Houston Village Farm hasn't been open lately

Houston Village Farm has been closed for the past week-plus on the SW corner of First Avenue and Fourth Street, prompting speculation that the corner market has permanently closed. 

There isn't any signage up about a closure, temporary or otherwise. (The Sunday papers were attached to the entrance.) 

Items for sale inside the shop had dwindled this past month (another development that sparked speculation). 

Houston Village Farm closed in the spring of 2022 due to slow business and high rent. New owners took over the space in 2022, but the store name remained unchanged. 

H/T Stacie J., Steven and Tia for photos this past week.

Sunday's parting shot

Longtime East Village resident Eric Drooker is touring with his new graphic novel, "Naked City." 

The artist-illustrator will do a slide lecture and cartoon concert at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on 10th Street and Second Avenue on Tuesday evening at 7:30. 

He'll be in Tompkins Square Park early Saturday evening (6:30). 

Find more Drooker here.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a throwback on 2nd Avenue by Derek Berg)... 

• Live from 1st Avenue: East Village Radio continues to bolster its programming (Monday)

• A rally to landmark the historic New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (Tuesday) 

• After 5-month closure due to fire, a renovated TabeTomo reopens (Monday) 

• At the debut of Boycott Sleep, an artist-led collective aspiring to redefine live music spaces (Friday) 

• Can you spot the new building going up on 14th Street and Avenue C? (Tuesday) 

• The beet goes on: The acclaimed Veselka doc gets a streaming and Blu-ray release date (Friday)

• Celebrating the life of Reagan Youth's Paul 'Cripple' Bakija at Niagara (Friday) 

• Scratch that: The random songs of the 80s and 90s return to Key Food (Wednesday) 

• The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade will go on — or will it? Why no one seems to know. (Tuesday) ... Here's what you need to know about the Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade (Friday) 

• Signage alert: L&L Hawaiian Barbeque and Tōka Chef Kitchen on Allen Street (Monday) 

• This week in milling and paving (Thursday) 

• The HEYTEA brand is opening an outpost on 2nd Avenue (Tuesday) 

• Openings: Cuts & Slices on Houston (Thursday) 

• 1 St. Mark's Place gets lit (Friday) 

• Closings: Dora on Avenue B (Wednesday)

• Lollo Ristorante Pizzeria & Bar has not been open lately on Avenue B (Wednesday)

Sunday's opening shot

A Halloween scene from StuyTown... thanks to the StuyTown resident for sharing this pic...

Carve out some fun at the Parkside Lounge

Photo and text by Stacie Joy 

From left: Sarah Schwartz and Sawyer Mitchell

It's time for the annual BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) event at the Parkside Lounge tomorrow (Sunday!) evening from 6 to 11. 

You bring a pumpkin and the bar provides the carving tools... it's free and for all ages (it's mostly outdoors, so kids are welcome). And there are prizes. 

The Parkside is on the corner of Houston and Attorney.

Here's what you need to know about the Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

10/20 FYI update: We'll have our recap from the event tomorrow...

After A LOT of drama and uncertainty, the 34th edition of the Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade is happening today (Saturday) from 1-3 p.m. 

The parade starts at 1 p.m. on Avenue A and 13th Street and ends on Seventh and A. The event has been reduced to a parade processional only — there will be no contests, judges, emcees, stage or prizes. 

Anyone interested in walking in the parade must register at 13th Street and Avenue B, with the line starting at 11:30 a.m. (You will need a bracelet to participate, and then you will be directed from 13th and B to the wait/line start of the parade at 13th and A.)

Organizers previously said there had been a frustrating and ongoing lack of cooperation from the City and a long wait with numerous bureaucratic stumbling blocks.

"I'm sorry for the late notice of details to those who want to walk in the parade. The city is letting 800 people walk this year [last year was 400], and it's first come, first serve," said Joseph Borduin, the volunteer parade producer. "To the community, I'm sorry if the M14A bus diversion affects you during the street closure." 

He continued: "I tried to do the best I could with the dog run's resources, but this parade needs more community involvement to be a successful event from which the entire community can benefit."

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade will go on — or will it? Why no one seems to know.

'Picture' this

 

Los Angeles-based trio julie recently released its first record, My Anti-Aircraft Friend. 

The above video is for the previously released "pg.4 a picture of three hedges." 

The band (and one that we like!) headlines Webster Hall on 11th Street this coming Tuesday night.

Celebrating the life of Reagan Youth's Paul 'Cripple' Bakija at Niagara

Reagan Youth founding member and guitarist Paul Bakija (aka Paul Cripple) died last month after a long battle with cancer.

A celebration of his life and music will be held on Sunday (4-8 p.m.) at Niagara, 112 Avenue A at Seventh Street. 

Read more about the influential early 80s punk-hardcore band here.

At the debut of Boycott Sleep, an artist-led collective aspiring to redefine live music spaces

Photos and text by Stacie Joy 

The night of Sept. 27 saw the debut of Boycott Sleep, an artist-led collective creating spaces for live music outside the existing venues. 

The event took place at the Pretty Garden Club, 99 Canal St. near Eldridge Street, on the fourth floor, which they share with the Banner of Christ Church.

Julia Pierce, lead singer of Tits Dick Ass, produced the show with help from Ozzie at Show Brain...

Pierce wants to showcase more avant-garde sound and art in venue spaces like this loft at Pretty Garden Club. 

This show featured three emerging bands — Genre Is Death, Avishag Cohen Rodrigues (who also plays in cumgirl8) and Popular (featuring Pierce) — and one established band, 1980s noise legends Live Skull. Kat Imperial also played a DJ set. (Admission is $11.)

"Artists working together who are like-minded and support each other," Pierce says. 

We arrived early to take in the jagged and atmospheric noise pop of Genre Is Death, whose first EP drops on Oct. 13...

We also caught the genre-bending sounds of Avishag Cohen Rodrigues...

... seen here with cumgirl8 bandmate Veronika Vilim...

... and Kat Imperial...

We couldn't stick around for Live Skull's late set, but we did spot vocalist-guitarist Mark C.

... and some faces in the crowd...

The next Boycott Sleep is scheduled for Nov. 1 at 99 Canal St.

The beet goes on: The acclaimed Veselka doc gets a streaming and Blu-ray release date

"Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World," the documentary on the iconic Ukrainian diner, will be available on streaming services and Blu-ray on Nov. 12. (More info here.)

The well-reviewed film, directed by Michael Fiore and narrated by David Duchovny, who grew up nearby, opened at the Village East by Angelika on Feb. 23. 

A description: 

New York City's beloved Ukrainian restaurant, Veselka, is best known for its borscht and varenyky, but it has become a beacon of hope for Ukraine. As the second-generation owner Tom Birchard reluctantly retires after 54 years, his son Jason faces the pressures of stepping into his father's shoes as the war in Ukraine impacts his family and staff. 

And the trailer...

 

1 St. Mark's Place gets lit

Photos by Jacob Ford

A milestone of sorts at 1 St. Mark's Place — interior illumination!

Even this feels like a long time coming.

The previous buildings here, which included retail tenants such as Korilla BBQ, the Continental and McDonald's, were demolished in the summer of 2019 to make way for an office building. 

There was a lot of drama surrounding the size of the building (flashback), and work was stopped for 10 months as Madison Capital Realty tried foreclosing on the property in 2021. Foundation work finally started in late August 2022 — this after crews and equipment were assembled here in the summer of 2020. 

Still, a ways to go, though, on the 9-story office building on the NW corner at Third Avenue.

The developer, Brandon Miller, was found dead in his Hamptons home in July. Miller, who took his own life, was reported to be $34 million in debt.

Thursday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

Chucky on A today...

About the Earth School Fall Fair

The annual Fall Fair will be held on Saturday at The Earth School in the playground on Fourth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Details via the EVG inbox: 

The event is open to the entire community and will include games and crafts, a bounce house, tasty food, and a rummage sale. We can't wait to have a fun-filled day with our community.

This week in milling and paving

The DOT posted flyers earlier this week stating that crews would be milling Avenue A from Houston to 14th Street starting last night. (The DOT's website had a Thursday evening start date — see screengrab below.)

Milling Avenue A this week might have been the final nail in the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade coffin, tentatively set for Saturday afternoon on Avenue A between Seventh Street and 14th Street.

However, we're told that the city has postponed this work and even updated its weekly schedule to reflect that change.

Also, as several readers have noted, part of Avenue A was already milled back in MARCH. 

Meanwhile, after finishing a whole block last Friday night, Second Avenue is scheduled to be paved during the evenings this week. 

Also! Third Avenue is scheduled to be paved Friday night from 12th Street and Houston.

All of this is very subject to change.

Thanks to the EVG reader for the top pic.

Openings: Cuts & Slices on Houston

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Cuts & Slices, the popular Bed-Stuy pizzeria, debuts its Lower East Side outpost today at 321 E. Houston St. between Attorney and Ridge. 

Owners Ashlee and Randy Mclaren (above) gave us a quick look inside the other day as they were prepping for the grand opening...

Described by Eater as a "Trinidadian-leaning pizza parlor," the Mclarens have built a loyal following through social media. Their unique slice offerings include chopped cheese, curried oxtail and jerk shrimp. (Read a rave review about the pizza at Eater.) In a feature from April, the Times called Cuts & Slices "New York's Most Exciting Pizza."

They'll be open today from noon until they sell out of slices. 

This will make the third location for the brand that first opened in Brooklyn in 2018.

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

The line this evening for the grand reopening of TabeTomo at 131 Avenue A. (The line went up A and west on Ninth Street.) 

The tsukemen specialty shop had been closed since an early morning fire upstairs on April 24.

And thanks to everyone who sent in line photos tonight...

Scratch that: The random songs of the 80s and 90s return to Key Food

Reporting by Stacie Joy 

The static-y-sounding versions of the delightfully eclectic hits from the 1980s and 1990s are back at Key Food.

This past week, reader reports came in that the soundtrack of our shopping lives returned to the grocery on Avenue A and Fourth Street after a 13-day hiatus. (This marked the second time the music died here in three months.)

However, it sounded as if you were listening to, say, Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You" on a radio with abysmal reception.

According to store manager Richie Gaitan, while the music is back, it does not sound great as the store waits for a part to arrive for its PA system. In addition, the in-store intercom system is still not working, so you won't hear them calling for Ralph in produce or someone to "look at the broken recyclables machines" outside. 

There is no estimate on the music repair date; it will be "when the part comes in...soon, I hope." 

In the interim — classic Halloween decor is up for your enjoyment.

P.S. 

During the research of this post, I heard in order: 

• Level 42's "Lessons in Love" 

• Men without Hats' "The Safety Dance" 

• Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms"

Closings: Dora on Avenue B

Photo by Stacie Joy 

After 15 months in business, Dora's Restaurant has closed at 40 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street. 

The restaurant serving Peruvian cuisine (operated by siblings Dora and Oskar Morales) was recently denied a full liquor license by Community Board 3. 

According to the minutes of last month's CB3 meeting, there were 24 commercial 311 complaints for the restaurant, with seven requiring NYPD action. In addition, CB3 noted that they broke their signed stipulations and kept their windows open past 10 p.m. with DJs as entertainment. The minutes also show that there were allegations that they were serving liquor without a permit.

Residents also said that the previous tenant at the address, El Carnaval, was a problem neighbor. El Carnaval was accused of serving liquor without a license in the summer of 2021. There's a video from the meeting here. (El Carnaval was first up.) 

We heard from multiple neighbors who complained about blaring music via DJs outside the quick-serve spot in the summer of 2020 — when restaurants expanded to sidewalk and curbside spaces. 

Dora continued the tradition after taking over from El Carnaval, which shuttered in the summer of 2022. 

Fonda, the previous tenant at 40 Avenue B, closed during the pandemic. For eight years, Fonda stopped the revolving door of restaurants to come and go here. (Octavia's Porch, anyone?)

Lollo Ristorante Pizzeria & Bar has not been open lately on Avenue B

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Lollo Ristorante Pizzeria & Bar, located at 27 Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street, has been dark lately. 

Google lists them as temporarily closed, though OpenTable marks them as permanently closed. (Calls to Lollo go unanswered.)

After an extensive renovation, Lollo debuted this past November. 

The space was previously home to the always-dependable Solo Pizza, which closed following a rent hike in September 2022 after 15 years in business.

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

Evening view of Avenue A and Seventh Street...