Monday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

A moment today at the Green Oasis Community Garden on Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D...

Signage alert: Kolachi at 130 1st Ave.

Photo by Steven 

Kolachi has made it signage official at 130 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

The incoming quick-serve spot with a handful of seats for to-stay dining features paratha rolls (and fries). 

As Eater reported last month: "Owner Saif Qazi formerly worked in finance; this is his first restaurant and a means to bring food from his home in Pakistan to a greater audience in New York." 

The bakery Sweet Generation was here for nearly six years before a move to a larger location in Brooklyn in late 2020.

Trek cycles off the Bowery

Updated 9/27: A Trek employee said this location will remain open until the end of the year.

The Trek Bicycle shop at 303 Bowery between Houston and First Street has closed. (Thanks to the tipster for the news.) 

The brand arrived here in September 2019 ... one of several outposts around the city, including on First Avenue in Stuy Town. 

Before Trek arrived, this storefront in the retail base of Avalon Bowery Place sat empty for three-and-a-half years (the last tenant, Tatyana Boutique, left in January 2016). 

The retail space next door remains for rent too... Blue & Cream decamped for Greenwich Village at the end of 2022.

Casa Bond next for 334 Bowery

The restaurant space at 334 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond won't be vacant for too much longer here. 

There's now a hiring notice posted on the storefront for Casa Bond (not to be confused with Zero Bond!)...

Not sure at the moment who's behind the venture. (There's a placeholder Instagram account here.)

As we've noted, this has proven to be a difficult space to make work... Xeo Cantina closed here in June after a year in service ... following Gia Trattoria's four months in business ending in December 2021.  

Signage alert: Conor's Goat on Avenue A

Photo by Stacie Joy

Signage went up late last week at 23 Avenue A for Conor's Goat.

The last applicant for this space just south of Second Street was Mike Droney, whose credits include the now-closed Gleason's Tavern on West 41st Street.

CB3 approved a liquor license here in October 2022 for the then-unnamed establishment. According to the questionnaire (PDF here), the bar-restaurant will feature 18 tables spread out over the main floor and cellar... with a 10-seat bar. 

The sample menu with the application is from Gleason's, so Conor's Goat will presumably serve a like-minded variety of burgers, sandwiches, salads, etc. 

Per the CB3 minutes (PDF here), the approved hours were opening by 11 a.m. all days and closing by midnight Sunday to Wednesday and 1 a.m. Thursday to Saturday,

Conor's Goat has an Instagram account (set to private now) right here.

The last tenant in this space, Brooklyn Bean Roastery Cafe, closed in July 2021 after 15 months in business. And previously, we had Yerba Buena, which closed at the end of 2017.

A psychic for this block of 5th Street

As you may have sensed, a psychic adviser recently debuted on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

We perceived this arrival via planetary placements in a birth chart. Also, Eden told us that this place opened.

For a period, it seemed like any vacant storefront would become a home for psychics and/or tarot card and/or palm readers... then along came smoke shops. 

Perhaps we may be in for a reset with psychics*, who reportedly fared well during the early days of the pandemic, and bank branches.

This storefront was previously home to Tamam, a home accessories boutique, for five years.  

P.S.

* After writing the above post... we noticed that the psychic's storefront on Houston between Clinton and Attorney is now for rent...   

Sunday's parting shot

Happy to see Michael Sean Edwards this afternoon... the photographer, who lived in the East Village for decades before relocating to Brooklyn, was showing new work titled "Riding the Rails" just for today at Mildred on Ridge Street between Stanton and Rivington.

Through the years, we've posted some of his 1970s-1980s photography (like here ... and here). Check out his self-published book titled "Past Future Past — The East Village 1978-1980" right here. 

You can also see some of his work on the walls at Gnocco on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a moment during a Pan Arcadia set Thursday afternoon in Tompkins via Derek Berg)... 

• About Cure Thrift's community-driven new space coming to 3rd Avenue (Thursday) 

• Reports: Mount Sinai will phase out Beth Israel on 1st Avenue and 16th Street (Sunday) 

• ICYMI: The former P.S. 64/Charas is headed to a bankruptcy sale (Thursday) 

• A last look at vintage video game retailer 8 Bit and Up (Friday) 

• FTC Skateboarding pops up on Avenue A (Wednesday) 

• Target sets opening-day bullseye on Oct. 22 (Monday)

• East Village restaurant Cho-Ko comes back into view on 1st Avenue (Saturday) 

• Ben's Deli is temporarily closed for renovations (Tuesday) 

• The owners of Unregular Pizza unveil the Unregular Bakery on 4th Avenue (Monday) 

• Happy No. 129 to Veniero’s! (Saturday) 

• Reaching the top at 1 St. Mark's Place (Wednesday) 

• That's a wrap! Counting coins to benefit Social Tees at Mary O's (Tuesday) 

• Check out the former Salvation Army Family Store on 4th Avenue (Tuesday) 

• Brix Wine Shop is now open in its new space right next door on Avenue B (Monday) 

• B-Side will not reopen at 204 Avenue B (Tuesday) 

• Hello Lollo: Pizzeria signage alert at 27 Avenue B (Monday) 

• Signage alert: Curry Flavor on 6th Street (Wednesday)

• Buka has closed on 1st Avenue (Thursday) 

• East Village Mini Market debuts on Avenue A (Thursday) 

• On Houston, a bank branch replaces a nail salon, and it feels like 2010 (Monday)

• On 2nd Avenue, Moko temporarily relocates during renovation (Wednesday) 

• Today in grand opening alerts: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on 14th Street (Wednesday)

-----

Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

An upgrade and refresh for East Village community fridges

Top photo by Stacie Joy 

This past week, a new refrigerator arrived at the Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Avenue B and Ninth Street. 

After someone forcibly removed the door, the fridge had been out of commission for several weeks. 

This new fridge was installed by Pedro from La Plaza Cultural. He had to "raise the roof" a few inches on the enclosure to make room for the taller unit donated by Thadeaus Umpster from the New York City Community Fridge Network and IOH NYC (In Our Hearts NYC). 

Meanwhile, last weekend, EVG regular Lola Sáenz painted the new East Village Neighbors Community Fridge & Pantry outside S'MAC on First Avenue at 12th Street...

Find a map of all NYC community fridges right here.

Happy No. 129 to Veniero’s!

Veniero's Pasticceria opened on this day in 1894 on 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. You can read the EV Grieve opening coverage here. 

You can check out a comprehensive history of the business via Village Preservation.

P.S.

Yes, the VEN was out tonight on the neon signage.

East Village restaurant Cho-Ko comes back into view on 1st Avenue

After nearly three months, workers have removed most of the plywood from outside 59 First Ave., just south of Fourth Street. (We wrote about it on Aug. 16.)

The plywood completely obscured the two storefronts here... Giggles Convenience, an unlicensed cannabis shop, which was already closed.... and the very-much-open Cho-Ko, a homey Japanese restaurant serving a variety of ramen and gyoza. 

Several people we spoke with figured the place was closed... would-be diners had to navigate a plywood tunnel to enter during the sidewalk repair work.

You can find the Cho-Ko website here. They offer delivery via the usual platforms. Phone: (212) 388-0885.

Their listed hours are noon to 2 a.m. daily, with an 11 p.m. Sunday close. 

Saturday's opening shot

A (rare) quiet moment crossing First Avenue at 14th Street early this morning. 

More than an inch of rain is expected in the greater metropolitan (East Village) area today into this evening ... as, per the weather folks, we're getting the rain and wind from Tropical Rainstorm Ophelia. 

And happy fall.

Subsonic Youth

 

Subsonic Eye, an indie band from Singapore, recently released its fourth LP, All Around You. 

The video here is for "Yearning." 

And you can check out the band's brand of jangle pop on tour out at Baby's All Right on Oct. 22.

The 9th Street Block Party scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled due to rain

The heavy rain expected tomorrow has prompted organizers to cancel tomorrow's 9th Street A-1 Block Association Block Party between Avenue A and First Avenue.

And this will not be rescheduled. As we understand, the city will no longer allow rain dates for events like this.

A shame, as — along with the 10th Street Block Festival — this is one of the best block events around... and organizers have been hard at work planning this year's edition.

H/T William Klayer and Steven 

A last look at vintage video game retailer 8 Bit and Up

Photos by Stacie Joy

8 Bit and Up is expected to close tomorrow — as first reported here — after 15 years in business... most recently at 86 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (The shop started on the second floor at 37 St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue.)

The owner here is said to be retiring (there's word of an eBay shop ahead).

We stopped by for one more look at this memory-inducing time capsule of video games and consoles from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

As Untapped Cities once said, "The lack of windows, the low ceilings, fluorescent lights and concrete floor seem to recreate our memories of multi-night Counterstrike marathons."

Friday's opening shot

EVG reader Joe shared this photo from last night on 13th Street, noting: "Interesting method to block off drying concrete ..."

Thursday's parting shots

Photos by Stacie Joy

A new mural on the Sixth Street side of Sunny and Annie's at Avenue B courtesy of longtime East Village resident and artist EiLeen Doster...

About Cure Thrift's community-driven new space coming to 3rd Avenue

Cure Thrift is expanding its footprint on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and 12th Street. (H/T Pinch!)

In the months ahead, the eclectic nonprofit that benefits juvenile diabetes research and advocacy will debut The Market at Cure Thrift in the vacant storefront next door (the former Basics Plus, which closed in the spring).

Cure's ownership told us what to expect: 

We are using the basement for much-needed storage for Cure and will be turning the upstairs into a weekend vendors market that is very affordable for second-hand sellers and artists to sell their goods out of! 

During the week, we'll hold specialty events like dollar sales, stuff-a-bag sales, art and rare book nights, fundraisers, etc. It will be an extension of Cure Thrift, but different. It will be community-driven with a strong focus on small businesses, sustainability and affordability. 

The two storefronts were previously connected when Surprise! Surprise! was here (until 2014) ... Basics Plus downsized the space in 2019, becoming two separate retail spaces. 

However, reverting to that previous layout is not feasible now. 

"Unfortunately, we can't connect them since they're technically different buildings, but it's all us. We're very excited. (But we'd love to go back in time to those Surprise! Surprise! days!)"

Cure, which started in 2008, moved to the larger corner space in September 2021... after years on 12th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

ICYMI: The former P.S. 64/Charas is headed to a bankruptcy sale

As we first reported on Sept. 13, the former P.S. 64/Charas/El Bohio Community Center is headed to a bankruptcy sale this fall. 

The auction date for the long-vacant property at 605 E. Ninth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C is Nov. 8... and the qualified bid deadline is Oct. 18.

Yesterday, the Illinois-based Hilco Real Estate, a national real estate disposition services provider, issued a news release about the upcoming sale. 

Most of the information is the same that was on Hilco's website — with an exception (bold ours): 

With an interior that is now down to the studs, the building presents an opportunity for the approved construction of 535 beds for a student/college dormitory or alternatively offers a developer or investor the potential to help mitigate the current homeless and migrant crisis by using the building for that purpose. 

The 135,000-square-foot building is zoned for "community facility use." According to city records, a full stop-work order has been in place via the Department of Buildings since August 2015.

This piece published by THE CITY in March has more background about owner Gregg Singer's efforts here ...

In the 22 years since Singer evicted local activists, he has been unable to get needed approvals to modify the building and garner revenue. In 2006, the city Landmarks Preservation Commission protected the building as historically significant, which prevented any construction of additional floors and protected those elements of the building’s edifice that Singer had not already destroyed. 

Singer’s subsequent plan to turn the building into collegiate dorms were complicated by the arrival of Rule 51, also known as the Dorm Rule, which gives control over the building to the educational institution — rather than the landlord — and mandates 10-year leases. At different times, Adelphi University and Cooper Union tentatively agreed to lease the building before backing out of negotiations, according to court documents. 

Local elected officials have urged all three mayors who have passed through City Hall since the building's purchase to intervene and return the building to the community. None have acted.

East Village Mini Market debuts on Avenue A

Photo by William Klayer 

East Village Mini Market is now open at 153 Avenue A near 10th Street. 

We noted this pending arrival on Sept. 2 — when the new signage went up on the storefront. Then, workers removed the signage, casting doubt on the opening. 

Anyway! 

There's now temp signage up there obscured by the opening balloonage. 

And this is not a smoke shop (there is a small assortment of CBD products) ... but it's mostly snacks, beverages, etc. However, there is no deli counter here for sandwiches, wraps, salads, etc., like the business it took over — Tompkins Finest Deli & Grill.

TFDG abruptly closed late last month after 11-plus years.