'Bringing Back Bowery: Public Art as Protest' extended at Howl! Happening

[Photo by Stacie Joy]

You have one more week to see "Bringing Back Bowery: Public Art as Protest" at Howl! Happening.

The exhibit, originally set to end today, will be up through Aug. 30 now.

The group show is an outgrowth of an effort organized by Bowery artist Sono Kuwayama in June. She received permission from store owners to paint on the plywood of the boarded-up businesses along the Bowery. She then reached out to some local artists to have them create murals.

These works have been preserved and are now on display at Howl!

The gallery, 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery, is open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Find more details about the artists at this link.

Howl! is limiting the number of visitors at any one time, and requires masks for everyone. Guests must also register upon entering and have their temperature taken.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A look at 'Bringing Back Bowery' at Howl! Happening

Curlie and Poo

EVG reader Bill Buchen shares these photos from Third Street of longtime resident Curlie, a familiar presence along Avenue C who plays everything from 1960s soul and funk to salsa on his vintage boombox ...

... along with his girlfriend Poo...

An art opening on 11th Street with music from Zimbabwe

East Village-based artist Nora Balaban debuted new drawings last evening with a storefront opening on 11th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Her work remains on display for viewing outside 526 E. 11th St.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by to check out the socially distant festivities...







...which included music from Zimbabwe. Balaban ran Tribal Soundz, a community-oriented world music store, on Sixth Street for 10 years.



Stacie reports that "it was a positive and happy event."

HBD Joe Strummer

The Clash frontman would have been 68 today. The video for "Clampdown" is from 1980.

And you can check out "A Song For Joe: Celebrating the Birthday of Joe Strummer" from today right here.

A little off the top

Workers were back in Tompkins Square Park, where they removed more of the stump of the English Elm that came down at the entrance on Seventh Street and Avenue B on Aug. 3 during Tropical Storm Isaias ... (thanks to Steven for pointing this out!)

Not sure what the plans are for the rest of the stump...



... and if you want to try to figure out how old this majestic tree was...



EVG reader Bobby G. previously pointed out that this was an English Elm, not an American Elm as someone wrote, "and the only one in the park. Tons of Squirrels lived in it, and my guess is that it was one of the oldest trees in the park."

New building construction now in the obscure the Yonah Schimmel's Knish Bakery storefront phase

Construction is still in the foundation stage for the 9-story office building coming to East Houston between Forsyth and Eldridge at the site of the former Landmark Sunshine Theater.

Meanwhile, workers have gone ahead and put up a sidewalk bridge next door that obscures the neighboring business — the 110-year-old Yonah Schimmel's Knish Bakery. They’re still here at 137 E. Houston St. for your knish and Cherry Lime Ricky needs — 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: (212) 477-2858.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to Yonah Schimmel's Knish Bakery

Yoga to the People won't be reopening on St. Mark's Place

Yoga to the People, the studio with the pay-what-you-can fee structure, has closed all of its NYC locations, including the flagship outpost at 12 St. Mark's Place.

A simple message now greets visitors to its website:

Yoga to the People is permanently closed and will not be reopening after Covid-19.

Yoga to the People opened its first NYC studio here on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue in 2006.

---

Updated 9:45 a.m.

Thanks to readers who shared this Vice investigation from July 24 titled "Fear, Control, and Manipulation at Yoga to the People." The article interviews more than 30 people who knew or worked with founder Greg Gumucio, which "depict him as a predator with a penchant for controlling and sexually manipulating bright and often vulnerable young women."

---

To date, there has been little guidance about reopening for NYC gyms and fitness boutiques such as yoga and pilates studios. Gov. Cuomo has said that gyms across the state can reopen on Monday with a 33-percent occupancy rate, but that date didn't apply in the city.

More than 1,500 gyms across New York had previously filed a class-action lawsuit against Cuomo to put legal pressure on the state to allow reopening.

Small yoga and pilates studios in the neighborhood have had to pivot to offering classes online.

Illumina East, the second-floor yoga studio at 96 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, closed earlier this summer.

Mister Paradise is now hibernating on 1st Avenue; blames state's full-meal mandate

Mister Paradise, the cocktail bar on First Avenue, has decided to temporarily pack it in for the near future here between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

The bar, which does offer a food menu, had been open with curbside seating. However, ownership apparently didn't think the risk was worth whatever revenue stream was coming in during the outdoor-dining phase.

Here's part of their Instagram post from yesterday:

We are very grateful to every one of you who came to support us over the past few months, but we have made the call to go back into hibernation. The state’s mandate that everyone must have a full meal in front of them, regardless of dinner plans or if they are coming for a cocktail after a meal, has further crippled not only us, but many many bars that have been acting responsibly since day one, and are just doing their best to hang on to the frayed thread that the government has thrown our way.

H/T Vinny & O

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood...

A reality check from B&H Dairy

[B&H Dairy owners Ola and Fawzy Abdelwahed in 2018]

Here's a post from B&H Dairy on Instagram yesterday that sums up the hardships of running a small food business during the COVID-19 crisis:

Dear B&H Family,

As you know we have been struggling to survive the pandemic as a business. While we are now “open,” we wanted to update you with a reality check as to our situation as of today.

B&H, like many, if not all restaurants, large or small, remains at risk of closing. That is a fact. Anyone who is under the impression that because a restaurant “open,” all is “back to normal,” is not grasping the reality of the pandemic and its consequences.

We went from serving 200 customers a day to only 20 customers a day when we first reopened for pick-up and delivery. We had to cover paying our employees, rent, utilities, and buying food for the restaurant on only 10% of our previous income.

We started an ongoing GoFundMe campaign, to which many of you continue to donate repeatedly, for which we are deeply grateful.

When we were able to reopen, we made changes, accepting credit cards and using food delivery apps for the first time, which increased our customers to about 50 a day, on a good day. Still not back to normal.

We applied for all appropriate relief loans and grants from various city and government agencies, none of which have been granted so far, except for one tiny grant early on, which covered a fraction of one month’s rent, and has since been repaid. To date, though several applications are pending, we have received no further government assistance or relief.

This weekend we adjusted our hours, now closing on Mondays, and cut staff, saying goodbye to Mike. Though he had been with B&H for 14 years, he was one of our most junior employees. Many of our remaining staff are the sole breadwinner for their families.

We are in a fight to survive. We hope that the combination of business, our GoFundMe campaign, and we pray, government relief, will allow us to ride out this storm. This has been a very stressful time for everyone at B&H, so much so, that Ola is now under a doctor’s care.

However, we have faith in B&H! We have been around since 1938, been through numerous owners, staff, closures, and disasters, such as the Spring 2015 2nd Ave. gas explosion, and yet have survived. We thank you, our B&H Family, for your continued love and support.

B&H Dairy is at 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. Phone: (212) 505-8065.

Updated: The crowdfunding campaign for Mike is at this link.

Clay Pot won't be returning to St. Mark's Place

Clay Pot's tenure at 58 St. Mark’s Place has officially come to an end, management confirmed via an Instagram message.

The restaurant, which served Hong Kong style open-flame cooked clay pot rice, opened here between First Avenue and Second Avenue in February 2018. It had been closed since the COVID-19 PAUSE. Their Bleecker Street outpost remains in service.

Per the rep: "St. Mark's Place will always have a place in our hearts."

The tooth about this new Avenue A tenant

Another day, another [sort of] surprising new Avenue A storefront reveal. We just noted a laundromat is opening soon between Second Street and Third Street... and yesterday, the signage went up outside the vacant storefront on Avenue A at Fourth Street...



... marking a new location for Kids Dental, which is what it sounds like. A dentist for kids. The practice also has outposts in Washington Heights and Bensonhurst.



A Santander branch was here on the southwest corner until April 2018. Between full-time tenants, ChaShaMa — a nonprofit that partners with property owners for pop-up galleries — was using the space.

And here's Prince Tea House on 10th Street

[Photo by Steven]

The plywood has come down from outside 204 E. 10th St. just east of Second Avenue where Prince Tea House will be opening in the weeks ahead.

This will be the sixth NYC location for the chainlet that also serves coffee, desserts, wine and brunch.

The East Village location is currently hiring.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Prince Tea House expanding to the East Village with an outpost on 10th Street

Wednesday's parting shot

Skating along Seventh Street today... photo by Derek Berg...

Noted

Our friends at DeColores Community Yard shared this photo from Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C this morning ... a DNC party favor for tonight?

Report: Cloister Cafe owner sues state over suspended liquor license

The owner of the Cloister Cafe is suing the State Liquor Authority (SLA) after its license was recently suspended at 238 E. Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Here's the official report that the SLA posted:

On August 7th, the New York City Sheriff's Office requested assistance from the state's multi-agency task force at this establishment approximately 12:30 a.m. — well past the 11 p.m. NYC curfew. Investigators found the restaurant operating as a nightclub and hookah lounge with a live DJ, documenting numerous patrons ignoring social distancing with lines of customers congregating in front of the premises without facial coverings, at least twenty patrons consuming alcohol indoors under a fixed roof, and no receipts for food purchases. The inspection identified thirty-three significant fire and life safety violations, with the NYC Sheriff's Office issuing seven criminal court summonses.

The exclusive pandemic parties were reportedly hosted at Cloister Cafe — aka Café Tucano — by Provocateur, a former Meatpacking District club.

One recent attendee told Gothamist, in a story published on Aug. 4, that he saw "hundreds of people, nobody is social distancing, nobody is wearing masks. It’s like the normal club scene. There’s a lot of spenders there. If they do social distancing, they can’t make money. They need to have a packed room full of people to make money."

As Page Six first reported, Cloister Cafe claims that the SLA didn't properly investigate the alleged violations — and just copied the claims from Gothamist, which in part relied on two Instagram posts by "self-styled social-distancing watchdog" Kristina Alaniesse.

"Instead of investigating, the SLA decided to rely upon the Gothamist, which is hardly a legal treatiste," Cloister's lawyer Robert Garson told Page Six.

They believe the closure was "illegal, uninvestigated and uninformed based on a sole Instagram post."

"The liquor authority are acting like … they've imposed a form of [martial law] that they’re not adhering to proper investigation," Garson said. "There are lots of people hurting [in hospitality]. [Owner Nick Drobenko is] taking the fight, not for himself, but for them as well."

In a post yesterday about the lawsuit, Gothamist laid out their reporting that went into the original story:

In fact, our reporting was based on interviews with nearly a dozen people, including almost half a dozen who had been to their events in person. Alaniesse did however post two damning videos which were taken at the spot on July 30th and which were cited by investigators...

Multiple attendees told us masks and social distancing were not being enforced whatsoever at the club, and that parties were routinely going past 11 p.m. and early into the morning multiple times a week.

An SLA spokesperson told this to Gothamist:

[A]ny claim that Cafe Cloister’s summary suspension was based on social media posts or media accounts is demonstrably false. Both the New York City Sheriff’s Office and investigators with the state's multi-agency task force conducted an inspection of Cafe Cloister at approximately 12:30 am on August 7th — more than an hour after New York City’s 11:00 pm curfew for outdoor dining — and documented a multitude of violations, each of which put New Yorkers' health and safety in danger during a global pandemic.

O'Hanlon's preps for reopening

O'Hanlon's has been dormant since the start of the COVID-19 PAUSE. In fact, a few regulars wondered if the neighborhood tavern might return at all to 349 E. 14th St. just west of First Avenue.

However, in a positive sign yesterday, EVG regular Pinch noted activity at the bar, as the staff started prepping to reopen... including the construction of sidewalk seating. The bar also teased a return on social media, noting "coming soon" ...

View this post on Instagram

coming soon...

A post shared by O'Hanlon's (@ohanlonsbarnyc) on Aug 18, 2020 at 6:11am PDT

They are expected to be open on Friday. Follow along on Instagram for updates.

O'Hanlon's announced that they will open Monday, Aug. 24, from 4 to 11 p.m.

Storefront surprise! A new laundromat coming soon to 31 Avenue A

Well then. The paper covering the front windows over at 31 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street came down the other day... revealing the useful new tenant coming soon — laundromat!



The space, owned by the NYCHA, had been vacant since Venus Body Arts moved out toward the end of 2017.

The original Juice Press has closed

The very first Juice Press, which debuted at 70 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue in 2010, is now for rent.

The plant-based food and beverage brand, with more than 80 locations in seven states now, had its humble beginnings in the East Village. Before opening the First Street shop in 2010, JP founder Marcus Antebi put up signs announcing a Robot Daycare and NY Academy of Mime, among other things, coming soon.

This location has been closed since someone broke in and looted the space in early June.

JP recently launched the JP Organic Market online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aug. 18

Spotted on Sixth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... hiding the Christmas tree with the recyclables ... thanks to Riian Kant-McCormick for the photo! (And thanks to everyone else who pointed this one out, including Sally Long Dog!)

'In The Realm Of Anansi From Assisi' continues on at Le Petit Versailles

"In The Realm Of Anansi From Assisi," an installation by longtime East Village resident Peter Cramer, continues through Sept. 13 at Le Petit Versailles, the community garden and arts space at 247 E. Second St. (aka 346 E. Houston St.) between Avenue B and Avenue C.

There is limited public access (three mask-wearing people at a time while keeping social distance) Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 8 to 10. Otherwise, there is viewing daily from outside the fences on Second Street.

Here's more about the installation via the EVG inbox:

In The Realm of Anansi From Assisi (ITROAFA) is an immersive environment of the storyteller Anasi, a mythical African spider god, a fantastical garden landscape of light and line — a place of pilgrimage and healing where visitors may wander finding solace and respite during this time of disease.

The sculpture, visual elements, moving images, and sounds created by the principal artists reconcile science with mythology; from the evocation of the creation of the universe to the emergence of hominid creatures and culminating with the emergence of language represented by Anansi.

On Thursday (Aug. 20) evening at 7:30, Le Petit Versailles is hosting a live concert by NYOBS, the alternative experimental free association "kitchen" band featuring Mike Cacciatore, Peter Cramer, John Michael Swartz and Jack Waters.

You may listen from the sidewalk outside the garden or enjoy the sounds via Zoom. Find more details at the events page on Facebook.

Friends and neighbors come together to help Chef Lek at Lui's Thai Food

[Photo from early August by Stacie Joy]

East Village resident Pimnapa "Lek" Sunthatkolkarn, the chef/owner of Lui's Thai Food on Fourth Street, was hospitalized late last week. She remains in the hospital in stable condition, per EVG contributor Stacie Joy.

Lek's friends and neighbors have come together and launched a crowdfunding campaign to help her and her family with expenses.

Per the campaign:

Lek, who grew up in Bangkok, has lived in the EV for more than 30 years and previously owned the much loved Thai restaurant, Holy Basil, before opening Lui's Thai Food. At 62 years old, Chef Lek is a powerhouse and a beloved neighbor in the community.

You may find the GoFundMe link here.

The restaurant at 128 E. Fourth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue remains closed for now...



Previously on EV Grieve:
• A visit to Lui’s Thai Food on 4th Street


[Photo from March 2019]

Baked Cravings opening an outpost on St. Mark's Place

The neon signage arrived yesterday for Baked Cravings, coming soon to 102 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

This will be the second location for the bakery that specializes in fresh-baked nut- and peanut-free cupcakes, cakes, brownies and cookies. (Founder Craig Watson has a daughter with food allergies.) Baked Cravings opened in East Harlem on Lexington at 105th Street in 2017.

The bakery takes over the space from Dun-Well Doughnuts, which concluded its three-plus-year run here in February.

Thailand Cafe will not be reopening on 2nd Avenue

A for lease sign now hangs outside what is the former Thailand Cafe here on Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

The inexpensive-eats spot, seemingly around for years under several different owners, had been dormant since the COVID-19-related PAUSE. The restaurant's phone and website are no longer in service.

And the rent for the 1,300-square-foot space is available upon request.

UPS delivering a retail outlet to 1st Avenue

A UPS Store is coming this fall to 108 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. (And good timing in case the U.S. Postal Service collapses.)

Until March 2018, this storefront next to the McDonald's had been a Subway (sandwich shop) for six foot-long years.

The last of the COVID-19 memorial has been removed from the corner of 10th and A

The last piece of the COVID-19 memorial that has been on the southeast corner of Avenue A and 10th Street since March 26 is gone.

In recent weeks, only the memorial — titled "Beacon of Hope" — atop the brick column remained. This was after someone vandalized the work once again a few weeks back. (This happened multiple times in the spring.)

It was originally erected 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 the memorial after his family was unable to hold a funeral in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The memorial continued to evolve this spring to honor those who died during the pandemic.

[April 13]


[June 11]

The former Gem Spa space is for lease

[Photo from Saturday]

The former Gem Spa storefront on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place is now officially on the rental market, billed as "First time available."

The listing at RIPCO doesn't have much info, other than square footage, location, etc. Pricing is available by request.

And while Gem Spa's address was 131 Second Ave., the marketing materials list this as 36 St. Mark's Place.

Potentially concerning (and confusing) is that the listing includes Paul's Da Burger Joint next door. The listing notes that the two spaces are available separately or combined...



The fact that the space was on the market was news to the owners of Paul's, who have a few more years left on the lease.

"I’ll assume at the moment it’s a mistake, as I spoke to the landlord today about something unrelated and nothing was mentioned," Matt Wardrop, who has been running Paul's since 2007, told EVG contributor Stacie Joy on Friday.

He added this on Sunday: "It seems as if that listing was created like that to draw more potential tenants for the corner. Someone can express interest for the whole lot and then the broker can say that only the corner is available. We are still here, doing the best we can given the current state of events. We enjoy serving the community and our loyal customers. We look forward to staying open and continuing to do what we love the most — feeding our loyal friends!"

Stacie stopped by Paul's on Friday...



Here's Angel, who has been here nearly the entire time since the restaurant opened in 1989, with his daughter and co-worker Daniella...



Gem Spa officially closed on May 7 amid ongoing financial challenges worsened by the COVID-19 crisis. The corner has a long history as a candy store and newsstand.

Ravi DeRossi plans vegan Mexican restaurant for former Violet space on 5th Street

[Photo from July 30]

East Village restaurateur Ravi DeRossi has plans for a vegan Mexican restaurant at 511 E. Fifth St., the former Violet space between Avenue A and Avenue B.

DeRossi is on tonight's virtual CB3-SLA agenda for a new liquor license for the address. According to the questionnaire for public viewing at the CB3 website, the working name is Spider in the Garden. (The space has a garden in the back, which a previous tenant, GG's, would use to harvest several ingredients.)

The proposed hours are 5 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, with a 1 a.m. close on Friday. Proposed weekend hours: Noon to 2 a.m. on Saturday and noon to midnight on Sunday.

Reps for DeRossi did not respond to an email seeking more information about this venture.

DeRossi's other EV establishments include Avant Garden, Ladybird and Amor y Amargo.

Violet, the restaurant by the Pizza Loves Emily Group and chef/owner Matt Hyland, did not reopen after the COVID-19 PAUSE.

The address has been home to several restaurants since Le Tableau closed in December 2007. Before Violet, there was Goat Town, Seymour Burton, Butcher Bay and GG's.

Sanshi Rice Noodle coming to 2nd Avenue and 7th Street

There's a new restaurant tenant for the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street... signage arrived on Friday for Sanshi Rice Noodle...



We don't have any information about the restaurant at the moment.

This prime corner space has been vacant since Bar Virage closed in December 2018 after 20-plus years in business. Ravi DeRossi had designs on a vegan diner here, though those plans didn't get past the Community Board stage.

SLA temporarily suspends the liquor license at St. Dymphna's on Avenue A

[Photos by Stacie Joy]

Updated 10/14: St. Dymphna's has reopened.

St. Dymphna's is temporarily closed now on Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

According to the paperwork from the State Liquor Authority posted on the front windows, the Irish-style pub had previously been warned — on June 18 and Aug. 5 — for patrons "lingering and/or congregating" outside the establishment.

The paperwork also states that on Aug. 11, an SLA agent saw patrons drinking "without accompanying appropriate food orders" ... and that "the licensee was unable to produce any receipts for food to comply with the requirement that the licensee serve food with any alcoholic beverage purchase."







Co-owner Brendan McElroy addressed the closure in an Instagram post yesterday:

With a heavy heart, I have to announce to you all that St Dymphna’s will be closed, pending a hearing for our liquor license suspension. We were unfairly targeted by the state liquor authority, and issued baseless citations — similar to what has happened to several other bars in the neighborhood. Our attorney is on the case and we will fight this. Looking forward to the day we when we reopen and hang out in our new backyard space...

St. Dymphna's opened here last August, relocating from its home of 24 years on St. Mark's Place.

Several other East Village establishments, including Lucky, the Hairy Lemon, Maiden Lane and the Wayland, had had their liquor licenses temporarily suspended in recent weeks.

Lucky owner Abby Ehmann had started a petition calling for Gov. Cuomo to reverse the state's new mandate that bars must serve substantial amounts of food with any alcohol purchase.

Updated 5:30 p.m.

The SLA posted this about their actions at St. Dymphna's:

On August 11th, investigators with the state's multi-agency task force observed numerous patrons standing, drinking, and ignoring social distancing guidelines outside the premises, with multiple customers observed ordering beverages from a takeout window. Investigators checking sales receipts found that practically no food was purchased with orders that evening, in violation of the Governor's Executive Orders. This was the third strike for this business, a repeat offender that the SLA had charged for violating the Governor's Executive Orders on June 26th and on August 10th.