Daniel Maurer Browsers at 1 St. Marks Place

Nadia, a 16-year-old student from Manhattan, walked up to the hole-in-the-wall shop at 1 St. Marks Place, asked for a navel piercing and was promptly ushered in. She sat in a shabby black chair. Her belly button was cleaned, a needle pushed through, and jewelry stuck in. It happened quickly, and cost $20.

For young teenagers, St. Marks Place has long been synonymous with cheap grub and drug paraphernalia – and piercings without parental supervision. But that tradition will end in October, when a state law passed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo will make it illegal for people under the age of 18 to get a piercing without the written consent of a parent.

“Body piercing can result in severe health risks and it is our obligation as New Yorkers and parents to make sure that our teens are taking every precaution to remain healthy and safe,” Gov. Cuomo said in a press release after the law was passed last month.

Nadia, who did not want her full name used for fear of repercussions from her employer, said piercings made sense at a younger age, and she wouldn’t have gotten hers if she was over 18. “I plan on taking them out [of] my navel as I get a little bit older because I think it wouldn’t be appropriate to have later on in life,” she said. Read more…

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 Cullen

After 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.

You have two stores in one. How does that work?

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 Maurer

A 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.

Andres Serrano has been keeping busy since his controversial work, “Piss Christ,” made him the political and cultural cause célèbre that Pussy Riot has become two decades later. (Like the band that was sentenced to two years in prison today, the photographer’s unorthodox use of religious symbolism led to a controversial court battle, rankled the powers-that-be, and practically made him a household name around the world.) In May, the longtime East Villager put on a show at the Havana Biennial.

During a conversation with The Local at his monastic East 12th Street loft, Mr. Serrano corrected a misconception that he’s anti-Christian and that he courts controversy, and showed off his collection of mostly Judeo-Christian icons, paintings, sculptures, and furniture from the 16th and 17th centuries. He also spoke about his latest project, a forthcoming book of photographs that nods to his Cuban heritage.

Shawn Hoke The latest mural at Ideal Glass.

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 Maurer

While 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.

riachung

Good 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 Forty

Sure, 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 Yurkevich

Amid 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…

Back in 2010, Amanda Cohen, the chef-owner of Dirt Candy, announced that she was writing a comic-book cookbook with artist Ryan Dunlavey and her husband, journalist Grady Hendrix. Eater got a sneak peek in June and described it as “a clever comic book retelling (with recipes) of Cohen’s experiences opening and running her vegetarian New York restaurant Dirt Candy, from dealings with shady contractors to appearing on Iron Chef America.”

Whelp, the trailer hit YouTube yesterday and boy, is it special. If it moves you to buy the book when it goes on sale Tuesday, just note the fine print at the end: “You may have heard that we were offering a bamboo windchime as part of a promotional package. Whatever you heard is a complete fabrication.”