Vanishing New York Backup

Now and then, with camera in hand, I will brave the touristic, Olive-Gardenian horrors of Times Square to hunt for elusive remnants of the old neighborhood. It's not unlike hiking through the bush in search of endangered species, the last northern white rhino, the last passenger pigeon, the last Tasmanian tiger. There are dangers, of course, in this kind of exploration. The tourists aren't friendly. They own the place now, and they will take you down if you even try to walk like a New Yorker. All their blushing out-of-towner shame is gone, replaced by steely entitlement. Bump them and they bump back. It is best to keep your camera visible and meander with a slow, zombie-like gait so as to move among them undetected. You need patience for this work. It might require standing on a street corner for long stretches of time, waiting for something real to happen. Generally, if you wait long enough and watch closely enough, you will encounter the Real. Pushed out, stomped and crus...

This Saturday, May 2, #SaveNYC is sponsoring a rally concert/performance at Arlene's Grocery. Organized by Blazes, " Brooklyn's musical superhero ," the show will include downtown legends like Penny Arcade and DeeDee Luxe, along with several others. Ann McDermott from #SaveNYC will be there to speak about our mission. Admission is $5, with the money going to the performers and the space. The first 20 people through the door get a free #SaveNYC t-shirt. For more info, and to purchase tickets, visit Arlene's Grocery. Blazes at the Small Biz Crawl

This weekend, May 2 and 3, come downtown for a Jane's Walk about Hyper-Gentrification and Appropriation on the Bowery . I organized and wrote the walk, while Kyle Supley from #SaveNYC will be your knowledgeable and charismatic guide. Jane's Walk is a global "movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs." In New York City, the walks are sponsored by the Municipal Arts Society. Visit the site for more on the Bowery walk and many others . Here's a description: For over a century, the Bowery’s character had been of the countercultural sort. Since the late 1800s it had been the sleazy territory of outsiders—punks, artists, bums, queers, and drop-outs, drag queens, prostitutes, tattoo artists, and con men. It was a haven for homosexuals when it was illegal and unsafe to be gay. Groundbreaking artists, including Mark Rothko, moved to the Bowery in the 1950s. More artists arrived through the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, including Jean-Michel Basqu...

Filmmaker E.J. McLeavey-Fisher has made a lovely short documentary about Joe Leisner, former owner of the shop Comic Book Heaven in Sunnyside, Queens. I asked E.J. a few questions about the film--which you can watch in its entirety right here: Comic Book Heaven from E.J. McLeavey-Fisher on Vimeo Q: Something I like most about the film is its depiction of what might be called "a real New York character." Can such a breed still exist in the city? And can they still run a successful business? A: That breed can definitely still exist, but I don't think they can necessarily run a shop like Comic Book Heaven without making some serious tweaks over time. To me, Joe's "New York character" comes from that defiant, stubborn outlook that often gets equated with the overall NYC attitude. That's the charm, of course, but when it applies to a business model, it's not so sustainable. The conflict now is that people get a kick out of Joe and ...

A number of readers have written in to let us know that Angel Feet Reflexology is closing. Diane writes, "This lovely business has soothed the soles and souls of New Yorkers since 1995 in its tiny space on Perry Street. Another victim of rising rents. The women who work here are all kind, caring, and gifted and they are all heartbroken to see this community broken up." May 31 will be their last day. I got in touch with Angel Feet manager and reflexologist Chantel C. Lucier. She explained: " Regarding our closure, it was a number of things affecting our expenses, including a rent hike, and no matter how hard we tried we just couldn’t generate enough business to cover all of these expenses. The rent hike was the last straw . New York City and State claim to be supportive of small business, but the taxes and regulations are disproportionate to what a small business can actually bring in. Angel Feet was a small woman-owned business in its 20th year. We have s...

Someone is trying to let Icon Realty know how they feel about the eviction of the beloved Stage Restaurant . Reader Kate Puls sent in this photo from 441 E. 9th St.: The ICON logo has been reworked to read: "I AM CON ARTIST." The sign was also tagged with the demand, "LET STAGE LIVE!" and the #SaveNYC hashtag . This address happens to be the former home of New York School poet Frank O'Hara. Not his last place, which was demolished for a condo , but the place where he wrote enough poems, the GVSHP put a plaque on the wall . Maybe it was Frank's ghost, home from a long stroll , who marked up the Icon sign. Further along, at 445 E. 9th, he wrote the same messages on another ICON sign. What looks like a second hand added: "The rent is too fucking high, you greedy fucks!" To which someone else replied, "yes!!" A 300-square-foot retail space here goes for $5,000 per month.

This past Saturday, #SaveNYC organized a Small Business Crawl on the block of Second Avenue most impacted by the recent gas explosion. photo: Beatriz Rodriguez. Sandy Bachom and Jordy Trachtenberg. While it's impossible to say exactly how many people showed up to support the businesses, there was a lively crowd and the event was an overall success. The East Village mom and pops got a lot of positive attention from the media, getting featured on local TV news channels, including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX5, NY1, and WPIX: To kick off the day, the crowd of supporters met outside Gem Spa, where the vintage newsstand kept the egg creams flowing. They lunched at places like Paul's Da Burger Joint, who reported to #SaveNYC's Kirsten Theodos, "It was a big help, as it pushed business up nearly 40%." The little gift shop Himalayan Visions also did well, reporting their sales were up 200% on Saturday. Small Biz Crawl supporter Jordy Trachtenberg wrote in to say, "...

Last week we heard the news that the great Ziegfeld movie theater might be closing . It's been here since 1969, and it's one of the last remaining single-screen palaces in the city. *UPDATE January 2016: Confirmed. The theater is closing to become a high-end corporate event space. I like it because it's big, truly big, with those red velvet chairs you don't find anymore in this day of stadium seating. I also like it because it's unusual. The entire entryway, from the downstairs lobby up to the theater lobby, contains Reade's Ziegfeld Museum, made up mostly of statuary and a series of vitrines displaying artifacts from the old days of the Ziegfeld Follies. A costume once belonging to "Ziegfeld diva" Lillian Lorraine is on display, accompanied by a sign that reads, in 1920s font, "These too were part of the Ziegfeld mystique." In Scandals and Follies , author Lee Davis wrote that Florenz Ziegfeld "was insanely in love wit...

VANISHING On 8th Avenue in Greenwich Village since 1994, the House of Cards & Curiosities will be closing for good on May 31. A small space stuffed with stuff, it's a neighborhood favorite for its selection of greeting cards and, of course, its many curiosities, including Day of the Dead skeletons, odd little toys, and a Wunderkammer filled with taxidermied lizards, bones, and shark teeth. Actress Molly Shannon called the shop " one of those downtown neighborhood places that are so great ." As we know, those great downtown neighborhood places are vanishing fast. "Was it the rent?" a long-time customer asked. "It was everything," the cashier replied. The shop's neighbor, Chocolate Bar, also recently announced its closure , citing rising costs and slow sales, thanks to three years of street construction outside their doors. The House of Cards is currently having a 30% off everything sale .

VANISHING Chocolate Bar on 8th Avenue in Greenwich Village is closing. Already, a "Store for Lease" sign has appeared in the window. Owner Alison Nelson has written to her employees: "It is with sadness that after 13 years of business and much contemplation, I have decided to close our West Village location. Over the past year we have fought the struggle with rising costs and stagnant sales due to street construction and difficult weather. We have seen much of our neighborhood change over the past few years, fought 3 years of street work right outside our door and watched many of our fellow small businesses and neighbors leave due to rising rents and expenses. All of this has taken a steady and sometimes biting toll upon us and our operations. Know that it is with a very heavy heart that I have made this decision. I never envisioned leaving the West Village, a place that had been my home for nearly 20 years, and Chocolate Bar's home for over a decade." ...

This Saturday, starting at 12:00 noon, #SaveNYC is organizing a Small Business Crawl along the stretch of Second Avenue impacted by the recent gas explosion and fire. photo: Janko Puls After such a disaster, small businesses struggle to survive. Some don’t make it. Especially the old-timers. Like elderly people, they are often the most vulnerable to upheaval and interruption--and the least resilient. Already, beloved businesses like The Stage diner and B&H Dairy have lost tens of thousands of dollars --and they still have not been able to reopen. The local businesspeople here need our help. So we're working to bring customers, cash, and attention to those mom-and-pops in most need. Paul's Da Burger Joint, by Kirsten Theodos B&H Dairy, by Kirsten Theodos The Small Biz Crawl starts at Gem Spa (since 1957), on the southwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark’s Place. Buy your magazines, cigarettes, and egg creams at this first stop. From there, head do...

Quintessential New York is Frank O'Hara's poem " The Day Lady Died ," with its bouncy, urban "I do this, I do that" listing of the poet's day and then the last, heart-stopping lines: "I am sweating a lot by now and thinking of leaning on the john door in the 5 SPOT while she whispered a song along the keyboard to Mal Waldron and everyone and I stopped breathing" Years ago, I tried to find the original site of the 5 Spot. I ended up at a bar inside the now demolished 35 Cooper Square , mistakenly thinking it was the right place. There was no Internet back then and I had little to guide me. Now there's a Wikipedia page for the 5 Spot and this site, 5 Spot Artifacts , put together by the daughter of former owner Joe Termini. The original 5 Spot was at 5 Cooper Square, between 4th and 5th. It was a favorite place for many painters and poets, including Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Larry Rivers, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg. ...

VANISHED Back in 2012, I posted about an antique sign for J. Yormark Shoes. It had been revealed and partly restored when a barbershop moved into its old spot on 8th Avenue near Jane Street. Last year, the barber shop moved out and more portions of the sign were revealed. Above the stained glass was a second sign: SHOES YORMARK SHOES. Then scaffolding went up, and the stained glass sign was not treated with any apparent care. Now the renovation of the storefront is complete. Sadly, the antique sign has been removed, replaced with plain glass. The sign above it has either been removed or covered up.  J. Yorkmark Shoes opened sometime in the 1890s. For historic family photos of the shop, click here .

This year mark's the good old Donut Pub 's 50th anniversary. The celebratory banner says, "Always fresh! Since 1964!" So maybe it's their 51st anniversary? In any case, for the grand occasion, they've created a special Golden Anniversary doughnut. The Golden Anniversary doughnut is rather elusive. Rarely made, it may or may not be available when you visit. I've been trying for weeks, and didn't get my Golden Anniversary doughnut until my fifth visit. (In the midst of my slightly obsessive quest, I dreamed about this pastry. In my dream, it was topped with flakes of real gold leaf.) In reality, the rare delicacy is a regular doughnut glazed in yellow (for the "golden" part) with green stripes (for reasons unknown). Was it worth the effort? Any visit to the Donut Pub on 14th Street is worth it. Next time, however, I'll stick with my usual honey dipped. Also: A Day at Donut Pub Donut Pub Defeats Dunkin

After 55 years in business at 54th and 7th, the Famous Oyster Bar was forced to close one year ago. The owner of the restaurant said a new landlord took over the building and the rent was hiked, from $12,000 to $50,000 a month. The hostess told me that the new landlord refused to renew their lease. "I think she'll keep it empty," the hostess said. "I think the building is coming down." One year later, the space is still empty. Gutted and stripped. (The antique neon sign made it to Delancey Street.) Landlords are allowed to do this in New York. They're allowed to kick out long-term, beloved businesses by jacking up the rent or simply refusing to renew the lease. They're allowed to leave the spaces empty for years, waiting for property values to increase, waiting for Starbucks to make the right offer. In the meantime, we're left with a dying city. And no one is doing a thing about it. #SaveNYC . Previously: Oyster Bar to Close Neon...