Thursday's parting shot

This evening on Third Street between Avenue C and Avenue D...

Details on free summer classes for children in the community gardens

Via the EVG inbox...

This summer, LUNGS (Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens) brings a free urban nature exploration for children to our neighborhood community gardens, The Living Classroom, TLC. The Living Classroom will turn the gardens into living laboratories and artist studios.

We will be combining hands-on investigation and inquiry-based learning with art making and movement. The classes will be taught by four professional educators and run for eight weeks.

The Living Classrooms will be taught in eight different community gardens on Monday and Tuesday afternoons from July 10 until Aug. 29. Classes are free and open to all children ages 5 to 10.

Come and join us for a FREE TLC workshop this Saturday, June 24, 1-3 pm at Green Oasis Garden, 376 E. 8th St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Find more details and register at the LUNGS website here.

Noted

"It was all a dream I used to read Word Up! magazine...." @nike x momofuku = @nikesb dunk - On June 22 a limited number of Nike SB Dunk High Pro “Momofuku” will be available at Fuku (163 First Avenue, New York, NY 10003) starting at 10 a.m., and, from June 23, the shoe will be available at select Nike retailers. 163 = 13th anniversary for noodle bar / ko / fuku 207 = 11th anniversary for ssam

A post shared by Dave Chang (@davidchang) on Jun 15, 2017 at 12:07pm PDT

Nike is collaboring with Momofuku founder-chef David Chang on a limited-edition sneaker... which went on sale this morning at 10 at Fuku, First Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street.

The line apparently started at 6:30 a.m., with a rumor that someone spent the night outside to be first. An Eater editor reported that the line was a full block long and 100 feet around the corner on 11th Street.

Standing In line to get my @momofuku sneakers. And hopefully to grab @lucamanfe a pair. Fingers crossed @Nike pic.twitter.com/623DbGPX7q

— CHEF ScottishFrancis (@ScottishFrancis) June 22, 2017

Report: Polish G. I. Delicatessen is closing at the end of the month

[Photo from March]

Rumors started circulating back in January — prompted by the arrival of a retail listing for the space — that the 21-year-old Polish G. I. Delicatessen on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street would be closing. (A for rent sign also appeared in the front window in late March, though we were told that this was not for this space.)

Eater got confirmation yesterday that the Eastern European specialty foods shop will be shutting down at the end of the month.

Polish G.I.'s counterman David Cohen told Eater that they would be taking a two-month vacation and returning with hopes of opening in a new location. "Nothing is sure, but we'll see what happens," he told Eater.

However, multiple readers told us that chef-owner Grace Iwuc was going to retire. In addition, the listing for the space notes that "the owner is retiring and selling her 10-year lease of $2,600/month."

In any event, here's New York magazine with a description of the store:

Polish G. I. Delicatessen is among a disappearing breed of Eastern European specialty-food stores that were once common in the East Village. The initials stand for its sunny owner, Grace Iwuc, who has steadfastly provisioned loyal locals since 1996. The front window is packed with locally baked Polish-style breads, and the narrow but deep space is stocked floor to ceiling with a variety of instant soups, bags of roasted buckwheat, jars of sauerkraut and marinated sweet peppers, and jams imported from Poland.

And The Village Voice...

It's rare to find a shop like G.I. still active in the city these days, especially in an area as highly developed as the East Village. But even if you’re not a fan of mushroom soup or Old World–style ham, it's worth a visit for a real taste of the neighborhood.

Former Kabin space on the market (again)

Kabin Bar & Lounge closed in March 2015 here at 92 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street after 10 years in business.

We recall a few people looking to open a new venture (bar) in the space. However, nothing ever materialized.

Last summer, the Sabet Group bought 92-94 Second Ave. from EMMES Property Group for $19 million. (The Sabet Group has made headlines for alleged tenant harassment in the past.)

A for rent sign recently appeared on the former Kabin. (A different broker this time.)

Some details via Winick:

SIZE:

Ground Floor: 2,200 SF
Basement: 1,150 SF

FRONTAGE: 18′ on 2nd Avenue

COMMENTS:

-Prime East Village Restaurant/Retail Opportunity
-Landlord to deliver premises with new glass storefront and vented for cooking use
-New direct long term lease, no key money
-Outdoor seating cafe possible
-All uses considered

Here's a rendering of what that new storefront might look like ...



Keeping that Kabin signage then?

Loverboy bringing pizza and cocktails to 8th and C

[EVG reader photo]

The new pizzeria/cocktail lounge is now up and running at the northwest corner of Avenue C and Eighth Street.

The place is called Loverboy, and is run by T.J. Lynch, who operates Mother’s Ruin on Spring Street between Elizabeth and Mott. (A place apparently known for "booze-filled slushies.")

Loverboy made PUNCH's list of "The Most Notable New Bars in America, Spring/Summer 2017." Per PUNCH: "Lynch expands his wildly successful formula at Mother’s Ruin east of Bowery. And who can argue with the addition of pizza? Expect his high-low style and love of frozen cocktails to be on full display."

Anyway, Loverboy is now open and serving drinks. Pizzas will arrive once Con Ed turns on the gas, according to East Village Eats.

As previously noted, this corner space has been home to Lumé, the "Epicurean drinkery," ... Life — Kitchen and Bar … which had taken over for Verso. Other restaurants here in the past seven years include Caffe Pepe Rosso and Caffe Cotto.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Pizzeria proposed for the corner of Avenue C and East 8th Street

East 8th Street and Avenue C, home to 5 restaurants in recent years, is now on the market

Stuffed Ice Cream coming to 1st Avenue

A worker renovating 139 First Ave. told EVG correspondent Steven that an ice cream shop is opening here this summer between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

Work permits for the address shows that the business name is Stuffed Ice Cream. There isn't any other information at the moment.

Curious location for this: The space is just one storefront away from Davey's Ice Cream, which has a strong following and an extensive menu featuring sundaes, milk shakes and homemade cookies.

The address was previously home to American Deli & Grocery, which closed after five months in business... and before that, Scarab Lounge, a hookah joint, held forth.

Wednesday's parting shot

The start of the first day of summer ... 5:23 a.m.

'this concrete park...'

Astor Place

 

Non aquatic trees succumb,

to generous water.

By design or lack of care,

this concrete park does suffer.

•

peter radley

[Photos from last week]

Previously

White out at new gelato space on Avenue A

[Photo from Sunday by Steven]

As noted on Monday, a gelato shop called Gelarto has opened at 145 Avenue A at Ninth Street. (They are still officially in soft-open mode.)

Several commenters noted what they perceived to be an "ugly brick façade" here.

Anyway, as multiple EVG readers pointed out, workers painted the storefront yesterday...



And, as we understand it, Gelarto signage will be arriving in the next 10 days to give it that finished look.

H/T Steven and Bobby Williams

Out and About in the East Village

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



By James Maher

Name: Miss Joan Marie Moossy
Occupation: Performer
Location: Clinton Street
Date: Monday, June 12 at noon

Read part 1 of this interview here.

I’ve had a lot of jobs in New York. I worked at the Limelight in the art department. I worked at the Puck building as a party manager. I worked as a casting assistant. I worked for Stripe First Generators, working on a generator on movie sets and street fairs. I’ve had a lot of interesting jobs here. I’ve been lucky in terms of hitting jobs where it was at the high point of the place. I used to do a show on WBAI and then MNN called "Let Them Talk" with a boyfriend Paul DeRienzo. I’m also now doing a detective series set on the Lower East Side on YouTube called "Miss Moossy's Neighborhood Mysteries."

I worked at the Limelight in its heyday. I was there from 1984 to 1988. And at that time I had a boyfriend who worked at the Pyramid as the lighting guy, so we had the club scene down. In the beginning, we did major installations, like every day at the Limelight. We had a big budget, and the Pyramid was more low budget. The Limelight had the celebrity scene. The Pyramid had the experimental, avant-garde scene. I knew all these people who worked at the Pyramid, so I danced on the bar sometimes. And that’s how I met Ethyl Eichelberger, who was a playwright and performer, and I worked for him for the last four years of his life. He died in 1990.

I started as his stage manager, and then he wrote parts for me in his plays. He showed me I could talk on stage, because when you dance you don’t really say anything. I sang in his plays — things I thought I could never do, but he pushed me and I did it, and it was life changing, really.

He committed suicide in 1990. He had AIDS, and I think he feared the loss of intellect, because he was a very bright individual. I’ve been working on perpetuating his legacy. And it’s not just me, it’s definitely a group effort, and we’ve been successful at it — he certainly deserves it. Twenty-seven years later his legacy is still going, and I’m proud of that because it’s a commitment of gratitude for me. He did so much for me and taught me so much. You know, I had been a dancer, which in the 1970s was not quite the same thing as being a dancer now – we were kind of scumbags. I don’t know how else to put it. We were not considered respectable members of society.

New York’s a tough town. You can’t really get around that for all the joy and inspiration it provides to people — it can be difficult. My life has the balance, and I’m incredibly grateful to have the youth I had here in this neighborhood, but yeah there were hard times. There were the things that really impacted, I don’t think just me, I think I’m talking for a generation of people. There were things that happened that deeply affected all of us, that colored our lives.

AIDS decimated this neighborhood, and it decimated my friends. It caused a portion of our youth to be spent nursing people to their death, which is a unique experience for young people. I mean unless there’s a war, most young people go through life without a lot of deaths. There’s always going to be death, but death in that magnitude and concentration, that happened here too. When you have multiple friends sick, and you’re running from apartment to apartment trying to help, this is your life. It’s a big part of it. It certainly wasn’t just me. It was a lot of people.

I never imagined I’d get old and it would be like this. When you’re young, you don’t realize, you think it’s all going to stay the same forever, you’re never going to get old. But here you are this many years later. I didn’t think I’d live, because when you watch all your friends die, you think, ‘Well, I’m going to die too.’ I’ve been taking care of these guys, they’ve thrown up on me, everything’s happened that would put you at risk, so you figure, yeah, I’ll die too. So I never envisioned myself in my 60s.

Those were the things on the hard side, and obviously on the pleasant side I’m a happy person by nature. I loved it and I still love it — I adore New York. There are a lot of things that I like about living here. I love to walk around the neighborhood. Freedom is one of my highest ideals — the freedom to be who you are and do what you want to do. There is a certain amount of anonymity compared to a smaller arena, where everybody watches everybody. You know, for a weird person it’s nice to just be able to walk the streets and people aren’t judging everything.

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

Retail space with tragic past now on the market for the first time in decades

Nearly one year has passed since workers were spotted clearing out the long-empty storefront at 84 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Fourth Street.

A worker said that Betty Sopolsky, the owner, had recently moved away around the same time as an LLC with a Hempstead, N.Y., address bought the building for $5.125 million, per public records. (A few EVG readers said that she was estranged from her family, and only a niece remained.)

Now, in the last few days, retail for rent signs arrived on the building (thanks to Goggla for the photos!)...







As previously noted, there have been several deaths inside this house. This is from The New York Times, dated Jan. 18, 1974:

The nude body of a 40-year-old woman propietor of a tailor shop that rents tuxedos on the Lower East Side was found bludgeoned to death. The victim was Helen Sopolsky of 84 Second Avenue, near fifth Street, whose shop is one flight up at that address. The motive of the attack was not determined immediately....

As far as some longtime residents can remember, the storefront has remained empty since Helen's death. The perceived lack of activity inside the building along with the preserved window display on the second level was long a source of mystery.

Here's Jeremiah Moss writing about it in 2011:

It seems the shop has stayed virtually frozen in time since that terrible moment. The dinner jacket, never hired out to a party, is white beneath its dusty plastic, and the shirt and tie are the orange sherbet color of baby aspirin. Above hangs a crooked neon sign announcing DRESS SUITS TO HIRE. The ITS in SUITS is broken and dangling.

[Photo by Jeremiah Moss]

For now the only mystery here will be with who arrives as the new retail tenant.

Flowers for a former Juice Press on 10th Street

This sign with the name Catherine Muller arrived at the empty storefront at 279 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. According to her website, Muller is a floral designer and teacher with outposts in Paris, London, New York and Seoul.

It's not exactly clear at the moment what will be in this storefront — a floral school or a retail shop.

You can find examples of her floral arrangements at her Instagram account.

It will be the first tenant here since Juice Press packed up and left in the spring of 2015. While JP is expanding like crazy, this was the one time they closed a location, due to, we heard, ongoing frustrations with landlord Steve Croman.

Thanks to EVG regular Daniel for the photo!

A new meaning for bank fishing

EVG regular Jose Garcia spotted this on Ninth Street near First Avenue... and part of our ongoing found fish-heads-on-sidewalk series (like here and here).

P.S.
What is bank fishing?