Openings: Trader Joe's Pronto on Union Square

Photo Friday by Pinch

A one-off store on Union Square opens today for the Trader Joe's brand.

Trader Joe's Pronto is a grab-pay-and-go concept at 138 E. 14th St. at Irving Place (inside TJ's former wine store and steps away from the Trader Joe's at 142 E. 14th St.).

"Trader Joe's Pronto is a one-of-a-kind extension of our store in Union Square," a company spokesperson told EVG. "This additional space allows us to carry more of the products our customers in this neighborhood purchase daily."

The idea is that TJ's shoppers can get items in a hurry for, say, lunch and dinner and not have to wait in longer lines with customers shopping for the week. 

And there aren't any other Prontos planned for now.

The spokesperson said, "We do not have plans to open additional Trader Joe's Pronto markets in New York or elsewhere in the country."

 
TJ's Pronto hours:10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

The wine shop, representing the brand's only liquor license in New York State, abruptly closed on Aug. 11, 2022, after 15-plus years in business. Workers here reportedly planned to unionize when the company announced the closure.

Since the shop closed, Trader Joe's has held onto the space for storage at the base of NYU's Palladium Hall. At the time, the company announced that the "space currently used for the wine shop will be used to improve the overall operations of store 540, our grocery store in Union Square." 

In a statement to Gothamist, a company spokesperson said that its decision to close the store had nothing to do with the unionizing efforts. The spokesperson called the outpost an "underperforming wine shop," which anyone who saw the lines out the door disagreed with.

Last fall, EVG readers noticed activity inside the 138 E. 14th St. space, fueling speculation of a wine store comeback. Perhaps they were planning for Pronto.

As CNBC noted in 2021, TJ's founder Joe Coulombe previously ran a chain of convenience stores in California called Pronto Markets, though they couldn't compete against the likes of 7-Eleven.

Updated 4:30 p.m.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) released this statement:

"Trader Joe's decision to open a new store in place of its former wine shop, after displacing its former staff without warning, is a giant slap in the face. We are disappointed, but not surprised, to learn that the space has been filled before reopening our shop. While management claims to be searching for a new location to move its successful wine store, they've been content to let its former location lay empty for almost 2 years as an alleged cost-saving measure.

"We believe Trader Joe's is doing everything in its power to prevent a profitable unionized shop from reopening. We refuse to let Trader Joe's continue to get away with their egregious and illegal union-busting tactics."

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a waiting room photo at East Village Smiles on Avenue B by Edmund John Dunn)... 

• City using the former St. Brigid School to help asylum seekers with transportation (Tuesday) 

• Honest Chops Butchery has left 9th Street (Friday) 

• A round-up of the old-school Chinese restaurants in the East Village (Wedensday) 

• Checking in on Superiority Burger 6+ months in; weekend breakfast & lunch and Chrissy's Pizza coming soon (Thursday) 

• A "boutique micro hotel" is in the works for this former Bowery flophouse (Monday)

• Openings: Ayat on Avenue C (Tuesday) 

• Report: LLC pays $44 million for the loan to the former P.S. 64 (Wednesday) 

• You will be able to hone your comedy skills at a former 7-Eleven with the Upright Citizens Brigade (Monday) 

• 1 week in on the reconstruction of the Tompkins Square Park multipurpose courts (Monday) 

• At the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade (Sunday) 

• 14th Street wishes you an early happy holiday season (Saturday) 

• A bust at LA Convenience on Avenue A (Thursday) 

• Montauk's Memory Motel is popping up on 3rd Avenue and 13th Street (Thursday) 

• This East Village building is now Untitled (Monday) 

• A quick look at Manhattan Pawffice, opening next week at 20 St. Mark's Place (Wednesday) 

• Momofuku Ko is closing in Extra Place (Wednesday) 

... and St. Mark's Place lives thanks to the ongoing events at Village Works at 12 St. Mark's Place... Eden shared this clip from Friday night...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eden Brower (@edenbrower)

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You will be able to hone your comedy skills at a former 7-Eleven with the Upright Citizens Brigade

Back in the summer, the Upright Citizens Brigade announced plans to open a theater at 242 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

And they're expanding their footprint on this corridor of 14th Street (aka, IHOP Way!) — the empty retail space across the street now has the UCB branding on the front door...

Greg Goldberg, senior director at Meridian Retail Leasing, confirmed that UCB will use this space for comedy classes. (We reached out to UCB as well. Updated: UCB confirmed the usage for training as well!)

The address, 239 E. 14th St., has been vacant ever since the 7-Eleven here closed in December 2021. 

This new theater space marks a return for the comedy brand. Amid ongoing financial difficulties made worse by the start of the pandemic, UCB closed all its remaining NYC locations in April 2020.

You can find more UCB/East Village background in our previous post. 

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

Cruising by the 7-Eleven... on Avenue A and 11th Street...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (featuring Smoking Santas in Union Square by Derek Berg)... 

 • These East Village businesses are temporarily closing as COVID cases continue to climb (Monday)

• The Community Holiday Feast fed more than 600 people in Tompkins Square Park yesterday (Monday) 

• Reports: Did SantaCon contribute to NYC's current COVID-19 surge? (Tuesday) 

• RIP Robert J. Giurdanella (Wednesday) 

• Driver fleeing police charged in the hit-and-run death of delivery worker on Houston Street (Wednesday) 

• Because you've always wanted to know what the inside of the long-empty 6 Avenue B looks like (Thursday) 

• Another visit to the home of Frankie Christmas (Friday) 

• The end of the East River amphitheater (Friday) 

• Letter perfect: City makes the MPH right on 2nd attempt (Monday) 

• Cornerstone Cafe calls it quits (Tuesday) 

• Signage arrives for the new Urban Wine & Spirits (Monday) 

• Former August Laura space is on the rental market; building on the auction block (Thursday) • Arthur’s Barber Shop has closed (Tuesday) 

• Activity at the former St. Brigid School on Avenue B and 7th Street (Thursday)

• 1st sign of Raíz Modern Mexican on 1st Avenue (Thursday) 

• 7-Eleven shutters on 14th Street (Monday)

• Bubbleology Tea has gone out of business on 1st Avenue (Thursday) 

• East Village Social has not been open in awhile (Monday) 

• EVG turns 14 (Tuesday — thank you for all the kind words about the site! ❤️) 

... and thanks to Goggla for this festive holiday shot from Seventh Street and Avenue B...

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7-Eleven shutters on 14th Street

The 7-Eleven on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue shut down last week. (Thanks to Pinch for the tip!)

No closing notice, no explanation behind the closing.

As you can sorta see in this shot above the papered storefront... the space is mostly empty...

This outpost arrived in 2012 (bring back Exquisite DVD Video!). And this is the second 7-Eleven to close in the East Village, joining the one on St. Mark's Place in 2013.

Still, there are still plenty of 7-Elevens around (the Bowery, Avenue A, etc.) to get your Fiery Hot Taquitos and Mountain Dew Major Melon Slurpee...

MSCHF on the Bowery

We fielded a few queries about the faux 7-Eleven storefront that arrived Friday at 306 Bowery between Bleecker and Houston (thanks, Robert Miner, for these pics!)...

Today and tomorrow, the storefront is serving as a pop-up space for MSCHF (primer article here), the Brooklyn-based art collective, and sales of their Boosted Packs V2 (aka drop 56). 

What might be inside these collectible packs?

   

Anyway, the pop-up status of the space apparently signals the end of the New Stand's upscale and tech-driven take on the convenience store.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo on First Avenue by Derek Berg) ...

• Renovation watch: This is what the inside of the former Hells Angels HQ looks like now (Thursday) 

• New bike lanes next for freshly paved Avenue C (Tuesday) 

• Brooklyn Bean Roastery closes on Avenue A (Monday) 

• Wegmans makes it OFFICIAL, will take over the former Kmart space on Astor Place (Thursday)

• A short tribute — sob — to the World Famous Pee Phone™ (Friday) 

• Advocates urging City Comptroller to withhold approval for East River Park reconstruction — with update (Tuesday) 

• Report of a slashing outside 7-Eleven on Avenue A (Tuesday) 

• 787 Coffee debuts on 10th Street (Thursday) • Post debuts in new 3rd Street space (Wednesday)

• Now You're Clean, offering self-service dog washing, opens on 10th Street (Wednesday) 

• An encore presentation for the Pyramid Club on Avenue A? (Wednesday) 

• Karma's newest 2nd Street gallery is open (Tuesday) 

• Mochinut bringing mochi doughnuts and Korean-style hot dogs to 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• "I see you over there" — the return of a Zoltar and words of wisdom (Wednesday) 

• XOXO 2nd Avenue (Sunday) • At long last, workers remove the sidewalk bridge from 75 1st Ave. (Friday) 

• East Berlin set for 169 Avenue A (Thursday) 

 ... and B&H Dairy unveiled a new line of t-shirts this past week... with a logo modeled after the lunch counter's longtime neon sign... $20 at B&H, 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St Mark's Place...

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Report of a slashing outside 7-Eleven on Avenue A

Just after noon today, multiple readers reported a police presence outside the 7-Eleven on Avenue A at 11th Street. (Thank you to Brian Katz for the photos.) 

According to law enforcement officials at the scene, there was a slashing outside the store. (The Citizen app reported an "assault with edged weapon.") Police did not say what led to the attack or if the victim and suspect knew each other. 

A police source described the victim as a white male. His injuries were not considered life-threatening. He was being treated at Mount Sinai Beth Israel.

Residents also spotted a trail of blood along Avenue A from 11th Street to 14th Street...

We'll update this post if any further information becomes available.

An organic grocery for the Bowery

A coming soon sign for an organic grocery is now on the window here at 352 Bowery between Fourth Street and Great Jones. 

The sign promises an assortment of "produce, beer, breakfast, lunch, convenience, fresh juice, milkshakes, smoothies." And it might give the 7-Eleven directly across the Bowery some convenience competition. 

Signage for a COVID-19 rapid-test site arrived here in December, though that never materialized. 

The Sage Kitchen restaurant space closed here last year. Their catering business is still in operation from another location.

American Dream Gourmet Deli coming to 14th Street

Signage is up for the new business opening soon at 247 E. 14th St. — American Dream Gourmet Deli.

The deli, just west of Second Avenue, will be open 24/7, and selling deli-like items such as sandwiches. They'll also be going head to head with 7-Eleven, which is several storefronts away along IHOP Way.

The deli takes over the space from the 5-year-old T-swirl Crêpe, which didn't reopen after the COVID-19 PAUSE.

Thanks to Pinch for the tip!

The aftermath of looting on the Bowery last night

Multiple businesses along the Bowery were vandalized and looted last night ...this is the aftermath from the group who had started fires and broken windows earlier on Third Avenue...

EVG contributor Stacie Joy looked at the damage at the 7-Eleven between Third Street and Fourth Street. The convenient store was looted...









Windows were smashed at the Sweetgreen right next door... it's unknown if anything was taken...



... Gemma was hit next door to the Bowery Hotel...



... there appeared to be looting at the Trek Bicycle Shop between First Street and Houston...



Other broken windows were spotted at the Crunch on Fourth Street...



... and the Whole Foods Bowery at East Houston...

The damage to the 7-Eleven on 14th Street

Most of the damage to East Village businesses last night occurred on Second Avenue between Houston and 12th Street. There were a few exceptions — the Mattress Firm at 250 E. Houston St. ... as well as the 7-Eleven on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy took these photos this morning, showing that the front doors were smashed by unknown objects...



There were other reports of damaged businesses nearby on Broadway and University Place. NBC 4 reported that the North Face and Adidas stores on Broadway were also looted.

Week in Grieview

[Wednesday on St. Mark's Place via Derek Berg]

At the opening night of 'The Devil Probably: A Century of Satanic Panic' series at the Anthology Film Archives (Wednesday)

A visit to a poetry reading at Odessa (Tuesday)

King Kong lives: How a favorite stuffed animal from childhood became part of a community garden (Friday)

A Broadway-worthy marriage proposal where east meets west (Thursday)

Lawsuit filed to stop East River Park demolition (Friday)

Factory Tamal now open on 4th Street (Tuesday)

Ray returns! (Saturday)

Duane Reade by Walgreens closing on 10th Street and Third Avenue (Thursday)

North side L-train entrance opens at Avenue A on Feb. 10 (Tuesday)

Le Sia is back in action on 7th Street (Thursday)


[Eye watch at the Regal Union Square via Derek Berg]

Report: Target will replace the Food Emporium in Union Square — in 2023 (Thursday)

Cloud99 Vapes has closed on 2nd Avenue (Thursday)

First sign of the tech hub — aka Zero Irving — above ground on 14th Street (Monday)

Thai Direct is under renovation on Avenue A (Wednesday)

Live above the iconic Block Drugs (Monday)

Report: State says landlords must now pay broker fees, not tenants (Thursday)

You HAD your chance to buy the 7-Eleven retail space on the Bowery (Monday)

Doma Food and Drinks debuts on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)

Melt Shop closes on 4th Avenue (Tuesday)

The Whale Tea beaches itself on 14th Street (Wednesday)

Becky's Bites moves on 7th Street (Monday)

... and several readers have asked about this figure that has appeared around the neighborhood in recent weeks... no word on who the artist is...





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You HAD your chance to buy the 7-Eleven retail space on the Bowery

[Same photo as last time]

Back on Nov. 26, we noted an investment opportunity for you involving the retail condo at 351 and 353 Bowery between Third Street and Fourth Street... home of the 7-Eleven.

The single-tenant retail condominium was going for $6,915,032. (I had the .032!)

Anyway, YOU ARE TOO LATE. Commercial Property Executive reported last week that the 2,156-square-foot retail space sold for $6.9 million to a "private investor."

Public records show that the building last traded in 2019, when the seller acquired it from HK Organization for $4.6 million.

This 7-Eleven opened in December 2011. The 7-Eleven recently extended their lease through December 2034, with contract terms featuring a 10 percent rent increase every five years.

Eleven Consignment Boutique closes, leaving customers without their resale items

1/6: Updated here

Eleven Consignment Boutique closed on First Avenue and 11th Street some time in late November or early December, angering customers who had items for sale inside.

Bklyner recently reported that the Park Slope outpost of the high-end used clothing and accessories store closed in the fall in similar fashion: with no notice to customers.

Per Bklyner:

Danielle, who declined to give her last name, is a singer and songwriter. She said she consigned with Eleven Consignment Boutique a few years ago and had no issues. This year was different.

“I have over $500 worth of stuff to Eleven Consignment’s East Village location in November and despite calling, emailing, physically going to both locations which are now shuttered 24/7, and reviewing the business on Yelp and Google, I can’t seem to get my items back or any money owed to me if they sold,” Danielle said.

A new owner apparently took over the store in recent months. Attempts to reach him have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, one-star reviews continue at Yelp: "Just shut down without any notice to people with $100s of dollars in consignment. Crooks."

Some patrons have filed fraud complaints with the New York State Attorney General's office.

Report: Chain stores decrease citywide, though show growth in the 10009 zip code

[The same image we use every year]

The number of chain stores overall in NYC declined by 3.7 percent over last year, marking the largest year-over-year drop in national retail locations since the Center for an Urban Future began their annual analysis more than a decade ago.

However, in the 10009 zip code that covers the East Village, the number increased by four from 27 to 31 in the previous 12 months. (Need to revisit the openings from the past year to see what stores represent this increase.)

Here are some cut-n-paste highlights from the report, which was released last week ... (the full report is here)...

Our 12th annual analysis of national retailer locations in New York shows that the 316 retailers listed in last year’s ranking reduced their total footprint in New York City by 304 store locations, declining from a total of 8,136 stores in 2018 to 7,832 stores in 2019 — a 3.7 percent decrease.

The slowdown is broadly spread among all five boroughs, led by Queens, where the number of chain store locations shrank by 4.9 percent — the sharpest single year decline to date — followed by Brooklyn (-4 percent), the Bronx (-3.8 percent), Manhattan (-3.1 percent), and Staten Island (-2.4 percent). This is the first year in which all five boroughs have registered declines.

Overall, our analysis also finds that more of the city’s chain retailers are shrinking than are growing. In 2019, a total of 114 retailers—36 percent of the 316 national retail companies tracked in our 2019 study—reduced their footprint over the past year. This compares to 76 retailers that registered a net gain in stores over the past year, and 126 retailers whose footprints remain unchanged.

We first observed significant declines in the number of national retail locations over the past two years, with most decreases concentrated among merchandise retailers: chain stores selling clothing, accessories, cosmetics, and other household supplies. Even amid that pullback, our research showed that food retailers continued to grow across the five boroughs through 2018.

But this year we see notable declines among both merchandise retailers and food chains, with broad-based declines among fast food restaurants, pizza shops, juice bars, ice cream and yogurt chains, and bakeries. The difference is that many other national food chains have continued to expand in the city, while that generally has not been the case for merchandise retailers.

...and...

For the 11th consecutive year, Dunkin’ Donuts tops our list as the largest national retailer in New York City, with a total of 636 stores, a net increase of 12 stores since 2018. MetroPCS is still the second-largest national retailer in the city, with 468 stores, despite losing three stores over the past year.

Rounding out the top 10 national retailers in New York are Starbucks (with 351 stores), Duane Reade/Walgreens (317), Subway (287), T-Mobile (245), Baskin-Robbins (217), McDonald’s (203), CVS (170) and 7-Eleven (141). There are 15 retailers with at least 100 stores across the city, down only 1 from last year.

Closer to home, the 10003 zip code, which includes parts of the East Village as well as Union Square and Fifth Avenue, has the third-highest number of chain store locations at 164 (down from 174 last year).

The 10009 zip saw a 15-percent increase from 2018, rising to 31 from 27. Meanwhile, the 10002 zip code, covering the Lower East Side and Chinatown, stayed at 51.

About the decline in chains: "It definitely raises a lot of question about the future of retail," Jonathan Bowles, the executive director of the Center for an Urban Future, told Gothamist/WNYC.

He said taken together, the patterns show that many of the challenges threatening the survival of small independent businesses are now affecting national retailers.

Week in Grieview

[A slice to go on 2nd Avenue via Derek Berg]

Posts this past week included...

A visit to Turntable Lab on 10th Street (Tuesday)

The 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue locations of the Bean closed this past Sunday (Monday)

The Tompkins Square Park holiday tree lighting is Dec. 8! (Wednesday)

Last soup night for Ciao for Now (Tuesday)

About the Messages to Go shopping bags that support small businesses in the East Village (Friday)

Coat drive at an.mé on 9th Street (Friday)

75 1st Ave.'s growth spurt (Monday)

Harry & Ida's closes (Monday)

Trailer Park Santa Stand bucks tradition on 14th Street with mini camper (Wednesday)

A quick look at the under-renovation Joseph C. Sauer Park (Wednesday)

beQu Juice is closing on 9th Street (Tuesday) ... and an empty storefront (Friday)

A new bus-boarding platform for 14th Street (Tuesday)

Punto Rojo looks done for on 1st Avenue (Monday)

This is your chance to be the 7-Eleven's landlord on the Bowery! (Tuesday)

Dig debuts on 4th and 13th (Monday)

Foundation watch: 24 1st Ave. (Tuesday)

Interesting new business opens on 1st Avenue and 14th Street (Friday)

The former Steamy Hallows space is for rent (the back rent is also due) (Monday)

... and Friday night lights at the Tree Riders stand along Second Avenue...


[Photo by Steven]

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This is your chance to be the 7-Eleven's landlord on the Bowery!

Here's an investment opportunity for you involving the retail condo at 351 and 353 Bowery between Third Street and Fourth Street... home of a 7-Eleven for maybe the next 15 years.

Details via the listing!

The Boulder Group is pleased to exclusively market for sale a single-tenant 7-Eleven retail condominium located in Manhattan within the Bowery neighborhood. 7-Eleven is committed to this location as evidenced by their recent lease extension which now expires in December 2034.

The lease features 10-percent rental escalations every five years in the primary term and a 15-percent rental escalation in the renewal option. 7-Eleven is an investment grade tenant with a Standard & Poor’s rating of AA-. This location is open 24 hours and a top performing location for 7-Eleven.

And the price for this 2,162 square feet of retail (to the exact dollar): $6,915,032.

This 7-Eleven opened in December 2011.

Pretty in pink? Shibuyala softly opens today on St. Mark's Place

Shibuyala, which sells beauty and health-care products from Japan, is in soft-open mode starting today here at 37 St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue. (Thanks to @unitof for the photos from Sunday!)



Shibuyala arrived in the United States in 2016, and now has stores in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Houston with 50 more outposts expected to open worldwide by 2022, per its website.

This space has been tenant-free since the 7-Eleven closed in November 2013.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New tenant for 37 St. Mark's Place — REVEALED