Wednesday's parting shot

COTTON CANDY CLOWNS VAN SIGHTING!

Spotted on Seventh Street today by Dave on 7th ...

COVID-19 testing site temporarily setting up behind the former St. Brigid School

[Photo by Dave on 7th]

Workers set up tents today behind the former St. Brigid School on Seventh Street and Avenue B.

It was a bit of a mystery until we received this missive from Assemblymember Harvey Epstein's office:

This Thursday, May 21, Somos Community Care is opening a COVID-19 testing site at St. Brigid - St. Emeric Church at 119 Avenue B (between Seventh Street and Eighth Street). This testing site will only be open until this Tuesday (May 26). You must call to make an appointment first so please do so immediately as this is a short window of time. The number is 1-833-766-6769.

It's open from 9 to 5.

Updated 5/26

Th temporary COVID-19 testing site has been extended by a few more weeks.

The site also has new hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports, walk-ins are still possible but they would prefer that you make an appointment. Somos reps also promised better staffing of the phone lines. (Several readers reported that they couldn't get through to make an appointment.)

Checking in on Jane's Exchange

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Jane's Exchange, the children's and maternity consignment shop at 191 E. Third St., is back open, now offering curbside pickups here between Avenue A and Avenue B as well as deliveries.

"Customers have emailed and called to see if we have certain items and if we do, we meet them on the curb or mail items to them," said co-owner Eva Dorsey, who first opened the shop in 1993. "On Monday, for example, we mailed out a box with $100 worth of books to Maryland."


[Eva Dorsey with her daughter Jane]

Starting on June 1, Jane's Exchange will have their online store up and running, featuring children’s and maternity clothing, books, toys and some equipment. People will be able to order online and given the option for mail delivery, human delivery or curb pickup.

"In addition to our generous customers who have contributed through our GoFundMe and purchased gift cards, we are hoping our online store will help us meet our bills and provide a service to our consignors, customers and community," Dorsey said.



You can follow Jane's Exchange on Instagram here.

Lori McLean Jewelry moving to Avenue A

Lori McLean Jewelry is on the move, relocating from her home of five years on 11th Street to 207 Avenue A.

The boutique specializing in vintage and custom jewelry designs had been at 320 E. 11th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue (after a move from the West Village). The lease was up, and apparently, the landlord had plans for a new tenant (namely a sushi counter, but more on that in another post).

Fortunately, McLean was able to find another storefront in the East Village. Her new space, expected to be ready in early June, had been home here near 13th Street to Obscura Antiques and Oddities until late December when co-owners Evan Michelson and Mike Zohn decided to move on after nearly 20 years in business.

When it came time to find a new shop, McLean said that she wanted to stay in the East Village. "The neighborhood has been so supportive of us and a delight to work in," she told me earlier this year.

Lucien reopens the kitchen for takeout and delivery

[From the other day]

First Avenue favorite Lucien reopened yesterday for takeout and delivery.

For now, the French bistro is open from noon to 10 p.m. here at 12 First Ave. between First Street and Second Street. You can call 'em at (212) 260-6481.

Shinn East is open for takeout sushi

Shinn East, offering to-go sushi (for now), debuted yesterday at 119 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Florence Fabricant had a quickie preview at the Times:

Omakase to take away is the work of Mike Lian, who was the sushi chef at Sushi by Bou in the former Versace Mansion in Miami Beach. He’s a mere 23, but has been rolling rice and slicing fish in New York and Florida for the past seven years ... When it opens formally, there will be a mere eight seats. Linda Wang, who is an owner of Ume in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is a partner, along with Mr. Lian.

Here's a look at a menu (thanks to the reader for the pic!) ...



You can find photos and details on their offerings via the Shinn East website.

Smash and grab at Caffé Bene on Avenue A

The NYPD was spotted at Caffé Bene this morning on Avenue A at 13th Street.

As the above photo by EVG regular Lola Saénz shows, the burglars — said to be wearing ponchos, masks and thick gloves — smashed part of the front glass door and made off with the shop's e-bikes.

There has been a reported rise in commercial burglaries in the past two months during the COVID-19 pause.

Coronavirus code

Outside the Second Avenue F stop. A few people have thought this reads COVID-14 while others believe it's simply a stylized 9.

Art is by @Leaf_8K

RIP Frances Goldin

Frances Goldin, a lifelong preservationist and community activist, died on Sunday in her East Village apartment, according to published reports. She was 95.

As The New York Times noted, Goldin, who was born in Queens in 1924, "won her first street brawl when she was 11 and as a grown-up never stopped fighting to safeguard her beloved Lower East Side from upscale developers."

Here's more from the Times on her remarkable life:

An unreconstructed socialist, Ms. Goldin was an advocate for affordable housing and a staunch defender of the poor.

Her activism extended over two careers. In one, she was a civic leader in a vintage neighborhood that was being gussied up with fancy names (“as soon as they said ‘East Village,’ they tripled the rent,” she told The New York Times in 1984) and studded with asymmetrical buildings girdled in glass.

In the other, from 1977, she was a literary agent who represented progressive authors, including Susan Brownmiller, Martin Duberman, Juan Gonzalez, Robert Meeropol, Frances Fox Piven and the New York City historian Mike Wallace. The novelist Barbara Kingsolver chose Ms. Goldin on the basis of her advertisement that read, “I do not represent any material that is sexist, ageist or gratuitously violent.”

Goldin was the founder of both the Metropolitan Council on Housing and the Cooper Square Committee.

Tributes to her on Twitter included...

Remembering our fierce and inspiring co-founder, Frances Goldin, who passed away on Saturday. Her legacy is enormous, much like her love for the Lower East Side and for all communities struggling for social justice.

Rest in power, Frances. https://t.co/VtS7ZZ0o9o pic.twitter.com/Qj1iPkPzMC

— Cooper Sq Committee #CANCELRENT (@CooperSq) May 18, 2020

RIP the fabulous Frances Goldin, the Lower East Side's veteran warrior . Bless her rebel heart. pic.twitter.com/5ZDQkO3HCb

— Tom Robbins (@tommy_robb) May 17, 2020

Very sorry to hear that Frances Goldin, legendary Lower East Side activist, has died. Charismatic, brilliant, charming, combative – but she got things done. Housing was built. Neighborhoods saved. People were brought together in common cause. One of the greatest of New Yorkers. pic.twitter.com/ThXdIWu7Vf

— Brian Rose (@brosenyc) May 17, 2020

We were deeply saddened by the passing of Frances Goldin this weekend. She was a giant-slayer, @CooperSq co-founder, social justice fighter, preservationist, and passionate community leader. Read our past birthday tribute, incl her wonderful oral history: https://t.co/RMCWWukAym pic.twitter.com/3Jz6v1rr0q

— GVSHP (@GVSHP) May 18, 2020

My former boss Frances Goldin passed away over the weekend. She was a literary agent and activist who dyed her hair with Manic Panic at the age of 95. A true legend. I feel so lucky she was in my life. The city won't be the same without her. https://t.co/40ro72fSKL

— Sarah Bridgins (@sarahbridgins) May 18, 2020

RIP Frances Goldin. Frances always fought the good fight and her strong sense of community was animated by her principles of fairness and inclusion.

The #LES is a better place because of this fighter who refused to be intimidated by the establishment. https://t.co/mZOAaeNT1d

— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) May 18, 2020

She is survived by two daughters, Sally and Reeni Goldin, and a grandson.

Demolition watch: 270 E. 2nd St.

That's all for the four-story 270 E. Second St. here between Avenue C and Avenue D.

This is what's left of the former home of Barrier Free Living (BFL), the nonprofit that provides transitional housing for survivors of domestic violence with disabilities.





As previously reported (dating to December 2018), BFL officials unveiled plans for a new state-of-the-art facility called Freedom Village to replace the now-demolished building.

Coming soon, a new 13-floor structure designed by JCJ Architecture ...



And here's more from the news release about the new No. 270:

The new 65,000-square foot facility will provide permanent housing specifically to meet the needs of this population and will include 74 apartments, administrative offices, a rear garden, an elevated outdoor recreation area, and community and support spaces.

The building will challenge assumptions about the aesthetics associated with supportive housing and create a more direct and engaged relationship for residents with the surrounding environment. The new facility is intended to efficiently serve the needs of BFL’s clients, to provide a sense of pride, place and home for residents, and to create a unique architectural presence in the rapidly changing neighborhood where the East Village and Lower East Side converge.

Inspired by the parameters of Mayor de Blasio’s Housing NYC Plan, this project will provide affordable housing and support services for a grossly underserved population. The project team will work alongside agencies and stakeholders including NY State Home and Community Renewal, ESSHI and NY City Board of Standards & Appeals. Funding for related services and rent support will come from the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative.

BFL closed here in April 2018 after 28 years in service. The project was originally expected to be complete in late 2021. New building permits were filed on May 8 with the city.

Terra Thai debuts on 6th Street

Terra Thai debuted last Thursday at 518 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B... and, given that they were opening amid the COVID-19 crisis, they were giving away masks with orders...



The owners returned to NYC from Boulder, Colo., where they had been running Terra Thai. They had planned to open up here in March.

They are currently just serving a few Thai street dishes, including Pad Thai and Basil Chicken over rice, for takeout and delivery. You can check out their menu here. Terra Thai is open Tuesdays through Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.

This Sixth Street space was previously Eat’s Kaho Man Gai, who never reopened here after expnading to the Essex Market.

Thanks to EVG reader Isa Spoerry for these photos!

3's a crowd

Steven caught this glimpse of the three red-tailed hawklets today in Tompkins Square Park... Amelia and Christo's 2020 offspring are now about five weeks old, and are entering that awkward old-young Benjamin Button phase.

And from the looks of things, Amelia and Christo may need to consider building a nest extension here ...

A depressing last look at Gem Spa

Workers finished dismantling the former Gem Spa space today on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place.

The work focused on removing the rolldown gates that East Village-based musician-artist Paul Kostabi painted last September ... Steven took these photos...









Parul Patel, who had been the running the shop that her father Ray has owned since 1986, said that she plans to auction the rolldown gates, splitting the proceeds with Paul Kostabi. (She will also continue to sell Gem Spa merchandise online.)

Workers also removed some Gem Spa ghost signage...





The iconic shop, home of the egg cream, officially closed on May 7 amid ongoing financial challenges worsened by the COVID-19 crisis.

That long-empty corner lot at 14th Street and Avenue C has a new owner

[EVG file photo]

The southwest corner of 14th Street at Avenue C — 644 E. 14th St. — remains an inactive development site.

And now it has yet another new owner. As Bisnow reported, Shulamit Prager’s Opal Holdings sold the property to Madison Realty Capital for $31.3 million.

Opal had plans for a 50-unit mixed-use building on the site.

There hasn't been any construction activity at this site since the end of 2017. However, there has been some behind-the-scenes wrangling. In May 2019, PincusCo examined city records to find that several developers have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby the city for NYCHA air rights. (The latest listing noted that "additional FAR" is available.)

According to the PincusCo investigation, Madison Realty Capital hired one of the city’s most active government lobbying firms, Capalino+Company, to approach the NYCHA about the air rights at Campos Plaza II adjacent to this property.

This past November, a new listing for the property positioned the corner as a "unique build-to-suit opportunity." According to the listing at Lee & Associates, the site "can be developed as a residential/commercial mixed use building" that's "ideal for schools, health care/medical, not-for-profits, retail." There wasn't a mention of price.

Also: In January 2019, the Commercial Observer reported that Second Avenue Deli owner Jeremy Lebewohl filed a $10 million lawsuit alleging that his five-story residential building at 642 E. 14th St. sustained damages by the foundation work next door at No. 644.

As for the most-recent stalled development, here's what was in the works in September 2016: A 15-floor building with 50 residential units with 8,064 square feet of retail space and 21,575 square feet of community facility space."


[2016-era rendering of the development]

This corner property last housed the single-level R&S Strauss auto parts store, which closed in April 2009.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Development back in play for East 14th Street and Avenue C

• More details on the sale of 644 E. 14th St.

• Here comes a 15-story retail-residential complex for East 14th Street and Avenue C

• Prepping the former R&S Strauss auto parts store for demolition on East 14th Street and Avenue C

• City OKs 15-story mixed-use retail-residential building on 14th and C

• 14th and C now waiting for the Karl Fischer-designed 15-story retail-residential complex

• 14th and C still waiting for its Karl Fischer-designed retail-residential complex

• Report: New owners for the empty lot at 14th Street and Avenue C

Rossy's Bakery & Café is back open after making repairs caused by construction next door

Rossy's Bakery & Café reopens this morning after the ongoing construction next door knocked them out of business for the past month and a half.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy spotted owner Rossy Caba at the family run café here at 242 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C the other day...



... where interior renovations were wrapping up...



Rossy's had been open for takeout and delivery in March. However, part of the restaurant suffered water damage from the ongoing construction next door, where a 7-floor, 20-unit residential building will stand. They had to close for repairs after service on March 31.

Moving forward, Rossy's will be open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

And you can expect to see Rossy along with other familiar faces — Norma Ortiz, her mother, and Gabriel Escalante, her brother. Among their offerings: boxed lunches, smoothies and cakes.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to Rossy's Bakery & Café on 3rd Street

Construction next door causes Rossy's Bakery & Café to temporarily close on 3rd Street

How to get your Superiority Burger grab bag to go on Thursday

Superiority Burger is now offering up a grab bag of unique to-go vegan items — on Thursdays only here on Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

But! You need to put in your order online here starting at noon today (Monday!). SB has an enthusiastic fanbase, and they sold out of pre-orders quickly this past week.

Let's go to their Instagram account for a narrative:

Thursday May 21 will be a whole new set menu based on what we find at Union Square. Ordering for this next one will start Monday May 18 at noon.

(And yes, we get it. The pre-ordering is annoying. The nebulous pre-ordering menu is annoying. The timed out pick-ups you unconditionally must be on time for are annoying. The goofy one day a week availability is annoying. Bear with us as this thing develops organically. Please please please 😇.)

We are building back purposively and methodically here. It’s only a matter of time before you’ll be saying “hey remember when SB was only open one day a week and they tried to make us eat beans what fuckers.” Thank you for your peace, love, and understanding!

But still!

Ok! No one wants us to return to multi-day service more than we do. But we are going to do this gradually. Safe staff, safe customers, right? So for now, only Thursdays. But we will make sure these Thursday bags of food are action packed, ok?

[May 14] was a blast. It was fun to try to recognize everyone’s masked faces through the doorway. Folks showed up, picked up, and immediately scattered. A really encouraging shot of spaced out camaraderie. It felt....pretty good.

Thanks to Steven for these photos from this past Thursday...

Village Crêperie debuts on 9th Street

[Photo by Steven]

Village Crêperie opened last week along 441-445 E. Ninth St. (aka 145 Avenue A).


[Image via Instagram]

Here's a look at their menu, offering a variety of coffee and crêpes...



You can find them on Instagram here. No word on their hours moving forward.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Village Crêperie coming soon to 9th and A

ICYMI: Momofuku's Ssäm Bar moving from the East Village to the Seaport

ICYMI: Back on Wednesday, David Chang announced several changes/closures to his global restaurant empire as the fallout from COVID-19 hits the A-list ranks.

Among the coming changes: Chang is moving the nearly 15-year-old Ssäm Bar from Second Avenue and 13th Street into the space that houses Bar Wayō at the South Street Seaport.

Here's part of the message posted to the Momofuku website:

[W]e have decided to move Ssäm Bar from the East Village to Wayō’s much larger space at South Street Seaport and combine the teams of both restaurants. We loved what we created with Wayō, but we have to focus on our restaurants with the most potential. It would be hard to think of a better candidate than Ssäm Bar. Its lease expires in January 2021 and over the last fifteen years has probably changed more radically than any other restaurant of its kind—and thrived in the process.

With more space for guests, multiple entrances, and a new kitchen, Ssäm Bar at the Seaport is better suited to the new realities of restaurants. Not only that, we’re also excited to incorporate elements of Wayo’s menu and service into the new Ssäm Bar. With tabletop cooking and karaoke rooms, the new restaurant will carry on Ssäm Bar’s legacy and celebratory spirit. And don’t worry, John McEnroe is coming with. We are still working on sorting out the details and will share more as we develop the project.

The Ssäm Bar had a large footprint on this corner... curious to see who/what might take this space over one day...



Milk Bar had retail space on the 13th Street side before moving across the street in May 2011. The cocktail bar Booker & Dax was then here until October 2016 before Ssäm Bar expanded.

Meanwhile, Eater checked in with a think piece titled: "If Momofuku Is Closing Restaurants, What Does It Mean for Everyone Else?"

Dismantling the former Gem Spa

[Photo by David Sippel]

This afternoon, workers took down the Gem Spa signs from the now-closed corner shop-newsstand on Second Avenue and St Mark's Place (photos below by Steven)...









Parul Patel, who had been the running the shop that her father Ray has owned since 1986, told me that she intends to sell the Gem Spa signs, and has a few suitors already. She was at the scene overseeing the removal today...


[Photo by Stacie Joy]

She also plans to auction the rolldown gates that East Village-based musician-artist Paul Kostabi painted last September, splitting the proceeds with him. (She will also continue to sell Gem Spa merchandise online.)

The iconic shop, home of the egg cream, officially closed on May 7 amid ongoing financial challenges, exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis...


[Photo by Steven]

Updated:

A look at about 7:30...

Someone vandalized the COVID-19 memorial on 10th Street and Avenue A

The vandalism happened sometime overnight here on 10th Street and Avenue A... the mirror that kept a tally of the COVID-19 deaths worldwide was smashed ... and someone took one of the signs attached to the memorial... thanks to Rosella Tursi for sharing these photos...







The memorial was originally created back in March in honor of Edd Conboy, a licensed therapist and director of social services at Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia, who died on March 20 of a stroke. He was 69. His brother Jim, an East Village artist, created this after his family was unable to hold a funeral in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The memorial continued to evolve to honor those who have died during the pandemic. This also marks the second time that someone has vandalized it.