Continuing to enjoy scenes from the Christmas season along Avenue C

Avenue C at East Seventh Street...





... and at the former Mobil station on Avenue C at East Houston... the stockings remain up!

The Lazy Llama Coffee Bar is the name of the Bluebird replacement on East 1st Street

We first noted back on Tuesday that the Bluebird Coffee Shop has closed on East First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

A sign on the door thanked customers and noted that new owners were taking over the space.

There's now a second sign on the door...

Dear customers,

We are working very hard to open shop after Christmas. We will be serving Stumptown Coffee... see you soon

And the name of the new venture is The Lazy Llama Coffee Bar...

Thailand Cafe now closed for renovations on 2nd Avenue

Meant to note this earlier in the week... looks like Thailand Cafe at 95 Second Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street is sitting out the holiday season... the sign on the gate points to a renovation that will keep them closed through an unspecified date next month...



I also realized that I've never eaten here... if anyone wants to put in a good word for the place...

Start-up Christmas/holiday tree stands available to budding entrepreneurs

Several of the tree vendors left behind their unsold wares as Dec. 25 came and went (oh, how was your day?) ... seemed to be the most remaining product on East Houston between Essex and Norfolk...

And this tree got as far as across Essex Street...

Christmas dog day afternoon

Maddie from Avenue A shows off her skills on the First Park handball courts this afternoon...





Thanks to Katie from Avenue A for the photos...

Jimmy's holiday party is today at La Plaza Cultural

And if you're around today without any plans ... Jimmy's annual holiday party is today from noon to ??? at La Plaza Cultural, on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street...



Per the Facebook invite: "There will be food and music and it is potluck. Bring firewood for the bonfire and grill if you can. Bring your musical instruments. It is rain or shine."

And not to be a jerk, but these elves working the mail room at La Plaza totally lost my packages ...

[Updated] Sunset, xmas eve edition

Photo by Bobby Williams

Updated 12/25

And now equal time to the xmas morning sunrise, also via Bobby...

[Updated] Reader report: Partial building collapse on East 8th Street; unconfirmed report of a fatality

Several EVG readers have passed along word of a partial collapse at the under-renovation townhouse at 356 E. Eighth St. There is an unconfirmed report that one of the workers at the site was killed in the collapse that occurred earlier today, according to the super of a building on the block between Avenue C and Avenue D.

As of 2 p.m., a reader reported that the site is cordoned off... with building and police officials on hand.

There isn't any other information available at the moment. We'll update as necessary.

As previously reported, the vacant townhouse had been on and off the market in recent years (here and here). The most recent listing pitched the space for "high-end apartments or a luxury home."

Recently approved work permits show that the existing 4-level structure will receive two new floors and a mezzanine. Here's the all-cap DOB recap of the permit:

FILED HEREWITH PLANS AND APPLICATIONS TO ADD A SIX STORY HORIZONTAL REAR ENLARGEMENT AND A THREE STORY + MEZZANINE VERTICAL ENLARGEMENT WITH SIX FAMILIES TO AN EXISTING FOUR STORY, THREE FAMILY BUILDING.

[EVG photo from September]

The owner is an LLC with a Kew Gardens address, according to DOB paperwork.

Here's a photo of the house from 2014...



Updated 12/25

The city has issued a Full Vacate on the address... "due to stability concerns," according to the DOB website...



The Firemen's Garden next to the property has also been hit with a Full Vacate...





As for the report from a neighboring super about a worker fatality... we have not heard anything further about this. There is a candle at the scene now. Someone wrote "May the Lord be with you now and forever."



According to the DOB website, the FDNY ordered the inspection after a worker fell from the third to first floor.

Updated 12/27

There is a new chalk message outside the site ... along with more candles...



"May God Bless your soul eternally. Godspeed."

Updated 1/11

A reliable source says that the construction worker who died was a 33-year-old man from El Salvador, a married father of five. The accident happened around 11 a.m., and the man died later that afternoon at a hospital. According to the source, workers were demolishing the existing rear wall when a large chunk of masonry broke off and somehow landed on the scaffolding the was on and he fell.

Even the rats in Tompkins Square Park are wondering what's up with these temperatures

Photo by Bobby Williams

Report: Commoners granted access to Gramercy Park tonight (xmas eve!)

Via our friends at Curbed (ultimately via Time Out)

The elusive Gramercy Park—Manhattan's ritzy keyed-entry arboretum for the more fortunate — will open its gates to all on Christmas Eve. In keeping with a tradition held by The Parish of Calvary St. George, plebes will be allowed access into the park to listen to caroling at 6 p.m.

The Park is virtually accessible, however.

The CBGB restaurant is open at the Newark airport, though you won't be able to order the Marquee Moons Over My Hammy

CBGB at Newark, complete with iPad ordering system pic.twitter.com/UrllhhBXDm

— Hillary Reinsberg (@hreins) December 23, 2015

The CBGB restaurant is now open at the Newark airport, as you can see.

Now what to eat there?

Imagine the possibilities via the folks at Lucky Peach, who have created a parody menu...



"All orders come with a Suicide salad." (We can dream!) Heh.

Here's the actual menu via @WFMU ...



Meanwhile! We're now in the Backlash to the Backlash Phase...

In response to headlines such as 'Birthplace of punk' CBGB to be reborn as airport theme restaurant, throwing human progress into doubt (Mashable) ... the Post has countered with Stop whining – Newark Airport is where CBGB belongs.

Excerpt!

Even if the grand opening of CBGB in Newark were to feature a reunited Talking Heads playing, Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine working as busboys, while Debbie Harry waits tables and serves up Kristal’s original recipe chili, it still wouldn’t change the fact that CBGB is basically a brand that represents New York City to people who don’t live in New York City. That’s the way it’s been for years, and that’s why the idea of it being reborn as a restaurant in Newark fits perfectly.

Previously

AMC Village 7 ready to premiere renovated theaters

The renovations are winding down over at the AMC Village 7 on Third Avenue and East 11th Street.

Workers have been renovating the auditoriums here, installing reclining seats, among other refurbishments.

One worker on the scene said that the place was to be fully operational tomorrow. (Friday! Dec. 25! Christmas!)



And just in time for two new big holiday movies — "Joy" and "Concussion" (they both look rather unwatchable, TBH, but we'll see!) — opening tomorrow (Friday! Dec. 25! Christmas!)... and as the arrows helpfully note, you have the reclining seat option for the films...



And do you have to reserve the recliner seats? Or is it first come, first serve??? (EV Arrow asked.)

And did anyone see "In the Heart of the Sea"? (EV Arrow asked.)

Previously on EV Grieve:
Renovations at Village 7; reclining seats coming soon

Danny's Cycles has closed on East 14th Street

As we first reported on Dec. 7, the longtime cycle shop at 332 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue was closing this location. Employees originally said that the store would remain open through today.

However, as you can see, workers have cleaned out the shop... there's also a for rent sign up...



A sign on the door originally noted that Danny's — with a dozen locations in NYC and Connecticut — was moving to Sixth Avenue and 15th Street. However, the Chelsea location has been there for a number of years, so this is really a closure.

According to several customers of Danny's (formerly Metro Bikes), a rent increase was behind the closure.

Cruise control

Second Avenue at East Houston by jdx

Dreaming of a warm, rainy Christmas

Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Bobby Williams...

Retail therapy: Number of national retailers increases in the East Village, report says

[The same image we use every year, along with the same caption]

Via the EVG inbox...

The Center for an Urban Future has published the eighth edition of its annual “State of the Chains” study ranking the national retailers with the most store locations in New York City. The study shows that the growth in chain store locations across the city slowed considerably over the last year, with the number of national retail locations in the five boroughs up by just 1 percent between 2014 and 2015 — compared to a 2.5 percent gain in chain stores between 2013 and 2014.

Meanwhile, Dunkin Donuts remained New York City’s largest national retailer and widened its lead over second place Subway; with 568 stores citywide, Dunkin Donuts now has 124 stores more than any other retailer in the city.

The report also shows that the Bronx had the largest year-over-year increase in chains stores among all boroughs, with Brooklyn close behind. Two boroughs — Manhattan and Staten Island — had a minor decrease in chain stores over the past year.

The Center’s analysis shows that the 300 retailers that were listed on last year’s ranking expanded their footprint in New York City from a total of 7,473 stores in 2014 to 7,550 stores in 2015, an increase of 1 percent. While this is the seventh consecutive year with a net increase in national chain stores in the five boroughs, this year’s rate of growth was lower than all previous years except 2013—when the number of chain stores rose by 0.5 percent.

For the eighth consecutive year, Dunkin Donuts tops our list as the largest national retailer in New York City, with a total of 568 stores. Over the past year, Dunkin Donuts had a net increase of 32 stores in the city (a 6 percent gain). Subway is still the second largest national retailer in the city, with 444 store locations, but it now has 18 fewer stores than last year. Rounding out the top ten national retailers in New York are: MetroPCS (with 323 stores), Duane Reade/Walgreens (307), Starbucks (307), McDonald's (232), T-Mobile (217), Baskin Robbins (214), Rite Aid (197), and GNC (175). In all, there are now 14 retailers with more than 100 stores across the city, a decrease from 16 retailers with at least that number last year.

Starbucks still has more stores in Manhattan than any other national retailer, with 220 locations. In each of the other boroughs, Dunkin Donuts tops the list — it has 171 stores in Queens, 149 in Manhattan, 135 in Brooklyn, 80 in the Bronx and 33 on Staten Island.

Among the retailers with significant store growth over the past year:

• Sprint: 70 locations, up from 28 in 2014
• Fossil: 11 locations, up from 4 in 2014
• Sketchers: 11 locations, up from 7 in 2014
• Nathan’s: 25 locations, up from 17 in 2014
• Coach: 18 locations, up from 13 in 2014
• Just Salad: 19 locations, up from 14 in 2014
• Crunch: 16 locations, up from 12 in 2014
• T-Mobile: 217 locations, up from 181 in 2014
• MetroPCS: 323 locations, up from 290 in 2014
• GNC: 175 locations, up from 156 in 2014
• Chipotle: 58 locations, up from 50 in 2014
• Sunglass Hut: 30 locations, up from 23 in 2014
• Checkers: 35 locations, up from 28 in 2014
• Le Pain Quotidien: 36 locations, up from 30 in 2014
• Equinox: 25 locations, up from 20 in 2014
• Auntie Anne’s: 25 locations, up from 20 in 2014
• Taco Bell: 29 locations, up from 24 in 2014

Among the retailers that closed a number of stores over the past year:

• Radio Shack: 37 locations, down from 113 in 2014
• Bally Total Fitness: 3 locations, down from 15 in 2014
• Strawberry: 7 locations, down from 18 in 2014
• McDonald's: 232 locations, down from 243 in 2014
• Duane Reade/Walgreens: 307 locations, down from 318 in 2014
• Golden Krust: 59 locations, down from 69 in 2014
• Motherhood Maternity: 6 locations, down from 14 in 2014

And waaaay down here is the lead — buried. Drilling down a bit, as we like to say, it turns out that there was an increase this past year in the number of chain stores in our 10009 zip code ... up 5 from 25 last year to 30 in 2015. The 10003 zip code, which includes Union Square and parts of Fifth Avenue, has 163 chain retailers — one of the highest concentrations in Manhattan ... though that number decreased by 1 from 164 to 163 this year. (#math)

You may read the whole report right here.

Prepping to repair fire-damaged wall next to the 2nd Avenue explosion site

[Photo on Dec. 16 by Derek Berg]

If you walked past the Second Avenue explosion site this past week, then you likely noticed the arrival of a new fence on the property at East Seventh Street...


[Photo Monday by Steven]

Workers put up the fence last Wednesday — after the arrival on Dec. 14 of the sidewalk bridge out front of the fire-damaged 125 Second Ave.


[Photo on Dec. 15 by EVG]

Here's what's happening at No. 125 according to the approved DOB permits on file with the city (in their ALL-CAP STYLE):

PARGING, MASONRY INFILL WITH NEW MASONRY LAYER AT EXISTING SOUTH EXPOSED FIRE DAMAGED FACADE FOR CELLAR TO 5TH FLOOR AND TO PARAPET AT ROOF LEVEL, RESTORING AND REPOINTING OF BUILDING FACADES FROM CELLAR, 1ST TO 7TH AND PARAPET AT ROOF LEVELS.

There's also an approved permit for the following at the address:

FILE FOR GAS REPIPE OF ENTIRE BUILDING FOR COOKING USE ONLY PER PLANS.

Authorities have said that an illegally tapped gas line at 121 Second Ave. may have caused the blast that killed two men and injured a few dozen other people... as well as destroyed three buildings — 119, 121 and 123 Second Ave.

To date, the city has yet to file charges against anyone in connection with the explosion. The Post reported in April that investigators have "six prime suspects" — landlord Maria Hrynenko, her son Michael Jr., contractor Dilber Kukic as well as an unidentified subcontractor and two workers.

Happy holidays from Raphael Toledano and Brookhill Properties

The gift-giving by Raphael Toledano's Brookhill Properties continues this holiday season.

After closing on a 16-building East Village portfolio back in the fall, residents received a box of chocolates as a welcome from their new landlord.

Some tenants in these newly acquired buildings have accused Toledano and his associates of predatory practices in various published reports (The New York Times, Daily News, The Villager and DNAinfo) and at least one lawsuit.

Previously, rent-regulated tenants at the Toledano-owned 444 E. 13th St. received wine and fruit baskets back in May after the continued lack of basic building services. (This group of tenants filed a lawsuit against the property management.)

And more recently, Toledano tenants received another gift ...



... $20 gift cards to Ninth Street Espresso.

One tenant described the reaction to the gift from his fellow building tenants, many of whom are not having their leases renewed and facing eviction, as "surprised confusion."

Another Toledano tenant had the following response:

Thank you for your kind holiday greetings, and for your thoughtful gift card supporting our neighbors.

If you truly want to make good on your generous wishes for my peace and happiness in the new year, please consider dropping your case against me and renewing my lease.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: Landlord of 444 E. 13th St. threatened 'to drop dynamite on the building'

Reader report: Large portfolio of East Village buildings ready to change hands

Report: State investigating East Village landlord Raphael Toledano

Report: Uncle suing nephew broker Raphael Toledano over $100 million East Village deal

Report: Raphael Toledano completes purchase of 16-building East Village portfolio

More about alleged harassment and landlord visits via Brook Hill Properties

Brook Hill Properties launches chocolate offensive

In op-ed, Raphael Toledano says that he wants 'to make the East Village a better place'

Report: East Village landlord Raphael Toledano allegedly misrepresented himself as a lawyer

Live painting with Mike (MiMo) Mozart at 212 Arts on East 4th Street

Words and photos by Stacie Joy

On Sunday afternoon, I stopped by 212 Arts where gallery co-directors Lulu Reich and Marc Leader hosted Mike (MiMo) Mozart's live-painting event.


[From left: Mozart, Reich and Leader]

Mozart is part of the Art Basel on 4th Street exhibit at the gallery, 240 E. Fourth St. at Avenue B, where you can also see works by Claw, Sean Sullivan, Blind156 and Reso, among others, through Dec. 31.

Mozart, a longtime illustrator, has also apparently been doing ghost-drawing for Alec Monopoly ... including work featuring Hasbro's iconic board-game character Mr. Monopoly. (BoweryBoogie recently looked into the relationship between Mozart and Monoploy here.)





During the time I was there on Sunday, Mozart's work was selling and there were people clearly excited and entertained to see him creating art on-site.

Here, Mozart created a pen-and-ink (with pastels and pencil) rendition of Mr. Moneybags...







You can find more info on the 212 gallery here.