Vanishing New York Backup

In my latest op-ed for the Daily News , I debate the myths that the real estate industry is putting forth about the Small Business Jobs Survival Act and the demise of brick and mortar retail: More and more, in rapid succession, our streets are dulled by corporate chains, big banks, systematized “concept” shops and too many vacant storefronts. This is not New York. If you want to stop massive commercial rent hikes that put small businesses out of business, take action: - Write to the mayor and ask him to support the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA). Here's a quick form you can fill out in just a few easy steps. - Write to Council Speaker Corey Johnson and ask him to support a strong SBJSA and bring it to a vote. Here's a quick and easy form for that, too. - Here's more you can do . - And talk about it. Talk to your friends, family, and co-workers. Tell them that mom and pops aren't vanishing "because of the market" or "all be

You may have seen them popping up on high-rent blight around town. Monopoly cards pasted to the windows and walls of shuttered shops. They list outrageous rents and come with a Jane Jacobs quote. They're the creation of an artist called Symbol. I asked Symbol to explain the project and what inspired him to do it. He told me: "Everywhere I walked in Manhattan there were empty storefronts, and it seemed like one big game between landlords and tenants. All these landlords waiting for a pharmacy or bank to sign a 10-year lease. Is there a better analogy for that then the game of Monopoly? Seems like no one really wins at Monopoly but everyone just tires out. All the little stores just seemed to disappear. There were no replacements and Manhattan lost its juice. Bleecker went from high rent/Sex and the City famous to an empty side street. The signs on Lexington are Amazon-colored orange. The online shopping has only added to the problem and added to my tipping point. Yea

In his Times review of a new Hudson Yards restaurant , Pete Wells writes that Legacy Records has "ginned up a history for itself that brings together sloppy research with a superficial tribute to black culture." I haven't been inside the place, so I'll leave it to Wells, who describes images of black musicians on the walls, stars like Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye, who supposedly recorded in a studio on the site. Except they didn't. There was a studio there for a few years in the 2000s, he says, "mostly used by orchestras, Broadway cast recordings and commercials." There's also a photo by Mickalene Thomas of a black woman with an Afro in a sexy pose. photo by Gary He Wells concludes: "Legacy Records has taken this shred of history and turned it into a fantasy of black American music. Exhibited in a museum or gallery, Ms. Thomas’s photo might be taken as a comment on the different postures and personas available to black

VANISHED On Bleecker Street since 1976, Cafe Español has shuttered. There's no note to say why the sudden closing, only a sign that reads: "This restaurant is closed. Trespassers will be prosecuted." On their website, they write, "Thank you for all of these years by our side, the Cafe Español family." This is the latest in a string of closures for Manhattan's old-school Spanish restaurants, including El Quijote , El Faro , Francisco's Centro Vasco , and El Paso . What remains? There is Spain on 13th St., an absolute treasure, and Sevilla on Charles. Go while you still can.

VANISHING Since 1981 there’s been a little vintage jewelry shop on the corner of 77th and Lexington called Sylvia Pines Uniquities . By the end of June, it will be gone. It won’t be vanishing because the Internet killed it. It won’t be vanishing because no one buys Victorian handbags or Art Deco necklaces anymore. It will vanish for just one reason: The rent has more than tripled . On a warm evening, Sylvia Pines’ daughter, Judy Freedman, is behind the counter, taking care of a customer who has been shopping for three hours straight. The customer, a local doctor with a passion for antique beads and opera glasses, points to rings, necklaces, and handbags, wanting to see it all. “Is that real coral?” she asks. “No,” Judy replies. “That’s fake.” “Good,” says the customer. “I don’t want it. How about that handbag?” Judy gets on a step-stool and pulls down a pink and white beaded bag. The customer runs her fingers over the beads and the two women talk bags. “Judith Lieber,” Jud

Earlier this year I wrote about the death of the great St. Denis building on 11th and Broadway, a building that should be landmarked but isn't, a building full of vital history . The building was bought by Normandy Partners in 2016 and all of the tenants were removed--hundreds of small businesspeople, myself included, put out. Today, a few remain, but they will soon be gone. photo: Phil Penman Now we hear that Normandy is "hungry for a refinancing," as The Real Deal reports. They want $187 million for the St. Denis. Writes TRD: "At 799 Broadway, the funding would in part go toward the construction of a new, nearly 190,000-square-foot office building replacing the existing office property... The existing building, formerly known as the St. Denis Hotel, will be completely vacated this month and readied for demolition this fall." And there's a new rendering of the soulless, dead-eyed nothing pile of glass to come: What was here before? What wi

As I first reported in April , the shuttered Lincoln Plaza Cinemas has attracted a band of angels working to bring it back to life, including Norma Levy, who told me at the time, "I decided there has to be a way to recreate the cinema. It's too tragic to lose." Now, with New Plaza Cinema Inc., we're getting a new version of the cinema. Through a press release today they announce a partnership with the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan "to host first run and independent films in its 250-seat auditorium throughout the summer." “We’re excited that the JCC has graciously agreed to screen our films this summer,” said Levy. “We’re working to find a more permanent venue which will offer first run and independent films.” Toby Talbot, who co-founded Lincoln Plaza Cinema with her late husband, Dan Talbot, supports the New Plaza Cinema’s goals. She says, “Although Dan is no longer with us, I’m sure he would have been heartened—as am I—that a band of devoted theate

On Thursday, June 28, from 6:30pm – 8:30pm, I'll be at the Museum of the City of New York talking with author Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, cartoonist Julia Wertz, and New Yorker staff writer Vinson Cunningham about what it means to capture the “soul” of the city, even as many longtime New Yorkers question its survival. Get your tickets and more info here . Use the code SOUL1 for a discount. In other news, my book Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost Its Soul will be out in paperback July 24. You can pre-order it now from any bookshop. From the reviews: “Essential reading for fans of Jane Jacobs, Joseph Mitchell, Patti Smith, Luc Sante, and cheap pierogi.” —Vanity Fair “A full-throated lament for the city’s bygone charms.”—Wall Street Journal “A cri de coeur that is essential reading for anyone who loves this city.” --The Village Voice “The pleasure of reading Moss is his purity.” –The New York Times Book Review “A remarkable atlas charting where New York has gone

VANISHING On their website , the folks at Caffe Vivaldi write: "With heavy hearts we announce the upcoming closure of Caffe Vivaldi and the conclusion of our 35-year run at this magical room on 32 Jones Street in our beloved West Village." Opened in 1983, Vivaldi has been fighting to stay in business for several years now. Back in 2011, Vivaldi was being forced to close by a tripled rent hike from their landlord, the infamous Steve Croman. They survived and got a new lease , but the struggles continued. In 2016, they reported landlord harassment . This April, Vivaldi owner Ishrat Ansari wrote on the site's blog about his struggles: "My untimely stroke occurred two weeks before a crucial court hearing about the Caffe’s future—that has continued to drag on to the present. In 2011, my tormentor, Steven Croman, became the new owner of the building where Caffe Vivaldi resides. From the beginning, his conduct has been belligerent and illegal, unilaterally b