Looking again at St. Mark's and 2nd Ave., and more photos of the former St. Marks Cinema

8-Bit and Up, the retro video shop, recently moved away from the second floor of 37 St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue. (Read about the new 8-Bit space on East Third Street here.)

This prime corner space is now mostly without tenants… (save for the newish Verizon Wireless store).



The building won't be empty too much longer. As we first noted back on Oct. 17, a retail outpost of DF Mavens ("The finest dairy-free ice cream in the world. Made in NYC.") is taking the former Eastside Bakery (.net?) location. Winick has the listing with the available retail slots here.

Anyway! All this is all just an excuse to trot out these new-to-us photos of the corner … when it was home to a single-screen movie theater… eventually called the St. Marks Cinema … a movie theatre was in operation here roughly from 1916 to 1985, according to Cinema Treasures...



… this shot is dated 1936 ...



We've written about the theater before here. Maybe you drank beer here and got high once. And there was that time you may have seen "Return of the Jedi" here in 1983.

People still missing the Mars Bar

Recently spotted on the former site of the bar… in a building now known as Jupiter 21. The space will soon yield a 4,300-square-foot TBD Bank branch.

Cafe Rakka's (Rakka Cafe's) new look

Cafe Rakka at 81 St. Mark's Place has been closed these past six or so weeks while undergoing a renovation... their new signage is up... and it shows a name switcheroo — from Cafe Rakka to Rakka Cafe...



Paperwork on file at the CB3 website points to a corporate name change, though there's not much else info... The Avenue B location remains open...

Report: The making of Empire Biscuit; plus, people drop biscuits on the floor but eat them anyway

The New York Post features Empire Biscuit co-founders Jonathan Price and Yonadav Tsuna in the paper's @work section this week ... in a piece titled "Birth of an Empire (Biscuit)."

The piece offers some background on the two, who opened the storefront on Avenue A on Oct. 30:

For the fledgling team taking their first foray into restaurant ownership, a single-product restaurant made sense. Price — who cut his teeth at the famous Magnolia Grill in Durham, N.C. — and Tsuna, a Memphis, Tenn., native, both knew the magic of the Southern biscuit and how well it would resonate with New York City’s consumers.

And what else was needed to launch the business?

So the pair surrounded themselves with a team of advisers to make up for the skills they lacked, including design and real estate. To raise funds, Price and Tsuna created a crowd funded Kickstarter campaign page with a video of the enigmatic pair describing the concept.

“Making the video required us to think really hard about articulating our core values — creating high quality food and being part of this great neighborhood,” Tsuna notes.

And?

To build buzz, Price and Tsuna hosted tastings out of Price’s apartment.

Once they secured their storefront, “People around us would come in to chat. We would spend hours everyday chatting with people. We love Avenue A because it’s so neighborly,” says Tsuna, who recently moved into an apartment down the block from the shop.

The piece also touches upon EB's apparent popularity, noting the need for a "biscuit bouncer" to help manage the lines waiting for their product, which people apparently really like.

After dropping a tiny piece of biscuit, Max Hatfield-Biondo, 28, an engineer from Soho, took a moment to think before declaring, “I’m going to eat that off the floor.”

Eating off the floor is apparently a trend. As noted earlier in the aticle:

At the front wooden counter, a lanky 20-something in a baseball cap is apologizing to his less-than-pleased girlfriend for dropping her biscuit on the floor. She pouts, taking the slightly bruised biscuit from his hands — and eats it anyway.

Meanwhile, via the EB Instagram account, an update on their hours ...

Shooting 'My Dead Boyfriend' on East 9th Street

Interior filming for "My Dead Boyfriend" returned to East Ninth Street today… crews were here just east of First Avenue for two days last week as well…



The film, based on the novel "Dogrun," stars Heather Graham and is set in the East Village in 1999. Actor Anthony Edwards is making his feature-film directorial review.

Previous filming locations in the neighborhood included Tompkins Square Park and C-Squat.

Photos by Bobby Williams

Local blogger probably looking forward to posting photos of snow flurries in the morning

Anyway, I'm already in line for supplies at Trader Joe's! Woot!

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Window shopping at Mast along Ave. A via Fenton Lawless]

The best places to get tacos in the East Village (Eater)

Man dies after shooting at the Smith Houses (The Daily News)

About the new Saturday flea market at East Side Community High School (DNAinfo)

About 'The Pop-Up Activist of the Lower East Side' (The New York Times)

They'll be more L trains some day (New York Post)

Former 'Eastern Dispensary' building back on the market on Essex Street (BoweryBoogie)

Renovations in store for the Pink Building on Grand and Orchard (The Lo-Down)

About the Tom's Restaurant documentary (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

...and now on the wall on East Houston and Avenue B...


[Via VH McKenzie]

Continuum Coffee has closed... for now

Flyers went up around the neighborhood last Tuesday asking for support for Continuum Cycles and Continuum Coffee on Avenue B... There was talk of a fundraiser Saturday, though that didn't happen. Per the Save Continuum page on Facebook Saturday:

Hi everyone. I wanted to say thank you for all of the support you have given us in the past few days. I regret to inform you that the coffee shop was shut down yesterday, by the fuckin' man. Needless to say there won't be an event tonight. I'm sorry for the last minute cancellation. We did all we could.

Continuum Cycles next door will close in the days ahead as well.

In a tweet from Friday, owner Jeff Underwood wrote:

I am sad to say that today was our last day; I am going to regroup over the winter and reopen at a new location. Continuum, a bicycle shop will also be closing shortly. I will stil take on some clients and work on their bikes. Continuum Cycles is still happening. Our team is growing strong. If you want a frame, they are still available. Aluminum frames are limited but we are fully stocked with our Italian hand built steel frames. A new site is in the works so you can purchase them online.

Continuum Coffee had the misfortune of opening a few weeks before Hurricane Sandy. They were never able to recover, especially in the following weeks without Internet or phone service. It was a cool spot, and we liked what they were doing there. Hopefully they can find a new home in the neighborhood.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Out and About in the East Village with Jeff Underwood

Fair Folks & a Goat opening East Village location

The owners of Fair Folks & a Goat announced on Facebook Friday that they will open a cafe-boutique-gallery on East 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The space is owned by the husband-wife team of Aurora and Anthony Mazzei. Here's a description of their concept via the FF&G website:

Fair Folks & a Goat is a creative company, specializing in filling spaces with stories through design, art, hospitality, and event programming.

They also have a cafe-boutique space on West Houston, which opened last fall.


[Via the FF&G website]

Per the Times on the opening:

A visitor surveyed the Houston Street space with an eye toward consumption: the Haynes mirror with brass wall mounts ($2,800) by the Brooklyn-based Egg Collective, a groovy set of white-ceramic speakers ($450) by Joey Roth, a carved blue bowling pin ($110) by Jason Boone.

For $25 a month, members get unlimited coffee and espresso, and discounts on the art and design, which will rotate every month or so. But you don’t have to be a member to buy what they sell.

Love, Veselka Style

[Via Craigslist]

A Missed Connection posted yesterday on Craigslist:

Veselka Romance - w4m - 23 (East Village)

One week ago I was sitting outside of Veselka, reading "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath.
(My favorite book)
I saw you from the table nearest to 2nd ave, on the side of the restaurant.
You had the most beautiful brown eyes I have ever seen.
Tall, thin, with a beard. We made eye contact for about fifteen seconds, and then you walked away, down 9th street.
I would love to meet you.
You are exactly my type.
You probably live in Williamsburg, and shop at local farmer's markets.
I would love to buy some vegetables with you.
I like to make omelettes with fresh asparagus and swiss cheese,
I could make you one.
I hope you don't have a girlfriend.

Why illustrations help Urban Etiquette Signs

Spotted on East Fifth Street.

Tree spared from death by cement on Avenue C

[Via EVG reader Ann]

Last week, we noted that someone filled up the above tree well with about 500 pounds of cement on Avenue C… as an update, by this past weekend, the cement was gone…



Now can the tree survive the Sunburnt Cow's all-you-can-drink brunch crowd?

New York City's 1st holistic vapor lounge opens in the East Village

At least according to the press release that landed in our inbox!

Here it is:

New York City's first holistic vapor lounge is opening in the East Village — Vape Lounge NYC, in the cellar of Barbiere at 246 East 5th Street. Unlike other so-called vapor lounges that sell artificial e-cigarettes, Vape Lounge NYC uses only natural herbs, each selection designed to give the customer varied, distinct and often medicinal experiences.

Currently, patrons can choose from three different herbs to vape — Chamomile, to aid in the relief of stress, digestive disorders, headaches, anxiety, and depression; Damiana, an aphrodisiac and excellent remedy for the nervous system, acting as a stimulant and tonic in cases of mild depression; and Green Tea, for headaches, digestion, immune enhancement, to detoxify, energize, and to prolong life.

Single and blended herb teas by the cup and pot are available, as well. All brews are caffeine free and certified kosher.

The brain child of Kimberly DeAzevedo (a trained herbalist) and Al Bonsignore, Vape Lounge NYC is designed to be an oasis away from the city, an indulgence meant to enhance quality of life, instead of being a vice. The space itself was hand mosaic-ed by DeAzevedo and Bonsignore, with themes like the secret garden and the dawn of time running throughout.

Prices to vaporize are $10/person in the "plenty lounge" or $12/person at the Volcano Bar. Teas run $4 single herb or $6 blended per cup, $10 or $12 per pot.

Vape Lounge NYC - located at 246 E 5th st. (Btwn 2nd ave and Cooper), NY, NY 10003 - is open Mon-Sat from 2pm-8pm.

Volcano Bar!

Night falls, Jesus Saves

…and a familiar site on East 11th Street...



Photos by Bobby Williams

May the best hawk win

This afternoon in Tompkins Square Park. Photo by Bobby Williams...

Week in Grieview

[First Avenue in the rain the other day via Grant Shaffer]

A well-deserved honor for The Source Unltd Copy Shop (Thursday)

Looking at the new development for East Eighth Street and Avenue D (Tuesday)

A Lou Reed memorial at Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)

The future of 100 Avenue A (Monday)

Identity closes on East Sixth Street (Monday)

Out and About with Melissa Hotchkiss (Wednesday)

Is this apartment sexy? (Thursday)

Video: East Village cab ride in 1971 (Friday)

RIP gnarly squirrel tree (Thursday)

Otto's Tacos opens on Second Avenue (Monday)

Banjara on the move (Tuesday)

What Blatt Billiards will become on Broadway (Wednesday)

Serendipity will remain longer in Tompkins Square Park (Friday)

A source for the Hoboken Hoof? (Thursday)

Details on Momofuku Ko moving to Extra Place (Tuesday)

Turkey-suffed donuts (Friday)

Bloom 62's "hip young crowd" (Friday)

Lease TGI Friday's on Union Square (Monday)

Empire Biscuit (Wednesday, 48 comments)

Christopher Walken Rex on the move to East 8th Street

The 16-foot Christopher Walken Rex creation is on the move from First Park.

The sculpture created by a group of LES teens is arriving today for a two-week stint at the DeColores Community Garden on East Eighth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C… Catch it when you can.

Yesterday's sky in review

Verso finds new Life on Avenue C

The folks behind Verso, the Italian trattoria on East Eighth Street and Avenue C, have revamped their space… it is now Life - Kitchen and Bar (it has nothing to do with the former Life Cafe that closed two-plus years ago on Avenue B). And they open tonight.

The new space looks to be more casual than Verso… and here's a look at the menu...

A fall morning, featuring St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery

A fall morning, featuring Giuseppi Logan and Tompkins Square Park

Giuseppi was in quite good spirits this morning...

8:44 a.m., Second Avenue, Nov. 9

Today's hawk in Tompkins Square Park is...

...illuminating? Eh.



Photos by Bobby Williams

Hello again

Wire Train with "Chamber of Hellos" circa 1984, the beret and suspenders years.

More Citi Bike docking stations for East 10th Street

This afternoon, crews are adding more docking stations to the existing Citi Bikes hub on East 10th Street along Tompkins Square Park, EVG reader John reports... He figures there will be 16-20 more bikes now.... which, among other things, will allow more opportunities to do the stationary workout along here.

Fares from the past: Take a cab up 1st Avenue in the East Village of 1971

We posted this archival video titled "NYC Taxi Ride up 1st Ave circa 1971" back in February 2011. Dirty Old 1970's New York City posted it on Facebook this morning... so we thought we'd revisit it as well... the ride starts just past East Houston Street north to East 14th Street. What do you recognize?

Noted

East 11th Street and Avenue A at the week-old 7-Eleven. A more direct message than the last one.

[Photo via VH McKenzie]

Serendipity to remain in Tompkins Square Park through April

[EV Grieve]

Back in June, we saw the arrival of "Serendipity," the life-sized sculpture of Christopher Gamble's silhouette in Tompkins Square Park. The silhouette is in honor of Gamble, who was homeless for nearly 28 years. Fanny Allié's creation was expected to be in the Park through this month.

However! Fanny let us know that the work will remain in the Park until April 25.

Soooo... given its stay through winter, it's likely good that someone saw fit to put a hat on the sculpture...


[Bobby Williams]

...which actually matches the leisure suit that someone put on it late last month...


[BW]

Gamble now lives in an apartment run by the Bowery Residents' Committee.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The street-smart style of Serendipity in Tompkins Square Park

Welcome to the East Village (waves middle finger)

On Tuesday, Jim Power unveiled his latest mosaic... on the southwest corner of St. Mark's Place and Avenue A. The folks at Crif Dogs put up $600 for Jim to repair the hole that was in the sidewalk ... and to prevent anyone from being injured.

We asked Jim about the mosaic's middle finger.

"[It's] a message to old Mayor Bucko and the new one, Mayor De Bozo," he said via email. "They are spending $16 million to block the neighborhood's entrance at Astor Place while our streets and sidewalks are in dangerous disrepair."

Meanwhile, find out more about how you can help Jim restore his Mosaic Trail on his blog.

A look at the 'Hip young crowd planting roots at Bloom 62'

[EVG file photo]

Real Estate Weekly files a puff piece on Bloom 62, Ben Shaoul's newish luxury rentals on Avenue B and East Fifth Street. According to REW, the 81-unit building is 82 percent leased some six months after making its debut.

To the article, titled "Hip young crowd planting roots at Bloom 62":

On a recent Friday, a group of young tenants was lounging on the terrace’s garden chairs, enjoying one of the last warm days of the year.

The smell of barbecue coming from the built-in outdoor grills and the blooming hydrangea summed up the building’s message: Just because you’re in Manhattan, doesn’t mean you can’t live as if you’re out in the country.

And what's the point of living in Manha... aw, forget it!

And!

The building’s brand new, polished exterior provides a stark contrast to its run-down East Village surroundings. Neighboring buildings are showing their age and sport the occasional graffiti over rusty fire escapes, leftovers of a time when the area was known more for its punks and basement clubs than for its fine dining.

But times have changed: “East Village” and “luxury rental” can now be said in the same sentence with a straight face. Coffee shops and restaurants are in abundance, and the Lower East Side, with its numerous clubs and bars, is just blocks away.

Oh boy.

The building's previous tenant was the 240-bed Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, sponsored by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which provided health care for low-income elderly residents in the East Village. The center opened in 1993 and served 240 patients and employed nearly 300 employees. Cabrini closed for good on June 30, 2012.

Now excuse us while we throw ourselves on the built-in outdoor grills.

Updated 10:22

Here Curbed's headline on this REW piece:

Ben Shaoul's Bloom 62 Dances on the East Village's Grave

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: Ben Shaoul is the new owner of Cabrini nursing home, will convert to condos

Report: Local politicians reach out to Ben Shaoul as re-sale of the Cabrini Nursing Center seems likely

More details on Cabrini's closing announcement

Q-and-A with Patricia Krasnausky, president and CEO of Cabrini Eldercare

Today in posts about turkey-stuffed donuts

From the EVG inbox...

NEW YORK, Nov. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Zucker Bakery in the East Village (433 E. 9th St.) today unveiled a limited series of gourmet turkey-stuffed donuts to celebrate Thanksgivukkah – the convergence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, happening for the first time in over 100 years this November. The donuts will come in four flavors, ranging from savory to sweet:

• Spiced pumpkin donut with TURKEY and GRAVY filling ($5)
• Spiced pumpkin donut with TURKEY and CRANBERRY filling ($5)
• Spiced pumpkin donut with CRANBERRY SAUCE filling ($3.50)
• Sweet potato donut with TOASTED MARSHMALLOW cream filling ($4)

Now on sale through the end of the year...

Nicknamed "stuff-ganiyot" — a play on the Hebrew word for donuts, suffganiyot (suf-gan-ee-oat) — the donuts are the brainchild of Zucker Bakery founder Yaniv Zohar and friend Gil Levy of ECommerce Partners, the web firm that designed and launched the bakery's e-commerce website.

Get free samples of these Thanksgivukkah-inspired donuts on Friday, November 8 between 4-6 PM at Zucker Bakery.

Single-level garage/workshop asks for $5.4 million on East 6th Street

[Via Google]

One-story structures seem to be a rarity/luxury in the East Village these days. Build! Build! On that blanket statement, the single-level building at 619 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A B and Avenue B C is now on the market.

There's not a whole lot of info on the listing at Citi Habitats:

Currently set up as one story garage/workshop. Tenant will vacate with 90 days notice. Lot size 25.67x90.83 Max FAR 4 FAR as is .95. As of now Max buildable sf 9,464.

So you have some air rights there.

A neighbor here says that the space is home to a Japanese furniture designer. Public records show that the property went for $135,000 in 1993. Current asking price: $5.4 million.

I'll be back? Never too early to prep for 2016!

[Photo by VH McKenzie]

There's a new mural over on the wall on East Houston at Avenue B... courtesy of @ArtByJW.

So is he an Arnold fan? No! A bit of a goof, the mural is. "The best part was making people believe he really is [running]," @ArtByJW said via Twitter.

Crows and leaves

Two images today via Bobby Williams...