Photo by Steven
After yesterday's tree lighting ceremony in Tompkins Square Park, attendees were treated to a special guest appearance by Opie, aka Nicodemus Punch Sugarpop...
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 9, 2024
At the 33rd annual Tompkins Square Park Holiday tree lighting
Photos and text by Stacie Joy
Neighborhood residents came together late yesterday afternoon for the 33rd edition of the tree lighting in Tompkins Square Park... the ceremony brought the community together in a warm celebration of the season.
Sponsor C&B Cafe provided its famed chocolate chip cookies (with finishing salt), and Veselka brought hot chocolate and apple cider for all... and the Carolers of Olde New York from Theater for the New City provided the soundtrack.
Attendees included the original organizer, Albert Fabozzi...
... and in the crowd...
And the big moment...
... and later...
Postscript
Of course, it would only be an East Village tree lighting with some drama from the Parks Department.
C&B owner Ali Sahin told me that up until yesterday, Parks officials said they wouldn't be able to get the tree lit in time and would need to postpone the event.
However, Parks came through in the clutch and got the tree lights up. Still, the light pole they connected the tree to wasn't working, so they had to rewire it at the last minute.
C&B also paid for the lights, which are $30 per string. This tree has 19 strings. (The tree is adorned with all-white lights this year... creating a vivid and striking display at night.)
Meanwhile, as people left the holiday ceremony, the NYPD was on the scene to hand out tickets for open containers.
Merry Christmas!
Strand Books employees go on strike in bid to increase minimum-wage salaries
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Updated 12/10: Per union officials: "We have reached a tentative agreement with the company and are back at work today. Later this week, we will vote to decide whether or not to ratify the contract and formally end the strike."
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On Saturday, the Stand's nearly 100 unionized workers went on strike, setting up a picket line outside the iconic Broadway and 12th Street store.
Union officials said the strike comes after several months of stalled negotiation and three separate contract extensions.
The workers are represented by UAW Local 2179 and include employees of the flagship store, UWS outpost, and Brooklyn warehouse. This marks the first strike at the Strand since the early 1990s.
UWA members are seeking to increase their base pay from the minimum wage of $16 to $18 an hour in the contract's first year and $1.50 in the second year. Store management has reportedly countered with 50 cents less for each year.
"It's becoming impossible to live in New York on what the Strand pays," Andrew Stando, a visual merchandiser and shop steward at Strand, said in a statement about the strike. "We're just asking for enough to make rent every month."
The Strand is owned by Nancy Bass Wyden, whose husband, Ron Wyden, serves as Oregon's senior U.S. senator.
Will Bobrowski, Local 2179's second vice president and a former Strand employee, told Publishers Weekly that the negotiations are "mainly about wages," adding that the union also remains concerned about low staff levels at the stores.
The Strand reportedly laid off nearly 200 staffers at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The tourists are back. The business is coming back, and still, we're at this low staffing level," he told PW. "They're paying this low rate to hire, so you can't retain people."
In a statement, the 97-year-old Strand said: "We respect and value our staff, and we have made sizable economic offers during this contract negotiation accordingly. The union has not been willing to accept those increases so far. We will continue to bargain in good faith and target a compromise that creates a bright future for the company, our employees, and customers."
The store, per Gothamist, is now being maintained by a skeleton crew that includes store managers, part-time non-union workers and other non-union administrative staff.
A handful of local elected officials and community leaders joined the picket line, including New York State Sen. Jessica Ramos, chair of the Committee on Labor (below). She said, "It's time for the Strand Bookstore to settle a fair contract."
The union asked customers not to cross the picket line by attending in-store events, selling used books, or making any in-store or online purchases.
During this busy holiday shopping season, many customers crossed the picket line, which led to several heated exchanges.
On Saturday, the picket line ran from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the workers set to return yesterday.
The former Rockwood Music Hall is for rent on the Lower East Side
You can find the PDF listing via Gavios here. (There's no mention of the monthly rent.)
As we first reported, Rockwood Music Hall abruptly closed its doors on Nov. 10. There wasn't any public mention of the closure (and still none to date), with musicians set to perform receiving last-minute emails from the venue stating that they had closed effectively immediately.
In the past month, we've heard from some Rockwood faithful who were disappointed at the club's ongoing radio silence, especially after its crowdfunding appeal in June 2023 in a bid to remain open.
Still facing financial challenges, Rockwood announced last November that the venue was "getting back to basics" and closing its Stage 2 space, which debuted in 2010 with a 175-person capacity. Nick Boder of Baker Falls is opening at the old Stage 2 address, as we first reported.
Rockwood's Boston outpost also abruptly closed in May, which "came as a surprise to ticket holders as well as artists who were booked to play the venue in the coming days and months."
Per NYS Music: "The end of Rockwood Music Hall marks the end of an era for New York City's music scene, and it's not difficult to say the same for the music industry. A beloved venue for avid music listeners and up-and-coming stars alike, the loss of Rockwood is sure to be felt sorely."
Owner Ken Rockwood opened the NYC venue in 2005, offering a small stage for up-and-coming acts and established musicians to play nightly.
Checking in on the former 7-Eleven on Avenue A
And in case you are wondering how the vacant Avenue A storefront compares to the 7-Eleven that closed the same week on the Bowery between Third Street and Fourth Street (all photos from Saturday) ...
We haven't spotted retail listings for either space yet.
Signage alert: Tiki Tiki on 1st Avenue
Per the brand's Instagram account, they offer "Churros, Skillet Cookies, Waffle Sticks & MORE!"
There's a Tiki Tiki in West New York, N.J., with outposts on the way in the EV and in Queens.
This is apparently a spin-off business from chocolate specialist Sticky Tiki.
No. 14 was previously home to successive illegal smoke shops that were not successful.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Sunday's parting shot
Photo by Stacie Joy
The grand finale at today's ceremony for the 33rd edition of the Tompkins Square Park tree lighting... we have a lot more photos to post later...
Week in Grieview
• Why this East Village restaurant is refusing to remove its curbside dining structure (Thursday)
• When is the annual tree lighting in Tompkins Square Park? (Monday)
• Ben's Deli has GRANDLY reopened (Wednesday)
• Comings and goings on 9th Street: Love Only and Salvage Cloth (Wednesday)
• An illegal smoke shop bust on 10th Street (Monday)
• Check out 'ABC No Rio in Photos' at Umbrella House on Avenue C (Saturday)
• Read an oral history of the great East Village zine shop See Hear (Sunday)
• Openings: Dark Matter Coffee's ¡Adios Amigos! on the Bowery (Friday)
• At Night 1 of TV on the Radio's residency at Webster Hall (Sunday)
• That's a wrap for now at Boris & Horton (Wednesday)
• Hester Street Fair pops up this holiday season at the Essex Market (Friday)
• Checking out the newish new home of Upright Citizens Brigade on 14th Street (Friday)
• December trees (Tuesday)
• Tompkins Square Park loses an elm tree (Thursday)
• ICYMI: Trader Joe's sues the recently opened Joe's Wine Co. for infringing on its intellectual property rights (Thursday)
• The Tide theft is still high (Wednesday)
... and down in Essex Crossing... EVG reader Roger Bultot shared this photo of the recently opened VITAL Climbing Gym. If you want to climb something legally...
Celebrating the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Photos by Stacie Joy
Parishioners yesterday celebrated the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.
This was a prelude to the official Feast Day on Dec. 12.
Per NBC News: "For Mexicans and Mexican-Americans as well as other Latinos, Our Lady of Guadalupe is a powerful symbol of devotion, identity, and patriotism."
Reminders: The 33rd annual tree lighting is TODAY in Tompkins Square Park
Photos by Steven
This afternoon marks the 33rd edition of the tree lighting in Tompkins Square Park from 4-5.
And the weather looks quite pleasant for the event, sponsored by C&B Cafe, which features the Carolers of Olde New York from Theater for the New City and refreshments via Veselka.
Yesterday, workers were spotted with the lighting in the tree. Hopefully, all the lights will work this year. (And here.)
Saturday, December 7, 2024
EVG Etc.: Modified 'City of Yes' receives Council approval; a grateful Jesse Malin takes the stage again
Morning view of Tompkins Square Park from along Avenue A
• City Council approves the Mayor's "City of Yes" housing plan by 3a 1-20 vote (NY1) ... "City of Yes" sets the stage for "bigger, taller luxury condos in our neighborhoods" (Village Preservation) ... How each NYC councilmember voted on City of Yes (City Limits) ... Christopher Marte, who represents the Lower East Side and downtown, was the only Manhattan City Council member to vote no. "He's argued for months that the 'City of Yes' will end up being a developer boondoggle that won't adequately mandate affordable construction. After the bill passed, he said that it would 'cast a long shadow over the city.'" (The Spirit)
• Report: Unsheltered homeless youth population doubled in NYC (The City)
• Jesse Malin makes "smash comeback" at Beacon Theatre (NY1 ... Variety) ... His comeback shows were a "testament to the human spirit" (Rolling Stone) ... previously on EVG
• Heat issues at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery (PIX11)
• City Council seeks universal parking ban at intersections (Streetsblog)
• CNN names "Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World" as one of the year's "unmissable" documentaries (CNN ... previously on EVG)
• "Citizen Kane" in 35mm at the Village East by Angelika on Monday (Official site)
• A touristy Christmas bar listicle if you're not feeling too hum-buggy (Delish)
Check out 'ABC No Rio in Photos' at Umbrella House on Avenue C
Meanwhile, the collectively run arts organization continues programming "in exile."
Here's info about an exhibit, "156: ABC No Rio in Photos," on weekends at Umbrella House at 21 Avenue C between Second Street and Third Street...
Friday, December 6, 2024
Built to 'Spells'
Freak Slug — aka Manchester-based performer Xenya Genovese — saw the release of her debut full-length release, I Blow Out Big Candles, earlier this month.
The video here is for "Spells."
She plays two shows in Brooklyn this weekend (Baby's All Right and Union Pool), though both are sold out.
Freak Slug will be back around in April, headlining the Bowery Ballroom.
Hester Street Fair pops up this holiday season at the Essex Market
This holiday season, the Fair, with various vendors, hosts a pop-up at the Essex Market.
And this marks the first time they've done a pop-up since leaving their home base in 2020 after getting the boot from the Seward Park Co-Op board.
You can find them here on Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 22. There are new vendors every weekend on the Market's mezzanine level. More details here.
Hours: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
The Essex Market is at Essex and Delancey.
Openings: Dark Matter Coffee's ¡Adios Amigos! on the Bowery
As we've been reporting (here and here), the Chicago-based Dark Matter Coffee is opening its first NYC outpost on the SE corner of the Bowery at First Street.
And today (Friday!) is the debut of the space, which is going as ¡Adios Amigos! (the name from the 14th and final studio record by the Ramones).
This outpost will serve Dark Matter coffee and other cafe fare and include a Sleep Walk Chocolateria.
Here's more via an Instagram post by founder Jessie Diaz:
The amount of work put into this store was heavy, physically demanding, emotional, and fulfilling in ways that we haven’t felt as a team in years! My eternal gratitude for the whole crew of mighty Chicagoans who have put this work of art together!We will be showcasing them and their contributions throughout the next week and beyond!New York City, we are elated to be here, and humbled to make coffee for you on the Bowery! This shop will be also showcasing our sister brand @sleepwalkchocolateria making chocolate in our first open kitchen concept along with a gradual rollout of some savory and sweet food program!
Hours: Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a 7 a.m. start on Saturdays and Sundays.
Former SW corner occupants Blue & Cream relocated its flagship outpost to 409 Bleecker St. in early 2023 after 15 years on the Bowery.
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