It’s another case of retail roommates!

A couple of collectors of vintage clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories have moved into an itsy-bitsy storefront on East Sixth Street (right next to the new Mosaic Lamps store).

Katie McDonnell is used to sharing space with others: she has sold vintage apparel at places like the old Chelsea Flea Market and the Antiques Garage, also in Chelsea. Now her business, Nomad Vintage, is sharing a considerably more intimate space with David Brockman, a longtime friend and East Village resident who previously owned Honeymoon Vintage, with locations in the East Village and the Lower East Side.

The collectors have similar styles, so the clothes blend well, said Ms. McDonnell: “We both like a lot of print, a lot of interesting shapes. We do like a lot of ’20s and ’30s, ’60s and ’70s style.”
Read more…

>Nicole Guzzardi Construction of Hi Collar.

The original location of Rai Rai Ken, which recently moved down two doors, will soon become Hi Collar, a Japanese café and bar.

Bon Yagi, the owner of Rai Rai Ken, said the ramen joint’s replacement would offer “unique” Japanese-style coffee and espresso drinks — some of them brewed with soy beans and siphon coffee makers.

“This type of coffee is more personalized,” said the neighborhood’s “ambassador for Japanese cuisine” (Mr. Yagi also owns Cha-An, Curry Ya, Decibel, Hasaki, Otafuku, Shabu-Tatsu, Sobaya, and Robataya).

A small food menu will offer Japanese-style sandwiches during the day and tapas that go well with drinks at night.

The narrow space at 214 East 10th Street, between First and Second Avenues, will be decorated to evoke Japan’s “taisho” period in the 1920s, an era of increased westernization similar to our own flapper movement.

Mr. Yagi expects Hi Collar to be open in about a month and a half, seven days a week from noon to midnight.

Nicole Guzzardi Future home of Ton-Up.

You’ll soon have a couple of new options for sippin’ vino: a sign on the door of 438 East Ninth Street, where Turkish fast-food chain Cigkoftem came and went, indicates that one Wineshop LLC has taken over the space.

And a block over, at 127 St. Marks Place, the nook that was briefly occupied by San Matteo Panuozzo is becoming Ton-Up, a bar specializing in wines from Italy, France and California.

Frederico Lopez took over the boxy space near Avenue A with Riccardo Pierioni, co-owner of Antica Pesa in Williamsburg. True to its name (“ton-up” is slang for acceleration beyond 100 miles per hour) it’ll have a motorcycle theme, with a famous saying painted on the wall: “Remember when sex was safe and motorcycles were dangerous?” Mr. Lopez said jovially. “It will be like our tagline.”

A small menu will include mac-and-cheese pizza and Italian-style sandwiches with ingredients like mozzarella and prosciutto. Delivery will be available, and free WiFi will entice sit-down customers.

Ton-Up is expected to open Feb. 15.

Daniel MaurerUnique Collection’s new location on the left, old one on the right.

Speaking of very easy moves, the gem store at 3 St. Marks Place has completed its move to a smaller space next door, at 3-A St. Marks Place.

You’ll recall that the Village Dream smoke shop moved around the corner to Second Avenue, leaving its neighbor Unique Collection to take over its space. As you can see from the above photo, Village Dream’s trippy 60s-style signage is gone, and the funky 70s-style signage at Unique Collection’s old spot is sure to follow.

Now the question is: who will take over the vacant space at 3 St. Marks Place? Let the rumors fly!

Want to live in the East Village? Get a roommate! Yes, even if you’re a retail store. At 309 East Ninth Street, Musu’s handmade soaps, candles and hats now line one side of the narrow space and Marjory Warren’s clothing and jewelry graces the other.

Why did the former neighbors move in with each other? Allow us to explain.

When Musu’s lease at 305 East Ninth Street was up last year, owner Maima Sonii was forced to seek a new home for her girly gift shop. She found it just a couple doors over, in the space that — funnily enough — used to house her defunct clothing shop, Miss Sonii.

Marjory Warren, the boutique that replaced Miss Sonii at 309 East Ninth Street about a year and a half ago, happened to have some room to spare, and sharing it with the space’s former tenant seemed like a good idea. “Economically, it’s been slow, and then Sandy hit,” said Christine Warren, co-owner of Marjory Warren. “I don’t want to speak for everyone else but it was like someone pulling a rug from underneath your feet.”

Earlier this month, after a false wall came down, Ms. Sonii finished moving Musu into the elongated store, where she now gets half of its space and pays half of its rent. The store’s front sign hasn’t yet changed, but the arrangement already seems to be working. Read more…

Daniel Maurer David Palau oversees the pit.

The gym on 14th Street that was once Dolphin Fitness and then Citi Fitness and then Pure Fitness has reopened as Synergy Fitness. The chain has locations around the city, but the supervisor at this one, between Second and Third Avenues, knows the East Village intimately. He was born in the neighborhood. Now he’s working on a block that his parents forbade him from going down as a child.

“I remember when it was really shabby,” said David Palau, 45. “They sold drugs and there were hookers, even in the daytime.” Mr. Palau, who now lives in Bensonhurst, grew up taking swimming lessons at the 14th Street Y (a block from his current workplace), playing softball in Tompkins Square Park, playing hockey across from Pier 63, and bowling at Bowlmor Lanes. (He remembers Bowlmor “before it was pretty,” when “two guys from Avenue B” robbed an employee by dropping a bowling ball on his head.)

These days, Mr. Palau’s brand of recreation is a bit different: after Synergy refurbished from top to bottom, it will offer classes in yoga, zumba, and pilates. The upstairs space (formerly an aerobics area) is currently being remodeled to accommodate boxing lessons and cardio equipment, and the basement “pit” will eventually host Olympic-style weightlifting lessons and competitions.

But first, the carpets need to be ripped out. “I don’t know what the hell these guys were thinking, carpeting a gym,” said Mr. Palau. “I don’t know where their heads were. I guess that’s why they didn’t make no money.”
Read more…

The nook that housed Obscura Oddities & Antiques just got a new tenant: MINKvixen. No, it isn’t selling taxidermied minks, like it’s ghoulish predecessor might have. In fact, one of its vintage purses is labeled 100-percent vegan.

“It’s just a place you can come and feel good and try on really cute clothes,” said owner Keri Cornachio, explaining the name. “It’s like a little mink vixen – it’s me!”

Before opening the boutique last week, the 27-year-old worked in Union Square for a beauty-and-fashion PR company. “I ended up just really hating it,” she said. “It was just very taxing on your soul, such a grind.” After a couple of years off, she looked into opening a shop in Bushwick, where she lives, but found that commercial rents in the increasingly trendy neighborhood were as expensive as those of the East Village. Read more…

Shira Levine

We interrupt this blog for a message from Handsome Dick Manitoba, via the Virtual Assignment Desk:

Sunday, January 20th, marks 14 years in business, for a “mom and pop” run Rock and Roll neighborhood tavern. Manitoba’s, @ 99 Ave. B, between 6th and 7th Streets, would like to say “thank you”, with reduced prices, snacks, football, Rock and Roll, and anything that is permissible, and legal between consenting adults. 1 PM, to 4 AM, a 15 hour celebration, on MLK Sunday. Monday, MLK Day, is a national holiday. So C’mon down and do your part to keep the wonderful culture we all come from,alive THANK YOU, HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA

You heard the man. And congrats on making it!

Daniel Maurer

Here’s your first look at the minimalist exterior of Kura, the diminutive Japanese joint that’s taking the place of Mohamed Falafel Star at 130 St. Marks Place. A peek inside the cubby-like space near Avenue A revealed that the chef’s counter has been built and it should be open soon.

Daniel Maurer

Daniel Maurer

Turns out Spin Hair isn’t the only salon that just opened in the neighborhood.

About a year after opening its first location in Murray Hill, Icon Hair Salon has opened an East Village outpost, Salon Icon, near 14th Street. The owners and general manager are no strangers to the neighborhood: they used to be at Ibiza Salon in Union Square.

Hair cuts are $30 (including a wash), or $55 with a blow-dry. A roots touch-up and blow-dry is $65. Single-process colorings with cut and style are $99. Highlights are $145, and Keratin treatments are $199. The shop carries an array of products by Morrocan Oil.

Icon Hair Salon, 222 First Avenue (between 13th and 14th Streets); (212) 510-7446

Daniel Maurer

Daniel Maurer

The area around 14th Street and First Avenue is about to become a dollar-slice mecca: 2 Bros. Pizza is opening a location in the former BaoBQ space, according to a contractor.

David Zem, one of the workers currently tiling the walls of 229 First Avenue in the style of the original 2 Bros. on St. Marks Place, said this location (the chain’s third in the East Village) would likely open in about two weeks.

The store, between 13th and 14th Streets, is poised right across from one of the two locations of Joey Pepperoni’s that recently opened, and just around the corner from the new Famous 99-Cent Pizza. Not to mention the $1 slice a block away at Papa John’s.

Meanwhile, next door to the incoming slice joint, the Subway that closed in October is up and running again.

Daniel Maurer A lonely half mannequin.

Hope you got your Michelle Obama sneakers while you could: Hip-Hop USA has closed at 343 Lafayette Street.

Last night, a sign on the door said everything in the mostly empty store was for sale for “20 dollas.” A message on the pop-up’s Facebook page reads, “Hip Hop USA will be reopening in the Spring. Special thanks to our friends at Pinche Taqueria for making the best happy hour frozen margaritas in New York City.”

And a couple of other closings to note: a “for rent” sign just went up at 23 Third Avenue, where Little Italy Pizza is a goner after less than five months. And Rawvolution has also been closed in recent weeks. The raw-food shop’s number is disconnected and its Website says, “At this time we are not delivering locally to New York City, this is only temporary and will keep you updated when we do start again.”

Daniel Maurer Eddie Williams

Daniel Maurer

After sitting vacant for about a year, the former home of Furryland Pet Supply has a new tenant. Eddie J. Williams has moved his Lower East Side salon, Spin Hair, to the space at 195 Avenue A.

There’s no signage up yet (in fact, there’s still a “for lease” sign plastered across the awning) and the interior still needs work (among other things, a disco ball is on the way), but a chalkboard advertising a $29 blow-dry (normally $35) welcomed walk-ins today.

Mr. Williams, a 45-year-old Bronx native, received his training in the Vidal Sassoon style and has been cutting hair since 1984; when a rent hike forced him out of his location of three years, at 53 Stanton Street, he began looking elsewhere downtown. “People here are a little more laid-back than in midtown; they’re more open,” he said, describing his clientele as “guys who want to look a little hip but don’t want to pay $100, and don’t want to pay $10 either” (men’s cuts are $35) and “women that just want a damn good haircut” (women’s cuts are $60).

Spin specializes in keratin treatments (normally $350 but often discounted) and curling ($95). Coloring treatments range from $75 to $200. The salon is open from noon to 7 p.m. daily.

Spin Hair, 195 Avenue A (near East 12th Street), (212) 358-7746

Suzanne Rozdeba

“I used to hate stepping on crack vials, and now I miss those vials,” says Marty Rosen. The onetime street peddler has seen plenty of changes on St. Marks Place: he opened The Sock Man there three decades ago. “I asked myself, ‘What are the things that everyone needs?’ Well, they need socks. So I got a vending license and all that stuff. Then I saved up enough money to open a store,” he told The Local. Joey Ramone and Eric Clapton many not stop in anymore, but The Sock Man still gets its share of rockers: David Johansen of the New York Dolls recently snagged a $3 pair, and Courtney Love took home four tutus. But is the occasional visit from Chloe Sevigny (who called Mr. Rosen the “grumpiest man on earth”) enough to keep the institution alive and kicking should it get socked with a rent hike? We asked.

Has The Sock Man always been on St. Marks Place?

I’ve been here since 1983, but this is my third location on St. Marks. I was first somewhere for eight months. Now I’ve been in this spot since 1992. Before that I was across the street at 18 St. Marks. I left because I was under harassment by the landlord there and it was very stressful. I was caught in the middle of paying one guy the rent who wasn’t giving his partner any of the money. Read more…

Daniel Maurer

Daniel Maurer

The Panda Diplomacy pop-up isn’t the only newcomer on East Sixth Street: last week, the tiny space that briefly housed Cooper Square Convenience got a new tenant.

As you can guess from its name, Mosaic Lamps is stuffed wall-to-ceiling with lamps made of handblown glass, adorned with colorful mosaics.

Move over, Mosaic Man?

Actually, the goods aren’t made in the East Village: they’re imported from a factory in Turkey by Melissa Benovic, 35, a fine-dining waitress, and her boyfriend Ilker Arslan, 36, who grew up working at the grand bazaar in Istanbul. A typical hanging lamp is $80; the most impressive piece, a giant globe that hangs in the window, is $1,500. Other lamps are outfitted with copper stands.

Once the couple gets approval from the Food and Drug Administration, they’ll sell hand-painted ceramic plates and bowls. Candle holders are also on offer, for $4 each.

Mosaic Lamps, 208 East Sixth Street (between Cooper Square and Second Avenue); (212) 228-1964

Daniel Maurer, Suzanne Rozdeba Before and after.

Fares Deli-Grocery, which had been closed since it was seized by the state for nonpayment of taxes in July, is being replaced by Sahara Deli-Grocery.

Today, The Local ran into the new owner, who identified himself only as Ali, overseeing two workers as they erased the “Fares” name off the awning and replaced it with “Sahara.” He declined an interview, but confirmed he was taking over the store at 123 Avenue A, near St. Marks Place, and said it would be reopening soon.

Fares is the latest deli to get a facelift: last month, just a block away, the former 2020 Tobacco & Grocery was reborn as the Classic Gourmet Deli.

Malai Marke, the Indian restaurant that promised to bring “the ultimate dollop of ethereal joy” to Curry Row, is now open for lunch and dinner.

As mentioned last month, the restaurant comes from the owner of Curry Hill spots Singapura, Chote Nawab, and Dhaba, and it has an interesting connection to its neighbor, Brick Lane Curry House, as well. Roshan Balan, the general manager at Malai Marke, went to school in India with Brick Lane’s owner; they emigrated to the United States around the same time in the early 2000s, and briefly worked at Carnival Cruises together, said Mr. Balan.

Brick Lane’s success didn’t dissuade owner Shiva Natarajan from setting up shop on the same block, in the former Taj Mahal space. “We’ve been targeting this spot since 2008,” Mr. Balan said. “We thought we’d bring in real, authentic Indian cuisine.”

Sure, you can get a chicken tikka masala for cheaper at other joints on the block, but Mr. Balan believes there’s a difference: “It’s the quality.” Which comes from chef Karti Pant, previously at Michelin-starred Junoon. The menu he’s now serving from the open kitchen is below, complete with a selection of Goan specialties and shout-outs to spiritual guru Swami Sivananda Saraswait.
Read more…

For every East Village business that’s opening or closing, dozens are quietly making it. Here’s one of them: First Flight Music.

Shira GoldbergDaniel Wollock of First Flight Music, with ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons.

While the East Village is a Rock ‘n’ Roll Mecca, there aren’t many places where you can tuck away and play the hell out of a some bongos, or scratch out some high chords on an electric guitar, without really annoying the neighbors. There are no such auditory conundrums to battle when within the 1,500 square-feet of First Flight Music on 174 First Ave. “We insulated the space as best as we could, and we don’t teach after 8pm, so the landlord accepts it.” says owner Daniel Wollock about being on of the few places in the city that is able to teach drum lessons, and that also provides rehearsal space for bands that need some practice time.

While it’s nice to keep the neighbors happy, Mr. Wollock’s creative kindness also extends to all levels of musicians, including the unskilled. A sound room was built so people can try out instruments in private without having to showcase their skills (or non-skills) for all to hear. “Music stores are a great atmosphere to show off in, but the sound room is for people who don’t want to have to deal with the social stigma of not having skills yet. They can sit there all day and play until it feels right. I just keep handing them guitars until they are happy.”

We spoke to Mr. Wollock about how he’s managed to keep rocking and rolling since 1995.

How long have you been in the neighborhood?

Seventeen and a half years. At that time, the East Village was under-served, but also a place where most musicians were living. Before me, this space was Pete’s Spice Shop. When I found it, it was a dark, dirty, hole in the wall. My father and I built it into a store.

What was your plan when opening a musical instrument shop?

I spent most of my adult life building motion picture and television scenery. Guitars and music was always a sideline. When I developed a problem with my feet and had to have surgery on both of them, I was in wheelchair for several years. It was then that I kind of reinvented myself as a musical instrument dealer. I had always bought and sold guitars as a hobby and I started studying them more when I was laid up.

What’s a work day like for you?

It is multi-faceted. I’m buying new products from distributors, buying used products from customers who walk-in, I’m searching the Internet and Craigslist, wherever and however I can, for stuff. 40% of our business is sales and that includes rental space. Another 40% has comes from teaching and the rest is [revenue from] repairs.

There are a lot of guitar shops in the East Village now, how do you stand out?

More recent types of musical instrument stores are guitar only or vintage only. We decided along the way to be more of a universal musical store that handles a little bit of everything. We have maracas and hand drums, percussions, drum sticks, drum heads, woodwind reeds and mouthpieces. We carry a lot of the things that most stores don’t carry unless you’re a store like Sam Ash. We’re also for the little kid in need of a small inexpensive guitar, or mouthpieces for a clarinet, saxophone or trumpet. We have the stuff the typical rock n roll store won’t have, but then we have that stuff too. We’re not the trendy boutique store, but we’re for sure not corporate. Read more…

Daniel Maurer

First Subway closed on Second Avenue (its replacement, Good Guys, is now open) and now a sign on the papered-over door of the three-in-one joint that houses Pudgie’s, Nathan’s Famous, and Arthur Treacher’s is asking customers to “pardon our appearance during renovation.”

Though it only opened this summer, there’s reason to believe the threesome at 57 First Avenue might’ve dunked its last bird: back in November, we noticed a listing indicating the business was for sale because the “owner is relocating.” The Local was unable to reach the owner or agent back then and the agent didn’t respond to another request for comment yesterday.

We’ll let you know if we find out more.