For every East Village business that’s opening or closing, dozens are quietly making it. Here’s one of them: Archangel Antiques.
Melvin Felix Richard CullenAfter twenty years, Richard Cullen and Gail Busche, the couple that runs Archangel Antiques, may be coming to the end of their time at 334 East Ninth Street. The culprit, as you might have guessed, is rent. “When we first moved in it was like $800 a month,” said Mr. Cullen. “Now it’s close to $4,800 and it’s going to go up on the next lease – easily. So, we are thinking of retiring when the lease is up. By then we will be in our 70s and probably won’t want to sign another lease. We’ll be looking to sell the business.” We spoke with Mr. Cullen about the quirky antiques emporium and who they might want to hand it off to down the road.
Q.
You have two stores in one. How does that work?
A.
One is west and the other east. They are both about 10-by-30. There are oddities on the east side of the store, which is the side I run. I say “home furnishings.” I have a stuffed hawk, stuffed iguanas, and all kinds of old, odd creatures. On the west side is the antique buttons and cuff links, vintage eyewear, the vintage jewelry and clothing that my partner Gail runs with Michael who manages that side of the store and has been with us for 18 years. The wacky stuff we get is endless, but we keep things neat and clean. I just sold a stunning marble bust of a Mississippi riverboat croupier. Read more…
Daniel Maurer
Daniel MaurerA low-income housing development on 13th Street just got a mod-tastic new entryway as part of a $4.4 million makeover.
Last November, Council Member Rosie Mendez, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, and other public officials announced that Tanya Towers, a Mitchell-Lama development for the deaf and disabled as well as senior citizens, would receive funds for extensive renovations and upgrades, including steps toward LEED certification.
Now a new portico has been installed, giving the nearly 40-year-old building’s drab brick facade a Miami glam flourish. (Here’s what the entryway used to look like.) Glenn Stelzer, director of the building at 620 East 13th Street, told The Local that renovations should be completed by December. Heating and refrigeration units in the development’s 138 apartments have already been upgraded, hallways have been painted, and new windows are currently being installed.
To see what the building might ultimately look like, see renderings that The Villager published last year.
The Post reports that Mary-Kate Olsen’s boyfriend Olivier Sarkozy has put $6.25 million down for one of the twin East 10th Street townhouses that were being marketed as a package.
According to The Post, elderly residents of Washington Square Village are suing N.Y.U. in order to insure that a park they consider a “necessary service” won’t be replaced during the school’s expansion.
Meanwhile in the Villager, Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation outlines “the 10 most outrageous things about the city’s approval of the N.Y.U. expansion plan.” Read more…
If you enjoyed the trailer for Dirt Candy’s new book, you might also dig this one. In it, longtime East Village bartender Ethan H. Minsker reads from his memoir, “Barstool Prophets,” while paper cutouts reenact his move as a naive college graduate to a sketchy apartment at 47 Avenue B. (“There used to be an illegal gambling joint below us,” Mr. Minsker writes on the book’s Facebook page. “I once saw a guy stumble out who had just been stabbed in the gut. Blood was everywhere.”) The video brings fresh life to the old “crack vials were always underfoot” cliché, but be warned: the scene depicting bums on every corner is about as gross as paper cutouts get outside of South Park.
You’ve probably seen stickers advertising “Barstool Prophets” around the neighborhood (the video is new, but the book was published last year); if they’ve piqued your curiosity, here‘s an excerpt in which the author recalls pouring drinks in the days following 9/11.
Sandy Berger, a neighbor of IHOP, continues her journal chronicling the sights, sounds and smells of the restaurant that has outraged her and others in her building for the better part of a year. In today’s installment, Ms. Berger reveals the name of the committee they’ve formed to fight the “International House of Putrid Odors.”
Monday, August 13, 2012
I stopped in at IHOP and asked to speak to Ed Scannapieco, the owner of the franchise. I was told by the day manager he wasn’t there. I gave her my telephone number and said I would appreciate hearing from him. I was just trying to find out what was going on. Naturally, I never heard from him, which is bothersome since he has said, “We want to be a good neighbor.” But I guess that doesn’t include talking to his neighbors! Read more…
Melvin Felix The scene on Monday.Star the pit bull is still hanging on for dear life after being shot by a police officer on 14th Street Monday.
On Tuesday, a police source said the dog’s prognosis was not good, but yesterday a spokesman for Animal Care and Control of New York City told The Local that the feisty mutt was still in stable condition at a shelter in Harlem. Today that spokesman said, “Star’s condition is still serious, but thankfully she is showing signs of slight improvement.”
It’s still unknown whether the dog, if it survives, will be returned to its owner, who was passed out on the sidewalk when the shooting occurred and was arrested for an open warrant related to an open container charge.
On The Local, commenters debated about who was to blame for the shooting.
“That’s a sad story. But I wouldn’t want to get bit by that dog,” wrote Delphine Blue, apparently sympathizing with the police officer who fired the shot. Read more…
A nugget from Scoopy’s notebook in The Villager just caught our eye: The Mosaic Man Jim Power has been kicked out of his basement studio underneath Barbiere. Mr. Power would often crash in the small space with his faithful canine companion, Jesse Jane, where he would craft mosaics for local businesses like Porchetta, Tompkins Square Bagels and The Bean. He preferred the space to his abode at The Lee, which houses formerly homeless and low-income residents. Mr. Power often aired his beef with the administrators of that facility, but according to Scoopy, that’s been smoothed over.
This week, mourn the closing of Mama’s Food Shop; next week, celebrate 25 years of Two Boots.
Jeremiah Clancy, the owner of Mama’s Food Shop, has sent out the flyer you see here, inviting friends of the shuttered restaurant to a party at Heathers. If you didn’t get a chance to visit Mama’s before its sudden closing a couple of weeks ago, this is your opportunity to say goodbye to the staff, and maybe snag one of the maternal portraits that graced the walls. Also, Mr. Clancy has told Facebook fans that he may print commemorative t-shirts.
In happier news, Two Boots will celebrate 25 years with a blowout in East River Park next Thursday. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Lower East Side fixture Luis Guzman will host an evening of live music from the Sierra Leone All-Stars, Odetta Hartman (the singing-songwriting daughter of Two Boots owner Phil Hartman), and others; poetry readings courtesy of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and performances from members of Lady Circus and the Magic Beans, the Free Art Society, and 4Heads Art Collective. As if all that weren’t enough, there’ll be free beer and pizza.
Melvin Felix New signage at the site of 51 Astor Place.A little over two weeks ago The Local gave an overhaul update on the many changes underway at Astor Place and Cooper Square. It’s already time to check in again.
Melvin Felix Another record store has shuttered.A spokesman for Edward J. Minskoff Equities, the developer of 51 Astor Place, said that an announcement regarding tenants in the 12-story office building will be made within the next 45 days. The spokesman also confirmed that “a significant portion” of companies considering moving into the building are in the technology industry, as has been previously reported. The black glass tower is expected to open in spring of next year, as new signage at the construction site indicates. Read more…
Daniel MaurerWhile 3-D artist and animator M. Henry Jones celebrates the success of his Kickstarter campaign, the plywood is off at the storefront that housed his former studio at 202 Avenue A. As you can see, there’s no longer a t.v. looping trippy visuals installed in the wall, and the place actually has windows! Kerry Bright tells us he’s waiting for some final furniture deliveries and Bright Audio should soft-open in the space between 12th and 13th Streets late next week, with his stock of home theater and audio-visual equipment filling in gradually after that.
We’ll have interior shots once everything’s in order.
riachungGood morning, East Village.
The East Village-Lower East Side historic district has yet to be approved, but moves to preserve the neighborhood’s religious institutions are already underway. The Sixth Street Community Synagogue won $25,000 from the New York Landmarks Conservancy that will go towards repairs of its roof and facade, The Jewish Week reports. Other local religious institutions have been the most vocal opponents of the proposed historic district.
Speaking of preservation, Off The Grid has a helpful primer for anyone interested in following the status of properties that must receive consideration by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The chef behind Empellon Cocina, Alex Stupak, dared to drink a juice-only diet from Liquiteria for several days for Grub Street. Mr. Stupak, who loves his caffeine and unbalanced diet, endured some gastrointestinal angst, but ended up enjoying the experience. “I woke up feeling extremely rested after only four hours of sleep. I mean, extremely rested. Like more rested than I’ve felt in a long time,” he wrote on the third day of his diet. Read more…
Stephen Rex Brown 54 Bond Street.Three’s a trend, right? A high-end clothing boutique, Intermix, is coming to the Bowery, joining Patagonia and Anthropologie and reinforcing the notion that the once notorious thoroughfare is thoroughly upscale.
A spokeswoman for the store catering to “trendsetters, A-Listers and glam fashionistas” confirmed the store was “slated to open on Bowery,” but wouldn’t say exactly where Intermix will join the mix.
Bowery Boogie reported that the store would open in 54 Bond Street, citing an anonymous tipster. But Billy Reid, which currently occupies the space, denied the rumor. In fact, an employee at the store said the owners “were really pissed” that it was reported before they were contacted. Read more…
Back Forty is going to the beach, and the surf and sand is coming to the East Village, as well.
John Sullivan, a composer and sound designer for the Temporary Distortion theater company, is trying his hand at projection bombing, under the name John Sully. On Aug. 16, 19, 25, and 26, from about 9 p.m. to midnight, he’ll project sand and waves onto the sidewalk outside of the iconic wall at Ideal Glass.
Mr. Sullivan captured the beach footage (that’s a still of it in the flyer) while vacationing on an island off of Vancouver. “I shot the scene and I came home and was like, ‘Wow this is vivid. It’s so good. I wonder if I can do it on the street.'” And that he will, with a sound installation to match. And unlike the swimming pool in Union Square, you can jump right in – by walking atop the virtual beach on Second Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue. “Your shadow adds to it,” said Mr. Sullivan.
Between this and the forthcoming Patagonia Surf store, the East Village just gets beachier by the day.
Courtesy Back FortySure, everyone associates Rockaway Beach with the Rockabus‘s home base of Williamsburg, but fact is, there’s also an East Village connection that goes all the way back to the Ramones song: Caracas has an outpost on the boardwalk, and Jeremy Spector of the Brindle Room serves up Donkey Punch Pizza nearby. Oh, and the folks who operate the Veggie Island farmstand keep an apartment on 12th Street. (And then there’s these dudes!) So it should be no surprise that Back Forty is joining the bunch, at least for a couple of days.
This Saturday and the next, you can enjoy the place’s wildly popular crab boil (currently in full effect at the Avenue B location) on the boardwalk, at the Beach 96th Street concession stand. From 5 p.m. till 10 p.m. (or whenever the crabs run out), $25 gets you a half dozen spiced jimmies (and a mallet to hammer them with), two ears of corn, and steamed potatoes. Plus, bands including Kyp Malone’s TV on the Radio side project, Rain Machine, will perform starting at 4 p.m.
If you can’t make it, mark your calendar for Aug. 28 to Sept. 1 – that’s when Back Forty will end the season with five consecutive nights of crab boils at the East Village location. Pre-paid reservations will go on sale here next Wednesday.
Vanessa YurkevichAmid the hustle and bustle of 14th Street, Bobby Byrd can be heard asking, “Can I take your blood pressure?” He’s no doctor but he has been asking that same question to passersby between First Avenue and Avenue A for 16 years. “I bring two chairs, a table and my voice,” said the 62-year-old.
Mr. Byrd was raised by his aunt in Brooklyn. “She wanted me to be the best,” he said. “Instead of watching TV, she would say, ‘Get a book.’” He said he had worked for the IRS, for the city and state. But it was as an asbestos abatement supervisor that he learned to perform CPR and take blood pressure readings.
After he was laid off from that job, a friend suggested he start taking strangers’ blood pressure. Soon he was doing so in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. “It gives me freedom to go where I want to go, gets me income to do what I want to do, and I get to go around and see the city,” he said. Read more…
Scott LynchGood morning, East Village.
The Lo-Down reports that Ben Shaoul purchased three adjacent properties on Ludlow Street near Stanton Street. The site notes that the controversial developer and landlord tends to focus on the East Village — could this mean that he is expanding south of Houston?
Curbed scored renderings of 327 East Ninth Street, which will soon become a six-story, two-unit residential building. The space is currently a parking lot.
Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York spots some angry graffiti at the site of a closed bodega at Mott and Houston Streets. “We want our bodega. No more yuppies in Nolita.” Read more…
Stephen Rex Brown
Stephen Rex BrownA new pizza joint opened at 23 Third Avenue today, right around the corner from where 2 Bros. started experimenting with $1.50 slices last week.
St. Marks Pizza is slinging pies in the former home of Tahini. Earlier this year chef Michael Huynh told Eater that he planned to open a restaurant serving cheese steaks in the space, though that idea apparently went nowhere. (Elsewhere in Mr. Huynh’s universe, Eater breaks news that BaoBQ has officially closed on First Avenue.)
Now, St. Marks Pizza is serving fairly standard fare. Several signs trumpet “Little Italy Pizza” (right here in the East Village!) A slice goes for $2.75. Read more…
Jamie Larson Bookshop owners Terrence McCoy and Bob
Contant.The constantly-embattled St. Mark’s Bookshop surpassed its goal of $23,000 today, though that doesn’t mean the beloved store’s survival is certain.
“This first big chunk at least guarantees that we will keep fighting because you have shown everyone that there is a reason to,” the owners wrote in a thank you note posted online.
Currently, the store has raised over $24,000 and still has three days of fundraising left.
But in a phone conversation co-owner Terrence McCoy said many hurdles remained. For one, the store’s shelves are disconcertingly empty due to the fact that some publishers have stopped shipping new books due to unpaid bills. The owners are seeking investors who could fund the new storefront, but thus far, any potential backers have favored the existing location, Mr. McCoy said.
“I can’t say that we’re going to instantly move,” he added. Read more…
Video of the aftermath of the shooting. Larissa Udovik, who was nearly bitten, can be seen berating the police.
For once, the police and crusties can agree on something. The pit bull shot yesterday on 14th Street in front of dozens of horrified onlookers had it coming.
Brandon Verna, a homeless man acquainted with the owner of the dog, identified by police as Lech Stankiewicz, said that the pit bull has a reputation for being overly protective of her master.
“Most of us figured out that when he’s passed out, whether he’s overdosing or not, leave him alone,” Mr. Verna said. “If he’s going to die, call an ambulance and have them deal with it because no one wants to get bitten.” Read more…
Back in June, Paul Gerard, the chef who took over the short-lived Zi’Pep space on Ninth Street, told us he would open Exchange Alley with Billy Gilroy, a partner in West Village hotspot Employees Only. So what does “New York with a New Orleans flair” look like? Watch our video of yesterday’s opening night festivities to find out.
Yesterday Mr. Gerard, who was a chef in New Orleans before most recently serving as chef of Soho House, said he would be preparing a frequently changing menu using, in part, ingredients from a backyard garden that he hoped would be used by local schoolchildren. “Some days I’m enamored with pasta, other days I’m enamored with tomatoes,” he said. “By the time the tomato season is just about over, I’ll be enamored with root vegetables and game.” The bar, backed by mirror-finished stainless steel, will serve beer-and-wine cocktails till 2 a.m. on weekends.
The walls are decorated with photos of some of Mr. Gerard’s creative inspirations, including downtowners like Lou Reed and Miguel Piñero. The chef is hoping to tap into the new make-up of the neighborhood, which has changed a lot since his younger days living in Alphabet City. Read more…
