Remembering the Odessa Cafe and Bar

[Photo by Goggla via Flickr]

The Odessa Cafe and Bar closed for good early Sunday morning... bringing to an end some 48 years of the Odessa at 117 Avenue A. Today, Jeremiah and Goggla each pay their respects.


[Photo by Goggla]

Previously.

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: The Baroness
Occupation: Latex Fashion Designer.
Location: The Baroness Fashions, 530 East 13th St.
Time: 2 pm on Thursday, Aug. 29

I’m English, from Banstead, which is slightly to the south of London, but I’ve been in New York forever. I first lived on the West Coast and then I came here in the ‘70s before the first blackout, when New York was scary. The rotten apple. I lived on the Upper East Side for awhile and people kept saying, ‘You live on the Lower East Side, right?’ And I said, ‘No, I’m a fashionable Upper East Sider.‘ And then finally I decided, fuck, I’m a Lower East Side kind of person.

I remember dining at a French restaurant that came into the neighborhood on Avenue C called Bernard’s. It was the only ‘restaurant’ in the East Village. I remember being there and just watching the building across the street go up in flames. And you’re eating fancy French food. You could really see the juxtaposition. I think it was really brave for Bernard to have a restaurant there because we were in the middle of nowhere, but that did add to the cache. ABC, where everybody was like, ‘oh god there’s this hip place where I can go.’ This was the time when women wore these long fur coats, and there were people out there yelling ‘Taxi,’ and it’s like, ‘hey, there’s none on Avenue C, you’re going to have to walk forever to get one, in your floor length coat.’ You’d have to walk through Tompkins Square Park to get a cab. And if by chance you made a wrong turn, you’re going to the projects.

Before latex, I was a costume designer in the film business — for movies, for film, for theatre. Even though I had worked on some great projects and traveling for work was great, I really liked New York and I didn’t like being away for 3-4 months on each job.

And then I got turned on to latex. One day a slave bought a dress for me to pick up. It was a little red dress, short, zip front, sleeveless, not my style. And even though it didn’t fit me, I started a business right then and there, 20 years ago. When I started this I just wanted to dress myself and then I wanted to dress myself for all occasions and then I wanted to dress the people around me. That was it. I had worked with latex before but in the same way that I had worked with clothing in general. I could see so many possibilities. It’s an amazing material. It’s the most sensual of all materials. Latex is bigger than clothing for me. It’s huge.

I started in my studio doing doing wholesale, off the Internet and custom appointments, although people were hesitant to come and try on latex in the studio. They were like, ‘Am I going to be sold into slavery?’ If that was going to happen, I would charge by the hour. I hadn’t thought that I could afford a store and was originally just looking for a workspace but eventually I found this place. The store has made a huge difference

When people think of fetish, they think of black and red, gas masks, full body enclosures and things like that, which is fine, but red and black latex are just too cliche for me. My whole concept for latex was that people could wear it, that they could wear it out on the street and be comfortable and feel attractive in it. I want people not to be scared of latex. When I want them to be scared of latex I will do that. We’ve got the body bags, the inflatable straight jackets, the sucky bed — we’ve got the weird stuff too. I have some clientele who are looking for that but that’s a really specific person and unfortunately there are not enough of them.

Our main clientele ranges from a lot of stylists, to stars, to people in the neighborhood. When Lady Gaga did the entrance to the Grammys in the big egg, we dressed all those people. Nicki Minaj has been wearing some of our stuff recently. You get people who come in and their first purchase is usually a black skirt. We get mostly women even though we have a men’s line. I’m really dressing men as opposed to the standard little gimp type person or the gay guy in the little pair or shorts or thong. We also do a lot of stuff for events. For the big fetish events we’ll get a lot of custom orders. A lot of my work is custom.

There’s just not enough of us; There are not enough perverts out there, I think. I started to throw these fetish parties because I’m a fetishist and I like parties and I like people to dress up. And one of my big fetishes is the fetish of dress. I throw the longest running fetish party in New York, called Retinue. Each month there’s a different theme. My goal with that event was to inspire people to look into this life. Fetish can be latex, leather, cross-dressing, being a giant butterfly — it can be anything. It’s really just the concept of dress.

I think the community is incredibly small. Right now it has changed a lot. The whole scene has changed as far as dominatrix goes. It used to be in the old days, mistresses would have their slaves and the slaves would be in complete adoration of them, specifically. Now you have more college-age chicks who are kind of doing this gig cause it’s easy. And you don’t get that loyalty with the men. If someone’s going to be a slave, in my mind, we’re talking about a commitment like a marriage. They basically represent you. It used to be that people knew who was owned by who and how to behave and there’s less of a requirement now and very few people seem to have that.

When latex was fresh and new I really worked on pushing it out to the mainstream. I wanted to see it out on the street and I had a whole philosophy about that. And now that it’s out we’ve lost a lot of the body bags, the dark stuff, the really interesting stuff is gone because it’s so public. That reminds me of this neighborhood.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Tonight: DIRECT ACTION FASHION HAPPENS

From the EVG inbox...

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) and chashama, the acclaimed New York City non-profit that supports artists by giving them space to create, will unite to kick off Fashion Week 2013 with DIRECT ACTION FASHION HAPPENS.

Designed to celebrate and educate about the often-ingenious, always-quirky use of fashion to drive positive social change, DIRECT ACTION FASHION HAPPENS will take place tonight 6:30-8 at Anita’s Way, West 42nd to West 43rd Streets between Sixth Avenue and Broadway.

With New York City’s own radical marching band, Rude Mechanical Orchestra, providing the soundtrack to a photo exhibit that includes images from MoRUS’s inaugural Direct Action Fashion Show held last February, DIRECT ACTION FASHION HAPPENS is free and open to the public.

“It’s exciting to have our organizations, both of which are active in reclaiming public space, collaborate in Times Square during Fashion Week to present an alternative view of fashion — one that celebrates how garments and accessories can be used to promote social change versus corporate gain,” says Laurie Mittelmann, co-director of MoRUS.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] At the Direct Action Fashion Show

Russ & Daughters cafe concept off the September CB3/SLA docket

The appearance of a "Russ & Daughters Cafe" on the CB3/SLA's September docket stirred up plenty of interest... there have been rumors of an off-shoot of the LES classic the past few years... Anyway, looks like we'll have longer to speculate — Russ & Daughters has been red-lined from the September agenda.



Check out BoweryBoogie and The Lo-Down for more details on the cafe concept.

Soft opening action: Somtum Der on Avenue A; Han Dynasty on 3rd Avenue

As we reported on Aug. 1, the Bangkok-based Somtum Der is opening its first U.S. restaurant at 85 Avenue A, home of the former Lantern Thai Kitchen. Somtum Der is currently in soft opening mode...



Fork in the Road had a preview last week:

Thanaruek "Eh" Laoraowirodge has been feeding the people of Bangkok somtum der, a version of green papaya salad that's native to his hometown of Khon Kaen in the northeastern Isan region of Thailand. "Thai people like to eat this kind of food," he explains. "We focused on the authenticity of papaya salad. Most papaya salad in Bangkok adjusted to the Bangkok palate."

-----


[Last week]

Meanwhile, over on Third Avenue at East 12th Street, Han Dynasty is also in soft-open mode... this is the first New York outpost from Han Chiang, the Sichuan master with six restaurants in Philadelphia. A few details on the space via Zagat:

[U]nlike some other hot Asian spots (hello, Mission Chinese) the venue skips a purposely hip decor in favor of a no-frills room.

And!

And about those dishes: the more, the merrier. The menu is affordable, and after we asked for the check, we pulled a "actually, can we see a menu again," and ordered a second round of appetizers and entrees.

Sure, it may not look like much now... oh, forget it

[Photo by EVG reader Jake Brotter]

Here's a quick look inside the one-year-in-making 7-Eleven, opening maybe probably next month on Avenue A and East 11th Street.

Evening rush

Photo by Nick Solares.

Hot tub horror! Dr Doom ordered to remove model magnet from E. 1st Street party deck

There's news from atop 6 E. First St. to pass along. The Post has the story!

“Dr. Doom” economist Nouriel Roubini has been forced to remove his giant hot tub — famed for being packed with hot young models at his wild parties — from the roof of his Manhattan penthouse by the city.

Roubini, dubbed Dr. Doom for predicting the financial crisis, ran afoul of the Department of Buildings after he did not get approval for the tub, large enough to hold 10, and the wooden roof deck he had built at his East First Street bachelor pad for his boisterous bacchanals.

Where now for the boisterous bacchanals?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Party guy Dr. Doom bringing his hedge funders and models to East First Street penthouse

After nearly 4 years, First Street penthouse finally in contract

Last one in the Jacuzzi!: Dr. Doom's 14-hour bash on East First Street last weekend

First Avenue Pierogi and Deli back open after summer break

One of our favorites, First Avenue Pierogi & Deli at 130 First Ave., closed for the summer after July 4. They are back open today. Now go! Cabbage rolls await...

Here's what we did last summer

Some scenes from the summer of 2013.

JUNE

We watched the annual Drag March


[Photo by editrrix]

We bid farewell to the Blarney Cove



We saw a random bouncy castle out back of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on East Fourth Street



We came together to help a gravely injured employee of East Village Farm and Grocery


[Photo via @Xeus]

We got to hang out with Iggy Pop in 1993.



We mourned Arturo Vega



We rooted for Ray getting an A


[Shawn Chittle]

We learned that Midtown South has new boundaries.



We met Treeman


[EVG reader Jeremy]

We watched Katz's turn 125


[Photo by Stephen Popkin]

We talked a lot about Citi Bikes, one way or another



We took in Art Around the Park during the Howl! Festival


[Bobby Williams]

JULY

We found new uses for Citi Bikes


[Photo by Julius Klein]

We lined up to say bye to Max Fish


[Photo by @toddsines]

We saw the end of Tu Casa's mural


[EVG reader Ann]

We went on vacation for the first time



We watched Katie Holmes on Avenue B


[EVG reader Vinny]

We took care of a baby bird



We found ways to cool off.



AUGUST

We watched Mary Help of Christians disappear


[Dan Efram]

We saw people write things on where David Schwimmer will live


[EVG reader Marc]

We had our last meal at Odessa Cafe and Bar



We almost fell into this...



We watched the Joe Strummer mural get blasted into oblivion


[Bobby Williams]

We looked for 13 Portals


[Jim Flynn]

We learned about Nestor



We watched a man steal a bike



We welcomed an actual normal new restaurant



We marveled at Rite Aid



We learned that the 9th Precinct illegally recruited a player for its basketball team


[Slum Goddess]

We took this photo



We went to the Tompkins Square Park riot 25th anniversary shows...


[Bobby Williams]

We enjoyed many amazing sunsets...


[Bobby Williams]

Test drilling along an empty stretch of East 14th Street

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

A crew has set up shop over on East 14th Street...outside the strip of recently vacated buildings between Avenue A and Avenue B ... The workers are testing water levels and the composition of the soil ... steps to take before any construction can start here...

A still-unspecified new development will eat up much of the block. As we first reported last December, eight parcels consisting of 222 Avenue A and 504 - 530 E. 14th St. (excluding No. 520) were leased for a 99-year period by the respective owner of East Village 14 LLC. As The Real Deal reported, city property records show that Gary Barnett of Extell Development signed a 99-year lease worth $35.14 million to rent eight Sol Goldman-owned properties.

No word on any construction timeline here either. Back in November 2012, we spotted a drill outfit at the former Mary Help of Christians, which was eventually demolished last month.

Previously on EV Grieve:
East 14th Street exodus continues

The disappearing storefronts of East 14th Street

[Updated with correction] 8-lot parcel of East 14th Street primed for new development

Bargain Express has closed on East 14th Street

East 14th Street corridor now nearly business-free ahead of new development

About the Female Hysteria tonight at Parkside Lounge

By Stacie Joy

We sat down with Calamity Chang and Coco Te Amo to talk about Driver’s Seat, a burlesque mentoring project helmed by Jonny Porkpie, Jo “Boobs” Wheldon and Chang.

Jonny and Calamity have been mentoring new producers toward their own shows, all held at Parkside Lounge. Tonight’s show is Coco Te Amo’s new production, “Women on the Edge,” which explores the myths surrounding female hysteria and madness.



Interview with Coco Te Amo

What is it like to undergo the mentoring experience with experienced producers like Jonny Porkpie and Calamity Chang?

Well, it's like any opportunity to sit down with more renowned people in your field that you have looked up to: equal parts intimidating, wonderful and exciting. Calamity herself is someone I hold a deep amount of respect and admiration for. She's an incredible example of what it means to be both a successful artist and businesswoman. She's a hustler!

Johnny is also a great producer and performer, but he is more the sensei dropping nuggets of wisdom that can completely change the way you look at something. They bring an incredible balance to Driver's Seat and provide different perspectives, while trusting you to execute your vision.

How has this process affected your skills as a performer and as a fledgling producer?

It has brought more thoughtfulness and a sense of commitment to my own work as a burlesque performer. As a performer, you want to be the best you can be — to get it right by you. As a producer, your mind is in a different place than it is when you are just simply trying to get stage time. It sheds light on many of the things you don't think about as a performer and also makes you realize that putting on a show ain't for the weak of heart. Your perspective becomes wider, if not more informed. You respect the details and the little things more. You become a better performer to work with by taking these details into your working life.

What do you think of the art scene in the East Village?

When I came to New York a decade ago, I remember very specifically seeing an article in the New York Times proclaiming that the East Village was dead or no longer the major player art scene, something sort of dramatic like that.

I get very suspicious of statements like those, but on the other hand, I also don't know what it is like to have lived through such upheaval as an artist in the decades before, and then to see your home so radically cleansed of what it used to symbolize. I only know what I see now, which is vibrant performers, dedicated to making things happen, even if the landscape and demographic of what the East Village has been and still is rapidly changing.

What is it like to perform downtown vs. in other areas of the city, the state, the country?

Performing downtown is like going home. This isn't to say that performing in other places isn't joyful or even wonderful — they give you a fresh look at what happens outside your own bubble, your regular audiences.

But when I'm downtown, there is a freedom here to just do you. Look, I'll always feel at home in any back room with a few naked ladies putting on drag and getting ready to make magic on stage. But downtown New York, and specifically, the NY School of Burlesque, is the place that opened the door to burlesque for me and gave me the life I have now. I can never be grateful enough for that.

What direction do you think the live entertainment/performance art scene will take in the East Village in the next five or so years?

I'm unsure. There are so many new shows popping up, and that makes me hopeful, but seeing places like the Slipper Room alive and kicking is also good. I think New York makes the future very hard to predict, unless we are talking real estate. Sometimes I see landmarks of the city disappear, only to have a condo go up and it does make me feel anxious about being an artist here, as well as sustaining a healthy artistic life.

But to encounter the artists in the East Village is to encounter people doing what it is they need to do, in spite of all the obstacles you can face here. I tend to get very worn down by the pace of New York, but it is always seeing the artists, specifically the burlesque community around me, that give me that reinvigorated breath to keep going and keep creating. If we aren't going to keep creating magic, who else will?



Interview with “the Asian Sexsation,” Calamity Chang

What inspired you to create (or co-create) the Driver’s Seat mentoring program?

It happened over the course of a few conversations I had with Jo “Boobs” Wheldon and Jonny Porkpie where we were talking about the lack of female producers in the burlesque scene. No one can deny that burlesque is a woman’s space and it made no sense to the three of us (and a lot of others I’ve come to realize) that the women were not taking the reins in controlling how their images as performers are presented.

How has the process affected you as a producer, and if at all, as a performer?

One of the most surprising things that I’ve learned from Driver’s Seat and from teaching my Producing Burlesque class (through the NY School of Burlesque), is that there is a lot of information that I take for granted as obvious or “everyone knows that” but in fact is very interesting to other people. I’ve also found that everyone is uncomfortable talking about money or the financial negotiation part. I’m not. Maybe cause I’m Chinese?

How are East Village-based performance locations and audiences different than those in other places?

East Village is a lot more arty and open-minded to alternative culture compared to other neighborhoods and venues I’ve performed at and produced shows in. However, people are generally poorer (i.e.: bad tippers) in LES and East Village because a lot of people in this area are also in the art world. Artists tipping artists is not the ideal situation. You want rich people who are curious about the arts tipping artists. That’s better!

What do you think is the future of live entertainment/performance art (such as burlesque)?

It’s hard to say. I have never been good at predicting things. I never win lotto tickets. But I do see more and more artists being pushed out further out in Brooklyn (or in several cases leaving NYC altogether) because of astronomical rent increase. I see local establishments shutting down because they lost their lease. I see more and more condos, high rises and corporate developments springing up as part of Bloomberg’s “corporatization of NYC” plan... I do hope NYC will retain some of its artistic culture until then I plan on doing what I am doing!

CB3/SLA September highlights: Mee Noodle Shop, Russ & Daughters and HiFi

CB3 released its September meetings rundown back on Friday... here's a look at the always-popular booze portion with the CB3/SLA committee...

First! The meeting info:
SLA & DCA Licensing Committee
Monday, Sept. 16 at 6:30 pm — University Settlement Neighborhood Center, 189 Allen St. between Houston and Stanton.

More info will eventually roll in about some of these projects ahead of the meeting... meaning for now, we don't know much about some of these...

Applicant's name follow by current owner if applicable

Renewal with Complaint History

• Caffe Prosciutteria (Ballaro Inc), 77 2nd Ave (wb)

• Heathers (Ariel Inc), 506 E 13th St (op)

• The DL/Dinner on Ludlow (93 Ludlow St Inc), 95 Delancey St (op)

Applications within Saturated Areas

• HiFi (Patty McCarthy Inc), 169 Ave A (alt/op/ windows, interior alt, extend license to backyard)

• Table 12 (188 Ave A Takeout Food), 188 Ave A (wb) (aka 500 E 12th St)

• Papaya King (PKNY II LLC), 3 St Marks Pl (b)

The Papaya Kingers were turned down for a beer license back in May. According to CB3 documents, the St. Mark's Block Association and 8 St. Mark's Tenants' Association submitted letters and testimony in opposition to this application.

• Mikes Burgers & Bar (BAC 115 Corp), 115 St Marks Pl (upgrade/op)

• Flinders Lane LLC, 162 Ave A (op)

This is the address for The Beagle on Avenue A... a tipster told us earlier in the year that the place was quietly for sale. Perhaps they found a buyer.

• Brownstone Lounge and Grill, 240 E 4th St (op) (aka 50 Ave B)

Looks like a new venture for the Affaire space, which closed last month.

• East Village Tavern (Sweendog All Stars Inc), 158 Ave C (op)

Alterations

• Cafe Khufu (Cafe Khufu LLC), 61 E 3rd St (wb/change in hours)

New Liquor License Applications

• Mee Noodle Shop (Mee Enterprise Inc), 223 1st Ave (wb)

Returning to the East Village one of these days...

• Confessional (Kingfish Group LLC), 308 E 6th St (op)

This space east of Second Avenue has been on the market in recent months.

• Caravan of Dreams (The House of Health Healing & Happiness Inc), 405 E 6th St (upgrade/op)



• To be Determined, 269 E Houston St (op)

Again, again, again.

• Bistro Jules (Bistro Jules Management Inc), 65 St Marks Pl (wb)

• Figaro Bistro Grill (La Pasta Presto Grill Inc), 344 E 6th St (op)

• Milosun Sushi Inc, 141 1st Ave (wb)

Looks like a new concept for this carousel of an address... most recently Ippin.

• Russ & Daughters Cafe (Fourthgen LLC), 127 Orchard St (op)

Interesting! A cafe from the legendary Russ & Daughters around the corner. But! Per the Lo-Down: "We checked in with R&D management and were advised that there’s really nothing to say just yet."

-----

b=beer only | wb=wine & beer only | op=liquor, wine, & beer | alt=alterations