said they "imported 300 muffins from Coup de Pates France, the actual supplier of the Olympic Village muffin."
The line started about 100 feet east on Saint Mark's, split into at least two lines on Second Avenue, and wrapped around Ninth Street.
An RSVP was required, by the way.

No word of any selfie-related injuries while posting photos and videos of the muffins.

East Village musician Jesse Malin provides an update on his spinal stroke and thanks everyone for their ongoing support

Image via Instagram 

East Village singer-songwriter Jesse Malin is making progress in his recovery from a rare spinal stroke that he suffered in May 2023. 

Malin provided an update in a short video, where he's standing with the assistance of a walker, posted to Instagram on Thursday. 

"[T]hey got me out of the chair a lot of the day, out of the wheelchair and up on the walker, and it feels good to be up," he said. "I can't feel below my upper thighs, still ... I'm working at it. But, you know, it's weird walking without any feeling. I have these braces on below my knees, and that helps me get around doing this a few times a day. So it's getting a little better. I'm on it — just working it." 

Malin, a Queens native and longtime East Village resident, has been receiving treatment with a physical therapist since undergoing intense physical therapy and stem-cell treatments at a clinic in Buenos Aires, Argentina, starting last fall. 

"I have really good people who come and help me out, and real good instructors," Malin said. "I just wanted to say thank you. You know, for everything, all the support ... the letters and the notes and the love and the support of my music." 

Malin, a partner in several local establishments, including Niagara, 96 Tears and the Bowery Electric, plans to return to the stage for the first time since early 2023 on Dec. 1-2 at the Beacon Theater, billed as "the largest hometown show of his career." 

He will perform a set with his band, and then special guests, among others, Lucinda Williams, Rickie Lee Jones, Jakob Dylan, Butch Walker, J Mascis, Adam Duritz and David Immergluck of Counting Crows, will join him on stage. Michael Imperioli and Mary Louise-Parker are serving as the hosts.

"I can't wait for the Beacon Theater shows to play again, live with the band, and get up there. It gives me something to look forward to, to live for and work toward," he said. "So I hope you guys have a great, great, great, rest of the summer." 

You can find ticket info here. (Photo below from outside 2A on Avenue A and Second Street.)
You can watch the full Instagram clip below...

Tree down on 14th Street

The driver of a Penske box truck collided with a tree on the south side of 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B last night, according to witnesses. 

The collision occurred about 8:40 p.m. A witness alleged that the driver claimed to have only "bumped" the tree with the passenger side mirror. 

Helluva bump...
The driver left, the police were called... and someone captured the aftermath on the Citizen app...

 

Vehicle Crash Into Tree @CitizenApp

538 E 14th St Yesterday 8:46:42 PM EDT

Friday, August 16, 2024

Friday's parting shot

Photo by Lola Sáenz 

As seen on 12th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue today...

50 years of the Ramones

 

Today (Aug. 16!) marks the 50th anniversary of the first show by the Ramones at CBGB. (Anyone take a ferry ride to Rockaway Beach?)

Fast-forward three short years to the above footage from the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London, on Dec. 31, 1977.

The 4-year-old East Village Neighbors Community Fridge will no longer be in service on 12th Street and 1st Avenue

Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Sunday is the last day for the East Village Neighbors Community Fridge and Pantry on the NW corner of 12th Street and First Avenue. 

For the past four years, the fridge and pantry have been stationed outside S'MAC, where owners Sarita and Caesar Ekya, along with East Village Neighbors, a local volunteer group, helped provide food for people in need. 

Sarita said that her landlord, with whom she has a great relationship — she says he's "one of the good guys" — has been fielding calls and complaints from tenants and neighboring businesses about the fridge and pantry for months. (Complaints range from people blocking the street to fighting among those seeking food.)
 
During a phone call, Sarita said that she has been unable to secure another business to take this operation over and was hoping to find a religious or community-based spot, but that has also been proving difficult. So Sunday is the last day for the fridge and pantry; on Monday morning, both will be recycled.

In the interim, starting Monday, donated food will be brought to the Chelsea Fridge or the Loisaida Community Fridge on Ninth Street and Avenue B. 

"Hosting the East Village Neighbors Fridge at S’MAC the last four years has made us feel all the feels. We've met so many incredible people and have had a village help keep it going this entire time," Sarita said. "The amount of food being rescued daily and the amount of meals provided to our neighbors by such a strong community who cares has been heartwarming. We know the fridge will be a loss to the community, but we hope to find a new home soon." 

She expressed concern for all the daily regulars who depend on the food, meals and supplies.

The fridge debuted on Oct. 7, 2020. Their first attempt was knocked over and KO’d after only three days. The refrigerator was vandalized again in August 2021

Previously on EV Grieve
• A Visit to the East Village Community Fridge and Food Pantry (October 2020

• East Village Community Fridge providing free food outside S'MAC on 1st Avenue; donations welcome (October 2020

• A Thanksgiving feast for neighbors in need at the East Village Community Fridge (November 2020

• A new look (and name!) for the East Village Neighbors Fridge (December 2020

• The East Village Neighbors Community Fridge is up and running again after vandal strikes (August 2021)

Details about Ramones-themed rides to Rockaway Beach today and tomorrow

Also, tonight, you can catch a screening of "End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones" with a post-film Q&A in Queens. Details here.

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Hoarding in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Donald Davis 

This spread arrived overnight In Tompkins Square Park... inside the mid-block entrance on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...
... and we understand that the Parks employee doing cleanup knows who may have left this...