[Updated] The East Village Rite Aid does NOT close today on 1st Avenue

Updated 6/5: Despite the layoff notices to the State of New York effective yesterday and an array of media reports listing June 4 as a closing date, the East Village Rite Aid remains open on First Avenue. An employee had no idea when they might close and hadn't been updated on its status. She said she'd be there until they told her the store was closed for good. 

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The bankrupt pharmacy chain Rite Aid is closing all of its locations in New York State, with the three Manhattan stores, including the one at 81 First Ave., shutting down today.

According to WARN notices filed with the New York State Department of Labor, 15 employees are losing their jobs at the East Village location effective today. (All state layoff notices for the remaining Rite Aids are dated June 4.)

As previously reported, Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy (again) last month, citing years of financial struggles and a rapidly changing retail pharmacy market. CEO Matt Schroeder stated that the chain was selling off its assets and transitioning its pharmacy services to competitors. 

"Your prescriptions will be transferred to a chain pharmacy nearby, probably either CVS or Duane Reade, whichever company buys the prescriptions from us," a store employee told us last month. 

Crain's, who first noted the June 4 closing date, reported that the leases for the 33 metropolitan Rite Aids are heading to auction via a New Jersey bankruptcy court. Interested bidders may register with A&G Real Estate Partners. (Updated: Spectrum News also reported the June 4 closure 

The EV Rite Aid was reportedly leasing the space for upwards of $50,000 per month.

Strauss News did some digging on the single-level building's ownership here on the SW corner of First Avenue at Fifth Street: 

The 1920s-era East Village building has been owned by the New Tandem Equities since 2007, city property records reveal, when it was sold to them for $4.2 million by an LLC under developer Anthony Marano's control. Marano, in turn, had bought the building from grocery store mogul (Gristedes and D’Agostino's) and radio station owner (WABC 770 AM) John Catsimatidis in 2005.

Again, the auction is for the leases, not the properties. The EV lease is reportedly set to expire in 2032.

The shelves at the First Avenue Rite Aid have been mostly barren for over a year, although this store managed to survive the previous company turmoil. 

EVG readers praised the efficient pharmacy staff at the EV Rite Aid. Per one commenter last month: "Their pharmacists were always extremely helpful, and the customer service was excellent!"

The Astor Place Greenmarket will not be returning

Photo from 2020 by Steven 

The Tuesday Astor Place Greenmarket won't be coming back for a fifth season. 

This market is now marked "permanently closed" on the GrowNYC website. (H/T Steven.) 

A GrowNYC spokesperson confirmed the closure, citing reduced foot traffic since the pandemic. 

The market, situated on the south plaza adjacent to the cube, debuted in August 2020. Since then, it has run from June through November on Tuesdays, typically hosting four to five vendors each week. 

As the GrowNYC rep pointed out, the East Village community can still support local farmers year-round, five days a week at the Tompkins Square Greenmarket on Sundays and the Union Square Greenmarket on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Openings: Lil Sweet Treat on 2nd Avenue

Photos by William Klayer 

The Lil Sweet Treat outpost is now open — as of May 31 — at 150 Second Ave. between Ninth Street. (We had the scoop on this arrival here.)

The shop features a variety of pick-and-mix candy sourced from around the world ($21.50 per pound), including Dizzy Bubblegum Skull Bubs from Sweden. 

The brand opened its first shop last fall in the West Village... and is also expanding with a new storefront in Boston and one in Philadelphia next week.

Tuesday's parting shot

Early evening from Tompkins Square Park...

From around the blogosphere: The history of 2 East Village backhouses

Ephemeral New York has an interesting piece on two East Village backhouses — "a second house (or rear house, as they were known in the 19th century) built behind a street-facing dwelling." 

Check out more about these buildings hidden from the sidewalk between 12th Street and 13th Street (Avenue A and First Avenue) at this link.

Cleanup planned for E-bike hub on 11th Street following spike in complaints

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Signage recently went along 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, announcing a scheduled cleanup of the heavily trafficked e-bike, moped and bicycle area. 

The effort — slated to begin today — is a joint initiative by the 9th Precinct and the Department of Sanitation, prompted by a surge in community complaints. 

The block is a popular spot for e-bike delivery workers to gather as they wait to fulfill deliveries, in part given the proximity of the under-renovation Madina Masjid Islamic Council of America, one of the city's most prominent mosques, founded in 1976. 

The signs, posted in English, Spanish, Arabic, French, and Wolof, notify residents and delivery workers that any bikes not moved by the cleanup date (the deadline was yesterday) will be removed and impounded.

According to residents and local officials, complaints about congestion, noise, and sanitation issues tied to the unofficial parking and staging area have intensified in recent months. The issue has become a recurring topic at neighborhood council meetings at the 9th Precinct. 

Police say this is part of a broader effort to address quality-of-life issues while balancing the needs of workers and residents. 

While some in the community have voiced frustration, many delivery workers — aka deliveristas — say they've taken steps to keep the area clean. 

Several riders on the block pointed out trash bags and brooms they've been using to manage the space themselves.

They also spoke to me, stating they need security here because they say their methods of transportation for making a living are often stolen. Despite using GPS and tracking devices, they claim police are not willing to help them track down their bikes.

In past years, the Madina Masjid mosque has drawn criticism from local residents and business owners due to "cabbies filling metered spaces and parking in front of fire hydrants, in truck loading zones and in bus lanes" to attend prayer services, according to published reports. 

Parking for prayer services has been an issue since the religious institution opened, per DNAinfo in 2013. What was once a battle over car congestion has shifted gears — now, it's all about the bikes for some residents. 

Updated

Late yesterday afternoon, EVG reader Choresh Wald shared this photo, noting that the city added a sidewalk extension on the SE corner of First Avenue and 11th Street. The perpetual food truck here even relocated to the SW corner of First Avenue and 11th Street...

... but it had returned within an hour...

We haven't received any updates about an extension here... we'll see if we can get clarification on what's happening.

New broker for Avenue A storefront that has been vacant for nearly 11 years

New broker signage has arrived at 28 Avenue A, prime real estate between Second Street and Third Street.

Incredibly, this space has been empty since the two-level market Gracefully closed in November 2014. 

Gracefully arrived here in 1997. It was the tenant when the building — the one-time Burger-Klein furniture shop — underwent a gut renovation to look like Iron Man's helmet. 

The Gracefully signage remains...

According to the RealNY listing, there are 5,000 square feet on the main floor and another 3,500 in the basement. Rental price available upon request... "most uses considered" for the vented space. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• A look inside the former Gracefully storefront on Avenue A, vacant now for nearly 8 years

Monday's parting shots

Time again for the Tribeca Festival, which starts Wednesday (and runs through June 15). 

Once again, the Village East by Angelika, located on Second Avenue at 12th Street, will be a festival theater...

You can find the Festival guide here. 

Note that Village East by Angelika will resume regular movie screenings on June 17.

Thanks to the readers for the photos: 

Top: Louise and Danny 

2nd: Aron Ranen

June 2

Photo by Robert Miner 

Hope everyone is enjoying their June so far... as seen on 11th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue on this June 2...

About 'Kii – A Night to Unite,' an evening celebrating culture, resilience and community

The owners of Evil Katsu, the restaurant offering Japanese comfort food at 435 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, shared this information with us: 

Join us at The Monroe for "Kii – A Night to Unite," a special evening celebrating culture, resilience, and community. Evil Katsu is proud to partner with The Monroe and Emma's Torch to raise awareness for the ongoing Myanmar crisis and to connect the people and organizations working to make a difference. 

Our very own line cook, Kii, a refugee from Myanmar and a graduate of Emma's Torch, will curate an intimate three-course meal inspired by the rich flavors of her homeland. Kii's journey from seeking refuge to becoming a vital part of the Evil Katsu family is a testament to strength, hope, and the power of food to bring people together. 

The event takes place this Wednesday evening at 7 at The Monroe, 49 Monroe St., located across from Coleman Park in Two Bridges. 

Find tickets about the menu and tickets here.

City issues RFP for affordable housing development on 5th Street

On Thursday, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to redevelop the parking lot at 324 E. Fifth St. into "100% affordable housing."

The 9th Precinct uses the 11,540-square-foot site between First Avenue and Second Avenue for parking and various towed vehicles. 

Affordable housing on this parking lot was one of the points of agreement in the City Council's December 2021 vote to approve the controversial SoHo/NoHo rezoning. 

According to HPD officials, nearly 400 residents completed the site questionnaire or attended the public workshop in February to share their visions and ideas for the lot. 

Per officials: "The feedback that HPD received has shaped the RFP that HPD is releasing ... will shape the eventual housing when it is built." 

HPD heard the community's ask for deeply affordable housing and a community center, childcare, or senior center on the ground floor. There was also a strong preference that the future building incorporate green space. 

The HPD also released the 324 East Fifth Street Community Visioning Report (PDF here) if you want more background on the input to date. 

You can find the RFP, which is due on Aug. 22, at this link. 

This will be a years-long project. Many phases remain before construction even starts...

Back to the HPD: 

After a proposal is selected, HPD and the development team will continue to provide regular updates to local stakeholders as the selected plan makes its way through the city's public approvals process. Once the plan receives final approval through the New York City Council, it will move forward to financing and construction.

Above credit: NYC Housing

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• More discussion on the future of the city-owned parking lot at 324 E. 5th St. 

• City launches community engagement campaign for '100% affordable housing' on 9th Precinct parking lot 

Signage alert: Eim Khao Mun Kai on 2nd Avenue

Photo by Steven 

Signage went up Saturday for Eim Khao Mun Kai, a celebrated Thai-style chicken-and-rice specialist in Elmhurst, at 129 Second Ave. 

Here's an Eater take on the 11-year-old restaurant: 

Hainan, the island of China's southernmost province, is famous for its chickens, which are poached in a gingery broth and served with soy sauce. This cafe specializes in the Thai take on the birds. The leftover broth is used to cook the rice that's served with the sliced chicken ... along with some cucumber slices for contrast. A fortifying meal costs around $10.

No word on an EV opening date. 

This is the second outpost for the restaurant, with more in the works. You can follow them on Instagram here. 

Misoya closed here between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place in April.

88 Coffee debuts at the Bowery Market

88 Coffee is the latest tenant to open at the Bowery Market... debuting in soft-open mode last week at the yellow and blue stand inspired by the Vietnamese city of Hội An. 

This is the first outpost for the business selling Vietnamese Coffee and bánh mì.

The brand has been a regular on Fridays at Smorgasburg Williamsburg and has done pop-ups in other locations. 

Open here on the Bowery from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can follow them on Instagram here. (Photo below from @88coffeecompany.)

The Alchemist's Kitchen is another new tenant here on the Bowery and Great Jones ... joining Kettl Tea and Twig'm, purveyors of Korean street food.

Openings and closing on these 2 blocks of 1st Avenue

Acro Coffee recently debuted at 213 First Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

We don't know too much about them yet (their Instagram account has this slogan: "Rooted in hospitality, designed for discovery.") 

Meanwhile, next door, Sweet Cake is officially closed. A small for-rent sign is now on the storefront that has been dark for months...

This was the second outpost for the Flushing-based bakery and cafe, which serves coffee, matcha drinks, and Asian-style desserts.

The EV shop debuted last June. We last saw anyone in here in the fall, around the time an Instagram post called for investors. 

And up the block, grand-opening signage hangs at Fat Boys Burgers, 231 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street.

This is the second location for the burger joint, first launched by two brothers and a cousin on Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen. (All three were born and raised in that neighborhood, helping out at the family-owned A&A Deli, now Healthy Market.) 

Fat Boys offers a variety of burgers (including a meatless version), fries, chopped chicken fries and shakes. Find a menu here.

Sunday's parting shot

Here's a look at the new Pride Month mural outside the Second Avenue F stop. Once again, the Dusty Rebel curated the work, a collaboration between Jason Haaf and Scooter LaForge.

On Tuesday, a District 2 City Council Candidates Forum on housing

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cooper Square Committee (@coopersquare)

Three local organizations, Cooper Square Committee, Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), and This Land is Ours CLT, are co-sponsoring a District 2 City Council Candidates Forum. 

Per organizers: Find out where the candidates stand on housing issues, including rent-stabilized housing, NYCHA housing, and homelessness. Candidates will also discuss the need for more funding to preserve and develop deeply affordable housing as well as housing counseling and legal services to protect tenants' rights.

The forum is from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on 10th Street at Second Avenue. Please RSVP here.

The NYC primary voting day is June 24 ... with early voting beginning on June 14. 

Questions? Visit the NYC Board of Elections website.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg)...

• Checking out the newly reopened area of East River Park (Thursday)

• Rossy's Bakery & Café to close after 15 years on 3rd Street (Tuesday) 

• Neighborhood invited to help shape the future of ABC Playground (Tuesday) 

• Packing up Sixth Street Specials (Wednesday) 

• ICYMI: In Tompkins Square Park, Amelia and her new mate welcome first brood together (Monday) 

• Here's Johnny on the Bowery (Friday) 

• Where you can get a copy of the Ray's Candy Store photo book (Sunday) 

• Flock this way: Flamingos Vintage Pound debuts on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

• Key Food new self-checkouts month in review (plus a first look at the new dessert signage) (Friday) 

• Wash Rite Laundromat has closed on 4th Street (Tuesday) 

• Upperz Cafe and Bar announces closing date on 14th Street (Wednesday) 

• Plywood up at Theatre 80 (Wednesday) 

• 'Parent Trap' parody 'Ginger Twinsies' up next at the Orpheum Theatre (Saturday) 

... and from our walk-through of the newly opened area of East River Park on Monday: A message near the Delancey Street pedestrian bridge reading "Next stop, Art Basel."

Sweep the leg, Johnny! Take in a screening of 'The Karate Kid' at First Park

The city's Movies Under the Stars series begins this week in city parks.

Around here, the only film on the summer slate is the original  "Karate Kid" (1984) — the one that proved leaving New Jersey for L.A. might not be such a great idea after all.

The classic that spawned sequels, remakes and a TV series plays at First Park, First Street at Houston, on Thursday, June 12. Movies begin at dusk or 8:30 p.m., whichever comes first. 

And there will NOT be a special section for anyone rooting for the Cobra Kai dojo. 

The Movies Under the Stars series is presented by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and NYC Parks. Find the complete list of the mostly family-friendly summer films here.

6 posts from May

A mini month in review (with a graduation scene on 7th Street by Derek Berg)... 

• Rossy's Bakery & Café to close after 15 years on 3rd Street (May 27) 

• Park access shifts again: What's open and closed in East River Park starting Memorial Day as construction moves to the north (May 22) 

• Me-Wow! FDNY rescues Nico the Cat from East Village tree (May 20) 

• First look at the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop (May 14)

• Rite Aid is closing its remaining New York stores, including on 1st Avenue in the East Village (May 7) 

• More details emerge on Corner Bistro's proposed East Village location (May 5)

'Parent Trap' parody 'Ginger Twinsies' up next at the Orpheum Theatre

Photos by Steven 

Signage is up at the classic Orpheum Theatre at 126 Second Ave. for its next Off-Broadway production — "Ginger Twinsies." 

The plot! 

In the summer of 1998, a pair of long-lost, red-headed twin girls unexpectedly meet at a sleep-away camp and hatch a plan to reunite their estranged parents. Sound familiar? Shut up, no it doesn't! 

Welcome to "Ginger Twinsies" — a loving, outlandish, and wildly inappropriate send-up of the Lindsay Lohan/Nancy Meyers classic that made us all believe that Oreos go great with peanut butter, wedding gowns deserve top hats, and being young and beautiful is not a crime. 

So, pack your bags! Kevin Zak (no credits) invites you to enjoy this 80-minute parody of "The Parent Trap" stacked with nostalgia, camp (literally, they go camping), and some unexpected twists. 

The show opens here between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place on July 10, with an Oct. 26 end date. 

Find ticket info here.

In March, "The Jonathan Larson Project" ended its previously scheduled run two-plus months early after sluggish ticket sales.