Scott Lynch

Good morning, East Village.

CBS News New York has video footage from those helicopters that hovered over the three-alarm fire at Masaryk Towers on the Lower East Side yesterday. The blaze left six people injured.

EV Grieve confirms earlier rumors that the owners of Mona’s and Sophie’s are taking over Joe’s bar after the death of its proprietor Joe Vajda. Richard Corton plans “small changes. Clean up. Maybe, if we feel ambitious, we might redo the wallpaper with exactly the same wallpaper.”

DOT Bike Share presentations have made their way up to C.B. 8, and went over well yet again. In a Metro Focus article, David Crane of C.B. 3 expressed pleasant surprise that no one in the Lower East Side or East Village, neighborhoods with a troubled history of bike accidents, has decided to complain. Read more…

Daniel Maurer Former home of Jubb’s Longevity.

Community Board 3 has released its April calendar of meetings. Looking at the S.L.A. Licensing committee’s agenda: A company by the name of Downtown Dining LLC, which pursued the 205 Club space on the Lower East Side before Matt Levine took it over, is now going after 5 Avenue A, which happens to be the address of neighborhood fixture Nice Guy Eddie’s (no one picked up when we called the bar to find out whether it may close). The former Mo Pitkins and Aces and Eights space, 34 Avenue A, is back on the calendar, this time with the mysterious Great Life Hospitality Group pursuing wine and beer there. Read more…

A sign posted at Astor Place between Broadway and Lafayette Street indicates that The CW’s show based on Candace Bushnell’s “Sex and the City” prequel, “The Carrie Diaries” will be filming in the neighborhood on Sunday. The show will follow a 17-year-old Carrie Bradshaw, played by AnnaSophia Robb, through high school life in Connecticut. Adult Carrie was no stranger to the East Village: She attended Miranda’s birthday party at Lucky Cheng’s during the “Sex and the City” pilot, and one of her clothiers of choice, Patricia Field, is right here on the Bowery.

Finally, the perfect t-shirt to go along with your mosaic belt buckle. The Mosaic Man Jim Power just alerted The Local on Twitter to his new shirts, which feature a portrait of the local legend gazing into the distance. The collection on Cafe Press also includes Mosaic Man-endorsed iPhone covers, coffee mugs, notebooks and even t-shirts for a dog.

Shira Levine

For every East Village business that’s opening or closing, dozens are quietly making it. Here’s one of them: Dual Specialty Store.

In 1989, Abdul Patwary opened Dual Specialty Store to serve local Bengalis. That community has dwindled and the spice bazaar and Indian goods store – located a few steps below street level at 91 First Avenue, around the corner from Curry Row – suffered a fire in 2005. But Mr. Patwary, along with the family members who help him run the store, got things rolling again, and Dual Specialty is thriving seven years later. We asked the shopkeeper, who doubles as a doctor to some, how he’s managed to make it this long.

How has your customer base changed over the years?

There was a big Bengali community that lived here, and we, my family, started this business first to bring our products to them. We wanted to bring them things they wanted and needed from back home. Then the Bengali community started to leave this area, so we changed the mood of the business. We could see that we had to appeal to a larger, vast community here in the East Village. Our customers were people who care about their health and want to use natural, high-quality products to treat themselves better. Read more…

As Village residents await Borough President Scott Stringer’s recommendation early next month regarding N.Y.U.’s expansion plans, The Local is taking a look at the impacts of the project. Today, we’re examining the concerns surrounding the replacement of four playgrounds under the proposed development. Yesterday, we looked at the impact the proposal would have on parking in Greenwich Village. Check back for our coverage of concerns surrounding loss of light, the dog run, and the LaGuardia Community Garden.

If N.Y.U.’s expansion is approved, what will happen to the playgrounds in its footprint?

There are three playgrounds on the two blocks where N.Y.U. is seeking to build. They are Mercer Playground, located along Mercer Street on the north block; Key Park, which is just west of Mercer Playground between the two buildings in Washington Square Village; and Rocket Ship Park on the south block. Each one will be demolished and eventually replaced. N.Y.U. says that at a minimum, a temporary playground will always be open during the proposed 20-year buildout. Key Park and Rocket Ship Park are not open to the public — the replacement parks will be public. Read more…

Daniel Maurer

If you’re wondering why helicopters have been hovering over the East Village, it’s likely due to a three-alarm fire that broke out in the upper stories of Masaryk Towers at Columbia Street near Rivington Street in the Lower East Side. Fire trucks and emergency vehicles are lined up all the way to Houston Street. DNA Info reported that the blaze broke out on the 16th floor of 89 Columbia Street at 11:20 a.m.; no injuries were reported at the time of its story. Our friends at The Lo-Side are following the fire and posted aerial shots as well as photos of the charred building just minutes ago.

Update | 1:20 p.m. The Lo-Down reports that the blaze has been extinguished.

At last night’s full board meeting, Community Board 3 upheld its liquor licensing committee’s vote to recommend that the State Liquor Authority deny a full liquor license at 200 Avenue A, the old Superdive spot, as well as at Spanish newcomer Bikinis unless the latter operates as a full service restaurant during the day and nighttime hours are curbed to midnight. There was, however, one reversal: earlier this month, the subcommittee voted against a beer and wine license at Sahara Citi, a falafel joint at 137 East 13th Street, under the mistaken impression that it stood on “grandfathered” non-compliant commercial property. Last night, it was discovered that the address was in fact zoned commercial and the decision was overturned.

Last night, members of the Park Slope Food Co-Op voted against a controversial motion that would have banned Israeli foods at the 16,300-member grocery store, as our colleagues over at The Local Fort Greene reported.

Here in the East Village, members of the 4th Street Food Co-Op (no relation) told The Local they hadn’t given much thought to the Brooklyn brouhaha. That’s not to say the Co-Op – which consists of 60 unpaid members who each put in around two hours per week in exchange for a 20 percent discount at the store – hasn’t had its tense moments. Read more…

Scott Lynch

Good morning, East Village.

The New York Post says Mayor Bloomberg is in favor of having the Parks Department oversee privately owned public spaces such as Zuccotti Park.

South Brooklyn Pizza’s plans to expand to a next-door space have resulted in a court battle. Kati Duncan, who says she sublet her space to the pizza parlor, tells Jeremiah’s Vanishing NY that its owner acquired a next-door store and then tore down the dividing wall without her knowledge.

EV Grieve has photos of the space where 316 East Third Street, a 19th-century townhouse, used to be. A 33-unit apartment building of Karl Fischer design is planned for the lot, though the DOB disapproved the plans earlier this month. Read more…

Vanessa Yurkevich The former of home of “Lucky” Luciano at 265 East 10th Street.

Before there were squats, there were social clubs. And before pricey restaurants began taking over East Village storefronts, many were gathering places for the mob.

Every Friday and Saturday night Gideon Levy, the founder of NYC Gangster Tours, gives a tour of these onetime crime scenes, clandestine casinos and fronts for drug smuggling operations.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Mr. Levy’s obsession with mob history started in 2003 when the film “Gangs of New York” inspired him to organize his tours, one of which winds through the East Village.

“Walking through neighborhoods that are familiar, that you might walk by every single day, you might not know about a thread that leads back to smuggling or a murder,” said Mr. Levy during a recent tour. Read more…

Evan Bleier

The owner of the building that housed Great Jones Lumber is seeking to add four floors of residential space, with high-profile architect Richard Metsky helming the enlargement.

Joseph Lauto, who owned the lumber business and is now manager of 45 Great Jones Street LLC, which owns the building, told The Local that the ground floor would remain a commercial space; the second and third floors would be converted to residential space and two new floors of apartments would be added. An application filed with the Department of Buildings indicates six new residential units will be added at a cost of $1,138,000. Read more…

Photos: Daniel Maurer, Stephen Rex Brown

Yesterday The Local spotted a fake throwback subway entrance being built on the corner of Bleecker and Mott Streets and today the Coen Brothers are using it as a prop for their film “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Moments ago, they were filming a scene in which the movie’s titular folk singer, played by a bearded Oscar Davis, ducks into a vintage car. Sprinklers were used to simulate rain, and ice on the ground simulated melted snow.

As in previous scenes, Llewyn was clutching a fake cat and a guitar case. During one take, the car only drove forward a few feet (not quite as impressive as a checkered cab coasting down Ninth Street), but there should be plenty more chances for action – the Coens are filming in the neighborhood through Friday.

As Village residents await Borough President Scott Stringer’s recommendation early next month regarding N.Y.U.’s expansion plans, The Local is taking a look at the impacts of the project. Today, we’re examining the concerns surrounding parking under the proposed development. Check back throughout the week for our coverage of concerns surrounding loss of light, the dog run, playgrounds, and the LaGuardia Community Garden. What other issues should we tackle? Let us know in the comments.

OK, so how is parking in Greenwich Village going to be affected by this plan?

Currently, there are 670 spaces in a garage underneath Washington Square Village. Of these, 150 are public and the rest, a total of 520, are reserved for residents and their guests. As proposed, 281 parking spaces will be permanently eliminated. No spaces will be available to the general public.

So, 281 lost? That sounds like a lot.

The new garage would have 389 total spaces, which is the minimum required by the city zoning code. The entirely private garage would be built starting in 2022 and would be accessible through only one entrance, whereas the existing one has two (on West Third and Bleecker Streets). The current garage operates at around 80-percent capacity, and has around 130 spaces available on a typical workday. N.Y.U. believes that the amount of traffic using the new garage will be significantly less than it is now, given that the lot will not be open to drivers regularly commuting into the area. Opponents like Terri Cude, co-chairwoman of the Community Action Alliance, argue that the single entrance and exit would create a choke point that would exacerbate traffic. Read more…

Phillip Kalantzis-Cope

Good morning, East Village.

City Room reports that the city has extended its participation in rent regulation for another three years, since the current occupancy rate of 3.12 percent (considered a state of housing emergency) is below the 5 percent mark at which it must be lifted.

Racked NY assures that the Patricia Field boutique where a “For Rent” sign went up this weekend isn’t moving very far. The store is set to reopen two doors down, at 306 Bowery, leaving the old space at 302 Bowery available for only $30,000 per month. Takers?

You can now check out Keith Haring’s journal, one page at a time, according to Bowery Boogie. Read more…

Suzanne Rozdeba Joe Barbosa.

Rockit Scientist records will close at the end of April, and sidewalk vinyl vendor Joe Barbosa will remain in his normal spot in front of the store until the landlord finds a new tenant.

Mr. Barbosa told The Local that the landlord gave Rockit Scientist Records, which was expected to close at the end of February, an extension on its lease.

“I’m going to hang here until they rent the place out,” said Mr. Barbosa, who has subleased the space in front of the store for several years. He added he was already thinking of a new spot to sell his records. “Hopefully I’ll be able to find something on this block. Haven’t seen anything as of yet, though.”

Hey, there’s always the minivan option…

Daniel Maurer Andy Koszewski at the cafe’s front counter.

The Bowery Poetry Club’s front café, which went dark after Bowery Beef closed last summer, is once again brewing coffee, this time under the eye of a former manager at Think Coffee’s Mercer Street location (not the Bowery location just a block away – that would be awkward).

Andy Koszewski, the café’s new operator, opened shop earlier today, and is pouring drip coffee ($2.50, refills $1.50) from Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co., a stylish small-batch roaster from his hometown of Milwaukee, Wis. Once the La Marzocco machine is back from the repair shop later this week, he’ll be pulling espresso ($2.50) for cappuccinos ($3.75), mochas ($4.25) and the like. Also on offer: Chai lattes, hot chocolate, and eventually croissants and quiches from Ceci Cela Patisserie, salads from Choice Greens, and cookies from Salt of the Earth Bakery. Read more…