With sale of building, the Central Bar signs off after nearly 20 years on 9th Street

The Central Bar, the bi-level sports bar-lounge at 109 E. Ninth St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, has closed.

Ownership made the announcement back on March 18 via Instagram. (Thanks to MP for the photo!)

Per the notice: "Our landlord has sold the building and the new owners will not be keeping us as tenants."

The note goes on to thanks patrons for nearly 20 years of patronage.

The sale hasn't hit public records just yet.

Some years back, the address was home to Pageant Book & Print Shop, and its storefront served as a location for Neil Simon's "Chapter Two" and Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters."

And you can now find Pageant Print Shop at 69 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Four Four South Village is now open on 7th Street

Four Four South Village is now open (as of last Thursday) at 11 E. Seventh St. just east of Cooper Square...

... this is the first NYC outpost for the chain that specializes in Taiwanese beef noodles. (Find their menu here.) 

They are open for dining indoors and out...

The previous tenant, Le Sia, which served a Chinese crawfish boil, was not able to survive the downturn during the pandemic. Le Sia debuted in January 2018. 

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

The last days of the former B Bar & Grill

The one-level structure that housed B Bar & Grill (1994-2020) awaits demolition on the southwest corner of the Bowery and Fourth Street.

Meanwhile, several people have noted the unglamorous ending for the one-time hotspot... the exterior walls now a high-profile spot for tagging...

As we first reported in January, permits were filed for a 21-floor mixed-use development — a 283-foot-tall office building. According to the proposed plan, the well-employed architect Morris Adjmi's building will encompass 98,799 square feet, with 26,000 square feet set aside for use as an unspecified community facility. 

CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358 Bowery, previously a gas station before its conversion into the bar-restaurant. B Bar owner Eric Goode, who owns a handful of hotels, including the Bowery Hotel across the way, assembled air rights to build the larger development on this corner space. 

As for the B Bar, it was expected to close for good this past August. However, the bar-restaurant never reopened after the PAUSE. As we reported back on April 3, 2020, nearly 70 B Bar employees were laid off without any extension of benefits or offer of severance pay.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development

• B Bar & Grill lays off its staff without severance

F&M Slice Pizza has closed on Avenue C

F&M Slice Pizza closed up on Saturday over at 153 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Eden shared the photo, noting: "Not enough business, and the rent is too high." 

The pizzeria, which arrived here as F&F in late 2011, served budget-friendly 99-cent slices and other items like Jamaican beef patties.

You can bet your bottom dollar that you'll find things for $1 and more here

The Dollar & More store (first reported here) had its grand opening on Saturday at 135 Third Ave. between 14th Street and 15th Street  (thanks for the photo, Doug!) ... expect to find a variety of, say, bulk paper towels, cleaning supplies and other assorted housewares.

Signage also promises toys, pet supplies, party supplies (balloons, much like the ones at the front door, and wrapping paper, not White Claw Variety Packs)... 

Longtime tenant JAM Paper & Envelope closed here in January 2018 after 25 years in business. The company closed its storefronts in a shift to e-commerce.

Sunday's parting shot

Photo on Second Avenue today by Derek Berg...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo by Derek Berg from Friday on Sixth Street)...

• Donations for Ryo, who returned home after a months-long hospitalization to find an empty apartment with new locks (Thursday)

• A walk around inside the long-abandoned — and ghoulishly beautiful — P.S. 64 (Thursday) 

• Hate crime arrest made in assault of Asian woman on Astor Place (Tuesday) 

• A visit to First Avenue Laundry Center (Tuesday) 

• The shirtwaist dress on the Bowery (Wednesday) 

• On the runway along Avenue B (Tuesday) 

• More scaffolding — and now demolition — for this troubled Avenue C corner (Friday) 

• Van Da to treat NYC's 'Warrior Women' to dinner on its 1st night back (Friday) 

• This week's NY See finds a lovingly cradled bottle of wine (Thursday) 

• Gallery Watch heads to Canada (Wednesday) 

• Report: Hate crime investigation on Allen Street as 66-year-old Asian man assaulted (Sunday) 

• Bagel Boss to preside in storefronts on 14th Street, East Houston (Monday) 

• There's now a sidewalk bridge outside Cafe Himalaya (Tuesday) 

• The disappearing pay phones along Avenue A (Wednesday) 

• 2 break-ins on 7th Street (Friday) 

• This new map will immerse you in the neighborhood's Greek Revival style (Friday) 

• Planet Taco now orbiting 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• With lease up, Squish Marshmallows will look for a new home (Monday) 

... and someone decided to toss a rock through an Avenue A-side window at Union Market last night ...

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And now, YOUR NEW RITE AID SIGNAGE ON 1ST AVENUE

After weeks of anticipation, the new Rite Aid signage/brandage has arrived at the outpost on First Avenue and Fifth Street. 

As you can see, gone are the blue and red chevron color blocks (sob!) with a new blue and green (Seattle Seahawks-esque) logo that includes a graphic of a mortar and pestle with an herbal sprig. 

This "integrated rebranding effort is part of Rite Aid’s RxEvolution strategy ... to transform the company into the leading whole health destination that treats mind, body and spirit," per a press release.

Sunday's opening shot

Along the Seventh Street side of Tompkins Square Park this morning...

Tokio7 reopens today

Tokio7, the consignment shop on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, reopens to the public today.

Since January, they had only been selling online and taking in-person appointments. 

Moving forward, they'll be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily... only five people inside at a time... and cash only at the moment.

The shop closed late this past August ... several months after someone looted the place. 

Tokio7, which sells second-hand designer and vintage clothing, shoes and accessories, debuted on the other side of Seventh Street in 1996 ... before moving to this location in 2010.

Follow them on Instagram for more info.

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And if you're on this block, you could swing by Enz's. Owner-designer Mariann Marlowe opened her rockabilly and retro clothes shop at 76 E. Seventh St. in December.  

Marlowe had previously operated the shop at 125 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place for 18 years after relocating from St. Mark's Place. (The store dates to the 1970s on Grove Street.)

Exploring Planet Taco

As previously reported, Planet Taco opened last Saturday on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

Last evening, Eater critic Robert Sietsema shared his thoughts on the place... 

Excerpt!

The menu became bewildering in its length. There are 13 Mexican tacos, 3 tacos representing American cities, 4 national tacos, and 3 named after planets. As if that weren’t enough, 11 sauces are available in a rainbow of colors. Beyond that, there are soups, burritos, Mexican rice, grilled fruit, fajitas, fried calamari, avocado fries and regular fries, quesadillas, bowls, nachos, tres leches cake, and dessert tacos.

Ownership plans to whittle down the menu items as soon as they see what's moving. 

And?

I’m pleased to report the Mexican tacos are generally solid, and priced on par with the neighborhood at $3.75 to $6. Naturally, there’s birria. The corn tortilla has been dipped, the consomme deeply flavored, and the meat copious, though not as tender as it might be. Even with this slight defect, it’s the best birria taco in the East Village. 

However, the al pastor was better in the Mexican category, with a painstaking micro dice of fresh pineapple on top. The chorizo was actually made with intact sausage rather than the usual ground sausage, and it flung off a bit of heat; while the adobo chicken, coated with a lackadaisical red sauce, was a bit dry; it was the only one we wouldn’t gladly order again.

The quick-serve shop is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.  Find the menu here.

Photo on March 20 by Steven

March 26

Given yesterday's record-breaking temperatures for the date... perhaps someone thought it was time to discard their Christmas tree a mere three months from the big day. 

EVG reader 8E shared the above pic from last night on Astor Place and Broadway. 

In this era of disinformation, deep fakes and alternate trees, 8E did attempt to verify the date of the find, though could only secure a paper from March 25.

Friday's parting shot

Today marks the sixth anniversary of the deadly gas explosion on the northwest corner of Second Avenue at Seventh Street. 

Remembering the two men who died that day, March 26, 2015: 

• Nicholas Figueroa 

• Moises Locón 

• Dedicating Moises Locón Way and Nicholas Figueroa Way on 2nd Avenue at 7th Street

The 'Sweet' hereafter

Japanese Breakfast (aka Michelle Zauner) released a single earlier this month... ahead of a new record out on June 4... the video, an homage to "The X-Files," is for "Be Sweet" ...