PHOTO OF MARIA CHER STORE ON BLEECKER BY BRIA SCHIRRIPA

From Buenos Aires to Bleecker

December 13, 2022 by cybele policastro

BY BRIA SCHIRRIPA

A year into their location at 378 Bleecker, Maria Cher, an Argentinean based label, has made its mark on the West Village with vibrant pieces that function as a staple but serve as a statement.

MariaCher Holiday/ Resort 2023 Collection, which launched in November, is composed of pieces inspired by nature, folkloric craftsmanship and turned into arrangements with patchwork origins.

María Cherñajovsky is the founder and creative force behind Maria Cher. The label which began its journey in Maria’s native Buenos Aires, has grown into a globally recognized name, with two locations in New York City on Madison Avenue and Bleecker Street.

PHOTO OF MARIA CHER ON BLEECKER BY BRIA SCHIRRIPA

María credits her vision to create clothes that are easy and eclectic but simultaneously understated. Her inspiration for the Resort 2023 collection derives from the glamour of the late 70’s coupled with the energy of the music scene of the early 80’s. Silhouettes, flattering proportions, with stand out prints are the focus.

Masculine tailoring with a focus on exaggerated shoulders and long kaftan dresses are two signatures of the brand and the signature Maria Cher jumpsuit, which is offered no matter the season in several styles to suit every figure and lifestyle.

Weaving The Way On West 10th

April 24, 2022 by cybele policastro

BY BRIA SCHIRRIPA

Most days, downstairs at 225 W. 10th Street, Kiana Malekzadeh, owner of West Village Knit and Needle can be found surrounded by four walls of hand painted canvases and yarn. With an upbringing steeped in Middle Eastern tradition, Kiana learned a few of the essentials - knitting, sewing and cooking - from her mother and grandmother.

A hands-on way of life beginning at a young age led her to quickly discover how drawn she was to creating and why she now refers to her childhood self as a “crafty kid”.

But this New York small business story really begins in 1998 when Ms.Malekzadeh was an unemployed postgrad living in Manhattan looking for ways to fill the day. Regular strolls to Yarn & Co. on the Upper West Side did just that. When Kiana slid down the West Side to Greenwich Village, she began frequenting a yarn shop on Bedford Street called The Point Cafe. In true West Village fashion, the owner was warm and welcoming and Kiana, who at that time was working for the family business as a commodities broker, found that knitting was a way to keep sane and asked for a part time job. Working a few days a week led to teaching group classes and unwilling to stop there, Kiana enrolled in a graduate program at Fashion Institute of Technology. For the next two years she worked on a Master’s degree that would allow her to morph two passions into one: Art Business.

In 2020, Kiana, who by this point was a decade-long West Village resident and the ultimate textiles enthusiast, joined a virtual board meeting during COVID lockdown and got wind of a space opening up directly downstairs from her apartment. “I immediately said ‘I’ll take that!’” recognizing opportunity and a silver lining of the pandemic.

Kiana worked on composing a forty-two-page business plan filled with financials and market research on the fabric arts industry. She wanted to differentiate herself by taking a more sustainable and thoughtful approach to the materials she would offer in her shop. “I decided not to sell any yarn that carries polyamide acrylic or nylon, only premium yarns” Kiana says, noting that 99% of everything in the shop would be biodegradable.

““I decided not to sell any yarn that carries polyamide acrylic or nylon, only premium yarns” Kiana says, noting that 99% of everything in the shop would be biodegradable..”

— Kiana Malekzadeh

Familiarizing herself with studies from the American Sheep Association, Kiana decided that she would not work with any vendors that source their raw wool from a mulesing farm (a practice which shaves too close to the skin of sheep). Much of her yarn is GOTS certified (Global Organic Textile Standard) which means that it has achieved the highest level of textile sustainability and is proven to be fair trade.

Even though it is ever-changing, Kiana has committed to a sustainable shop and her commitment has proven effective. Due to its location, West Village Knit and Needle is often the first stop for NYU, Parsons and FIT students seeking art supplies, many of whom are eager to take a more sustainable approach.

““Every single day someone says I want to learn to needlepoint. Seeing that excitement of getting started on their faces is the best!””

— Kiana Malekzadeh

In addition to the students, the shop attracts mostly downtown neighborhood folks (think Greenwich Village, Tribeca, Chelsea), tourists and a handful of uptown devotees. Kiana credits the loyalty of their customers to her small, but mighty team of five who are always available for free help on any project. To date West Village Knit and Needle has 3,500 paying customers and 56% of them are return customers. This shop owner’s favorite part of the business? The people she gets to meet day in and day out. “Every single day someone says I want to learn to needlepoint. Seeing that excitement of getting started on their faces is the best!”

Kiana wants to give back to small artists, many sourced through Instagram and Etsy, by displaying their work on the shop’s walls- just as she did in her gallery years before. Today, she has four artists exclusive to the store, among their work you can find a variety of hand painted canvases from Seinfeld quotes to the “David” to Formula 1 drivers.

From day one, Kiana’s wish for the shop was to be fun, warm and energetic. And on day 431, the 80’s music that is so often blaring through the speakers, free classes, champagne Saturdays and amicable staff have helped to exceed the expectation. In her original mission statement, West Village Knit and Needle wanted to be known as “the friendliest needlepoint store in the city” and so far seems to be succeeding.

The restorative properties of needlepointing and knitting are apparent. “They are good for mind body and soul” Kiana says, the reason she began in the first place “It forces you to be present in what you’re doing. For needlepoint, the repetitive motion is very soothing and meditative”.

Every month stitch and sip hosted by Stitch Club of NYC. huge following. People who participate are fun. Once a month they do a free tarot card reading night with Paul Flanagan, partnerships with Shop the Village, most classes are free besides the $25 for materials and NYC in October yarn crawl.

How Sweet It Is

September 03, 2021 by cybele policastro

BY BRIA SCHIRRIPA

Harris Bakes, Photography by Ricky Freudenstein

Harris Bakes - a woman owned bakery on Bedford and Commerce opened in the winter of 2020. More than a year and a half later, the bakery found its footing and hasn’t missed a beat.

Tucked in a row of brownstones on quaint and quiet Bedford Street, the gleaming marble counters and bright lights draw the attention of a passerby to the bakery and the scents of chocolate croissants and fresh brewed coffee are enough to get them in the door. Harris Maizels, owner of Harris Bakes, has worked very hard to get to this point.

Ms. Maizels grew up baking and cooking - think: elaborate gingerbread houses around the holidays and above average birthday cakes for family and friends. But when it came to choosing a career path, she pursued elementary education. As a kindergarten teacher she was sure to incorporate baking into many of her lesson plans. “I never truly considered it as a career” Harris says. It was on a spring break trip to visit her sister in France that she spent time with a Parisian bakery owner that realized she might want to consider pastry making as a full time job. “I didn’t know it was possible to switch career paths, I assumed that everyone in the industry started right out of high school or sooner”. Harris came back inspired and ready to fully jump in.

That fall the teacher became the student.

After her inspiring trip to France, Harris enrolled in the 6 month pastry program at the French Culinary Institute. This led her to spend some time at Gramercy Tavern for an externship while continuing to make custom cakes and pastries on her days off for friends and family.

In the summer of 2019, Harris, then a West Village resident, noticed an empty storefront with a kitchen. She saw an opportunity even when others warned her about taking on a lease and opening her own commercial kitchen. She decided to go for it and nearly a year after signing, Harris got the green light from the health department. She held a soft opening with friends the last week of February 2020.

After being shut down due to COVID, Harris felt conflicted over how to move forward. The original concept of Harris Bakes was to be custom cakes, but since people weren’t gathering, Harris had to pivot. By April, Harris was eager to get back into the kitchen in any way, so she began to make batches of bagels, cinnamon rolls, croissants, cookies available for preorder and available to patrons at a distance. What she had considered to be daily nice-to-have pastries were now the focal point of her business “I wish I could say I had a whole curated idea opening the shop, but the truth is a lot of what I am doing is being done on the fly” Maizels says.

Five days a week, you can find Harris in the shop around 6 A.M. rolling out dough for the day’s baked goods. Everything is made fresh each morning and while Harris was faced with some challenges about the purpose of her shop, she knew from day one that everything she produced would be made with organic, high quality ingredients. “I didn't want to use anything that made you feel like crap after eating”.

While there are several facets of the business Harris did not know about until she began her operation (kitchen technicalities, waiting on nightly deliveries, running social media, etc) she runs her one woman show with grace and a community she can trust “ I knew how supportive the neighborhood is to local, small businesses”

Speaking of small local businesses, Harris calls out West Village restauranteurs Jody Williams and Rita Sodi as two of her greatest inspirations “I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon with them, not only are their restaurants incredible, but they’ve made me feel like everyone has a seat at the table”.

The store brings in a wide range of clientele - people of all ages, locals and visitors alike. “ The new customers who come in tell me I'm growing and the my regular customers tell me that they liked what they had”.

At the end of our conversation, a buzzer goes off and Harris takes out fresh dough for the busy holiday weekend ahead.

The bakery owner has many ideas and long term goals. One being acquiring a larger space that can act as both a bakery and cafe but also can host after school programs for kids who have an interest in the kitchen “I’ve noticed there are certain extracurriculars available to kids and to certain groups of kids, and I haven’t seen a lot of after school programs for baking and that’s really important to me. The skills and lessons are endless” Harris says. While her croissants are flaky, Harris is not. She has achieved a lot in a short amount of time and is living proof that it is never too late to do what you love.

For more info go to Harris Bakes website.

ART SPRINGING UP IN VACANT STOREFRONTS

Bleecker Street

April 15, 2021 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO

Barbara Anderson outside The Lucille Lortel Theater/PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERICA FREUDENSTEIN

WEST VILLAGE, NY —- Art on the Ave is a public art initiative featuring work by local artists in storefronts, both vacant and some occupied.

The second installment is “Awakenings” and will be on display in the West Village. The exhibition will kick off Live the Village which is a Greenwich Village Chamber of Commerce initiative with 2 other events planned—a reimagined Shop Bleecker, with events and promotions, and the Village Trip Festival, which will run from Sept. 18 to Oct. 2. GVCCC hopes the events will improve foot traffic and help business hard hit by the pandemic.

Art on the Ave was founded by a mother-daughter duo Barbara Anderson and Jackie Graham in the summer of 2020. The first exhibition was centered on the Upper West Side. For the West Village installment, they are working with curators Susan Davis-Eley and Norma Kriger and all the money from the sale of the work goes to the artists.

The Lucille Lortel Theater located at 121 Christopher Street is one of the places art can be viewed, as well as a place to gain information about Art on the Ave.

BSB zoomed with Barbara to find out more.

LUCILLE LORTEL THEATER/PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERICA FREUDENSTEIN

This interview has been edited for brevity and for clarity.

How did you get the idea to do this project?

I guess the idea was born in Fernie, British Columbia. It's a small ski town up in the Rockies where my daughter Jackie lives. She's a teacher but she works at an art council and due to COVID, they closed down the gallery on a tiny little main street. They'd asked two of the vacant stores if they could put the art in there since the gallery was closed.

I saw it on Instagram, and I said, you know, I love that and you know, why couldn't we do that on Columbus Avenue? It seemed so simple then. And she was sweet. She said, you know what, mom? Yeah, that's a good idea. And so, I started doing a little research and I kept just plugging along and, and she was helping me. And we found some people who, you know, I think that inside they were laughing, but they were also being kind.

I think as a teacher, you're very used to solving problems or trying to figure out…I don't know, in my mind I was like seeing all this going on and I thought, you know what? That could be a solution. It could be something nice. And I just sort of something clicked in me for once. And I said, you know, what would I tell the kids? I would tell them, try it. What's the worst that can happen. We would get to one obstacle and someone would help us and point us in a different direction. And we would get to the next one. You know, people just help facilitated that. That's the nice story for me.

So how did you approach people? You live on the Upper West Side of New York?

I live on the upper West side and I haven't been here that long. We only moved to the city in the summer of 2019. I didn't know it that well, but I knew this neighborhood. I felt familiar with all the stores and I just saw one closing after the other and even the ones who weren't closed, they were struggling. I just kind of felt this idea, it could not only help the artists- to spotlight in particular underrepresented artists but also, I saw it as a way to kind of bring a little bit of life, energy and, and foot traffic to the area and that really actually happened.

I would sit somewhere and I would just watch people going up. And then, you know, another person would go up and they'd have a little conversation sometimes, or it would be a little cluster and they'd stop and you could see it with a family and they would have a chat and what people said actually was that they would walk by, and a piece would catch their eye. And then another time they would listen use the QR code and listen to the artists and it (the piece) started to feel like it belonged to them already, and that they weren't necessarily art buyers before. We ended up selling a lot of the art.

What was the inspiration of about picking the Village as the next spot?

I have a colleague and she lives in the West Village and we would walk home sometimes from school. And there was one time we were in the throes of doing Columbus Avenue and I just walked down with her one day and I said, Hey, look at this and look at this.

And I think there must have been about 15 empty stores, at that point. And I said, wow, it'd be really nice to see some art in here instead of that paper, this, so that I kind of had the idea in the middle of doing Art on the Ave, even though I never actually thought we would do another one.

"Offerings & Red Corral" by Joseph Laurro, will be featured in Art on the Ave. (Courtesy Art on the Ave)

Did you do an open call to artists?

Jackie (Graham) puts out a call and then the curators spread the word. And Jackie was really very specific about trying to reach, west village artists actually.

Would you say you are bringing an art gallery to the streets? I

It is street level and it can speak to different audiences, you know? So, you could see kids just kind of stopping and being attracted by one piece or it was interesting to watch the different people that would stop. So, the whole kind of idea for the West Village one, was that it can just be about strolling or meandering or doing a little bit of everything and the art, becoming part of the fabric of the Village for a little while.

Art on the Ave “Awakenings” will be on display starting April 15 to July 8.

Find out more about Art On The Ave on their website.

INTERIOR OF THE GREENWICH LETTERPRESS SHOP/PHOTO BY ERICA FREUDENSTEIN

The Shop Around The Corner

February 14, 2021 by cybele policastro

BY BRIA SCHIRRIPA

Tucked neatly on the East side of Seventh Avenue is Greenwich Letterpress - a convivial, sister-owned letterpress studio and gift shop.

BSB spoke to Beth Salvini, co-owner of Greenwich Letterpress about the West Village staple.

Greenwich Letterpress has only been at 15 Christopher Street since 2006 but the Salvini sisters have stationery in their DNA...three generations worth. Beginning with their grandfather, Al, who started a letterpress printing company in New Jersey in the early 1960’s, and later their father, Emil, who took over the family business, Beth and Amy have spent a lifetime immersed in the language and process of printing.

Beth and Amy Salvini PHOTO BY ERICA FREUDENSTEIN

The sisters always loved exploring the interesting shops of the West Village on their frequent forays into the city in the ‘90s — and not only because they were within walking distance of the PATH train station. “We would visit the record stores and sneaker stores on 8th Street and would often joke that maybe one day we’d open a store of our own.” So it was no surprise when, in 2005, they gave up careers in fine arts and graphic design and joined forces to honor their family’s history of letterpress printing.

Perched one flight up, the pink walls of Greenwich Letterpress are lined with greetings cards for every occasion. Step further inside and you’ll find a treasure trove of vintage 80’s postcards, maps of Manhattan and quirky gifts. The store’s contents, artisanal by nature, are a reflection of shared interests and past obsessions between the sisters - think vibrant mushroom lamps, Gilmore Girls keychains, Dawson’s Creek paraphernalia and reusable bags with quotes from “You’ve Got Mail”.

Each item on the shelves is thoughtfully selected and meant to invoke feelings of nostalgia. However, if Beth and Amy aren't hardcore fans, don't expect to find it in store. “Customers have come in and asked ‘Do you have any Buffy the Vampire stuff?’ to which we’ll reply ‘no, we didn't watch that’” Salvini says. “It feels really phony to profit off of something that we have no knowledge or love of. We try to be as authentic as possible.” Their philosophy is why Greenwich Letterpress has remained a one-of-a-kind fixture in the Village for over fifteen years.

An opposite means of communicating in an era that favors Zoom, Salvini has noticed an uptick in card consumption specifically, cards of the “I miss you”, “I’m hugging you right now” nature. “That’s obviously the sentiment of how everybody feels right now” Beth says. “I just hope the card writing continues after COVID-19 as well.”

Since the pandemic hit, Beth and Amy have been quick to adapt to new ways of operating a small business. Eager to reach customers new and old, Greenwich Letterpress became an online shop, leaning into the e-commerce model for the first time in the shop’s history. “This was never our goal. We weren’t trying to be retail giants on Instagram or paper influencers, but everyone has to be because that’s how the world is living.”

Another trend in cards, are the “congrats on your new home” or “you’re moving” messages. “Sadly because we’re in New York, we’re seeing a lot of farewells”. Beth adds, speaking of the present reality.

INTERIOR GREENWICH LETTERPRESS PHOTO BY ERICA FREUDENSTEIN

While many have fled the city, Beth remains hopeful for the future even if it’s somewhat uncertain.

“Many of the big chain stores in the city have gone away for one reason or another” she notes. “Maybe there will be a big door open for small business again, which would be incredible. I hope the pandemic resets New York”.

Stop by the shop located at 15 Christopher Street, NYC or shop online.

Shop Bleecker the Month of November!

November 20, 2020 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO AND LIZ KEENAN

Bleecker Street, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

Shop Bleecker is back! The month-long shopping event is underway throughout November.

The event is organized by the Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce (GVCCC), and began as a way to bolster the area after a well-publicized vacancy epidemic affecting the area.

Forty-five businesses are participating in this year’s Shop Bleecker, providing deals and discounts. Customers can also enter a raffle for prizes.

Three years ago, Senator Brad Hoylman released his ‘Bleaker on Bleecker: A Snapshot of High-Rent Blight’ report and in the time since Bleecker has been rebounding however, like the rest of the world has been facing challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Maria Diaz in front of Keentu on Bleecker Street -which carries a contemporary selection of jewelry, handbags, accessories, clothing and home decor made across Africa

I recently had the chance to zoom with Maria Diaz of the Chamber to chat about how it’s going.

Shop Bleecker is a month-long event – will there be a “Shop Bleecker” day this year?

MD: Yes, November 21st, we're gathering businesses to stay open from the hours of six to seven. And we'll be promoting that as an after-hours event. We're encouraging people to make appointments to shop throughout the entire month, but that will be extra time for some of those stores to be able to, to stay open for shoppers.

Are people shopping?
MD: Yes, most stores are saying that people are shopping.

Australian luxury fashion brand The Daily Edit (TDE) specializes in monogrammable leather goods. Photography by Erica Freudenstein

Marlene Hall at Diptyque on Bleecker Street, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

So how has COVID-19 impacted Shop Bleecker this year? Did you think it was going to be possible to do it this year?

MD: Yes. So, The Chamber had been evaluating all of our programming since all of our big programming involves like in-person visits. We want it to stay as safe as possible and to abide by guidelines.

We wanted to see what sort of health precautions the stores were going to put in themselves so that if we were to partner with them, that we knew that customers were going to stay safe. And it seems like everybody has taking those safety precautions and they're communicating that to all their customers.

So, we felt that as long as we relate back, people need to continue to stay safe and abide by all the regulations that are being encouraged, that we can move forward with it.

Maria Diaz in front of clothing store Intermix, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

Tell me a little bit more about what made you select Bleecker street originally?

MD: We decided on Bleecker because it was definitely much more affected with the vacancies and we wanted to change the whole idea that Bleecker was bleak.

Over the years, we've continued to expand it. And that's why there's stores that are not on Bleecker that are participating. We have The Doughnut Project on Morton Street and hair salon, Vidov West on Charles Street.

There is also a new jewelry store at 92 Perry Street.

Kylie Tarin Nakao, Owner of Tarin Thomas, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

They're participating too. So, we're trying to always work with stores that are adjacent to Bleecker Street. Eventually, if the project continues, we might consider changing the name so that it's more reflective of the West Village.

What does the (GVCCC), do in general?

MD: The Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization and its mission is to help the businesses in our footprint. Our footprint is actually much bigger than our name suggests. We cover everything from Canal Street up to 34th Street. Over the past few years, we've been trying to create programming that is helpful for the businesses of the West Village and Chelsea creating programs like Shop Bleecker and the Chelsea Chew- a program we did for restaurants last year.

Maria DIaz on Bleecker Street, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

At the end of the day we want to see businesses survive and thrive providing networking and educational events. This year, we put together a database of COVID-19 related resources, like financial resources, where people could apply to either get loans or grants.

We do a lot of networking for our businesses. If a business owner joins, they can get connected to other business owners that are in our roster instead of having to do like a cold call and having that commonality breaks the ice a little bit so that people can get to know each other.

7FAM clothing store on Bleecker, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

So, our four tenets are to educate, to promote our neighborhoods, to provide networking and to provide advocacy. So that last piece basically means us talking to elected officials, getting information from our members to let people know that what the stories are behind our members. Letting them know if our members are getting affected negatively or positively by any policy. We want our elected officials to know.

Billy Reid clothing store on Charles Street, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

Would you say that Shop Bleecker has been helping the businesses on Bleecker?

MD: I'm going to say yes, because most of them continue to come back. That’s my indicator of it being successful if they continuously come back and want to be part of the program year after year.

I think that the loss of numbers and businesses (this year) isn't related to the program, I think it's related to COVID-19.

Do you think that once COVID-19 is under control, businesses will be able to prosper again?

IL BISONTI on Bleecker, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

MD: Yes. I think that the city is very resilient. I can't imagine New York City not being what New York City is. It’s the place that people come to realize their dreams.

I think that COVID-19 is going to make the businesses that are going to survive even stronger. And eventually we'll get to a point that we'll see more businesses coming back to the the city.

Shop Bleecker After Hours is this Saturday (November 21) from 6-7pm for more information go to the website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Neighborhood Joints Talk Restaurant Life During a Pandemic

October 31, 2020 by cybele policastro

BY BRIA SCHIRRIPA

Corner Bistro, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

These days in the West Village you’ll find closed off streets filled with elaborate seating areas. Strings of lights and plant arrangements outline outdoor dining spots on normally busy but some closed off to traffic, city streets.

Restaurants have come a long way since mid-March, when they were mandated to shorten their hours of operation. Days later they’d be given orders to shut down for table service but they were not made to close completely. This sudden change left business owners to have to shift to a takeout and delivery model only.

Bleecker Street Beat checked in with some of our neighborhood staples to find out about the challenges of running a New York City restaurant during a global pandemic and how the city’s dining spots may be transformed in the future.

Tavern On Jane, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

Michael Stewart, owner of Tavern on Jane, is celebrating 25 years in business this fall. In all those years the only time he’s fully shut down operations was a brief period during Hurricane Sandy when the restaurant lost power for a week. “Once our 10 p.m. close time was changed to 8 p.m. I knew we had one option, to go full delivery only”. The cozy West Village establishment known best for its neighborly ambiance closed its doors and suddenly appeared on sites like DoorDash and Seamless

Tavern On Jane outdoor dining, courtesy Tavern On Jane

With Summer came permission to reopen, allowing restaurants to host customers for the first time in four months, leaving many who have never offered outdoor dining to figure out how to make this new model work.

Outdoor dining at Baker & Co., photography by Sera Franklin

Markus Dorfmann, Managing Partner of Baker & Co, moved operations to their sister location, Barrio. Then in June Baker reopened with a reduced menu and to-go drinks. Today, Baker and Co. provides patrons with sidewalk and garden dining options.

They attribute part of their current success to their supportive neighbors, a skincare shop and a shoe store, who have allowed them to use their sidewalk space as a dining area. “Their landlord gave us permission to expand in front of their storefronts, creating room for more tables and chairs, it was very nice”.

Outdoor dining at Dame, courtesy of Dame

While restaurants have adapted quickly during this crisis the question now is how restaurants will continue to serve their customers as the weather turns cold.

At the end of summer, New York officials announced restaurants would be able to resume indoor dining at 25% capacity. Today many restaurants have embraced this change with care

“We are taking every precaution including social distancing of tables, masks, and temperature checks for customers who choose to sit indoors”, says Jacob Salas Manager and bartender of Corner Bistro. While the resumption of indoor dining is good news for business owners, they still face the challenge of varying comfort levels among patrons.

Jacob Salas at Corner Bistro, photography by Erica Freudenstein

Restaurants are adamant that they cannot survive on 25% indoor capacity alone and in September Governor Andrew Cuomo announced permission to keep outdoor dining year-round. Now heater lamps, insulated tents and other elaborate structures are sidewalk staples. Owners, managers, and staff members are embracing the ever-changing rules and regulations that have upended their day to day operations.

Tavern on Jane is now part of the online ordering world, uncharted territory for the restaurant inching towards its third decade. They’ve also increased their social media presence as a way to stay engaged with customers, connect with new clientele, and promote weekly specials (Wednesday meatloaf is a must).

Dame, a small English restaurant on MacDougal Street has segued into a fish and chips pop up - its menu, updated almost weekly, includes dishes inspired from around the globe and guest chefs every month.

It isn’t all challenging. Dorfmann says that spending more time outdoors has given him the opportunity to get to know fellow neighborhood restaurant owners. “Before it was just running across the street to borrow something, now it’s like we’re cheering each other on, we want one another to thrive in this new environment” he says of his Bleecker Street neighbors.

Tavern on Jane found ways to give back through a partnership with Frontline Foods - an organization dedicated to feeding workers and first responders on the frontlines of the pandemic.

MIchael Stewart (courtesy of Tavern On Jane)

Corner Bistro once a rough around the edges bohemian hangout whose patrons consisted of out of work actors and writers eager for late night burgers and fries, now offers customers breakfast. “Everyone is being a bit gentler these days”. Salas says a salad on our menu is a bit unheard of but “we’re doing it”.

Bleecker Slowly Coming Back to Life

July 09, 2020 by cybele policastro

BY BRIA SCHIRRIPA

Dana Glaeser, the founder of Slightly Alabama, a men’s leather goods and clothing store, photographed for Bleecker Street Beat by Erica Freudenstein

In mid-March all of the vibrant storefronts that make up Bleecker Street, closed their doors due to the COVID-19 outbreak. With Phase 1 & 2 rolled out and Phase 3 beginning July 6th, these West Village storefronts have begun to reopen, leaving business owners to consider the new normal and rethink the future of retail.

BSB had the opportunity to chat with a couple of the community’s key players about their plans to get back to work.

We spoke to Jon Levy, Brand Director at Leap Inc., a startup retail platform for direct to consumer brands. They have a cluster of stores on Bleecker, from Naadam - best known for affordable cashmere to Goodlife known for its versatile, high quality fabrics.

Naadam clothing at Bleecker street store, courtesy of Leap Inc.

Goodlife store exterior, courtesy of Leap Inc.

While stores could not physically host customers, they found other ways to give back to the shopper. Leap brands Public Rec and Ledbury created a line of lightweight masks while Nadaam offered discounts on their popular matching sets, with the hope that customers would feel comfortable and cozy during months of work from home.

“We’ve been lucky to retain part of our team to work on key areas while doors are closed; so that when we reopen, the transition will be smoother” said Levy.

“Our model is based off of small, intimate relationships with customers”

Other Bleecker Street businesses, like Slightly Alabama, a fine leather goods store founded in 2013, have passed the time patiently waiting to reopen doors as its business model is tailored specifically to the in-store client.

“Our model is based off of small, intimate relationships with customers” says Dana Glaeser, Slightly Alabama’s founder and owner, who is almost always found in the store.

Slightly Alabama was originally brought to the West Village through the real estate company Brookfield’s Love Bleecker project. Two years later the store, which doubles as a workshop, remains on the corner of West 10th & Bleecker. “We’ve built great relationships with locals, most of our clientele consists of repeat customers” Glaeser says, adding that on a given night in non-pandemic times you might walk by to see the shop packed with guests for an event. He emphasizes that they are not just considered loyal customers, but friends.

Dana Glaser, Slightly Alabama store on Bleecker Street, photographed for Bleecker Street Beat by Erica Freudenstein

While Leap brands and Slightly Alabama transformed themselves into e-commerce businesses overnight, it is clear that both Levy and Glaeser see high value to the in- person shopping experience. They believe their brands have the ability to provide a unique experience for customers noting that it’s been recognized, socially and culturally that consumers crave the in-store experience and Glaeser adds, “smaller brands are able to do it”.

“Every shopper is going to look at this situation in their own way, with their own set of rules and standards”

Goodlife, Bleecker Street Store Interior, courtesy of Leap Inc.

However, small business owners acknowledge that the future will look different. “Every shopper is going to look at this situation in their own way, with their own set of rules and standards. It’s important for us to be able to offer something for everyone” Jon says.

Leap has plans to roll out an appointment-based shopping experience and a curbside pickup option come mid-July. Slightly Alabama, which reopened June 23rd, is following every guideline and exercising caution to ensure customers safety.

Dana Glaser with dog, Sheffield, photographed for Bleecker Street Beat by Erica Freudenstein

So, is there a silver lining? This unprecedented situation has taught business owners to think more broadly and to use their platforms, not just to push product but rather to become more personal, reflective and display humanity; “it will be a lesson learned well beyond this time” according to Glaeser.

With the city beginning to come back to life, shop owners are eager to resume business. When asked about what they look forward to most about getting back to the West Village, they paint a hopeful picture - tree lined streets, high energy and familiar faces - they can’t wait to get back to Bleecker.

Aaron Dahan, Photography by Erica Freudenstein

Caffè Aronne Talks About Opening During the Pandemic

June 20, 2020 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO

I met Aaron Dahan this past January as he was just starting construction for Caffè Aronne located on Greenwich Avenue in the West Village. He explained how he had fallen in love with the vintage scooter called the Piaggio Apé on a trip to Italy. He shipped one back to New York and converted it into a mobile espresso bar under the name Caffè Aronne. He and his team also started selling their own beans and this led to the cafe. We recently caught up on Zoom.

The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.

BSB: When did you open?

It was March 8th. I think the West Village is one of the best-informed neighborhoods in the city, people are very aware of what is going on in their community, outside of their communities. We opened during a quiet week and I remember, it was March 16th, when I said, okay, we're going to close for the time being.

BSB: How did you adapt your business when you had to suddenly close? I noticed on social media, it seemed like you came up with some ways to serve the community.

AD: We initially started selling cold brew. We bottled different sizes for some of our customers, and same for our beans. And then, we said let's deliver some bottles of our cold brew to the hospital, right there on Seventh Avenue. We dropped off a hundred bottles and people loved it. People reached out saying, “Thank you, this really helped”.

Lenox Health, Greenwich Village, Photo Courtesy of Aaron Dahan

And I was talking to a friend of mine who said, maybe you should try to see how many bottles you can deliver, like set a challenge. So, we said, okay, let's see if we could deliver, two thousand bottles.

So, we donated about two thousand bottles and by the following week, we had so many people saying, can I help? What can I do? So, we said, let's open up, you know, these small eight-ounce bottles or nine-ounce bottles that we were usually selling for four dollars. We said, let's make them available to our customers at two dollars each. And they can sponsor people they care about.

We had people from California that had never even tried our coffee who said, I love what you're doing, here's fifty dollars, please send this to a hospital of your choice. And people would say, here is twenty dollars, please send these to my father who works at NYU Langone. Send this to my cousin who works at New York Presbyterian. And so far, we have delivered seven thousand bottles of cold brew.

BSB: Do you think this experience is going to affect your business going forward?

AD: I think it has affected us also a lot. I liked to think that we were an ethical, nice company, but today there's no doubt about it. Another project we're starting,which I'm really excited about is, we're going to be donating five percent of all of our sales to a different organization that we believe in every month. So, for instance, June, we were set on The Trevor Project We felt that was appropriate. Now, we're decided to divide it between The Trevor Project and the NAACP.

I'm looking forward to being able to do good and to make it extremely easy for our customers to do good.

BSB: So, then this period went by and then you finally were ready to reopen and then you had to shut down again due to the curfew. What's your mindset going forward?

AD: I mean, it was a little bit of a setback. Personally, I very much do support the protests. I think this is very, very important. I think we're just like really excited and really eager to get into it.

Caffè Aronne is open 8am -7pm Sunday - Friday and closed Saturday

112 Greenwich Avenue, New York, NY 10011

What's Open for Delivery in GREENWICH VILLAGE ... Updating

April 01, 2020 by cybele policastro

Starting this list as of 12 noon on April 1. Find a list of Greenwich Village businesses open— many with contact-free options. This is a rolling list. Incomplete. We will add as we confirm more places. If you have something to add, email us or add to comments section below.

This is a developing situation and subject to change. Always call ahead and also check the website or social media for updates.

Restaurants/Cafes

Baker & Co. (259 Bleecker) Delivery available through Cavier or Grubhub Link to Website

Bar Pitti (268 6th Avenue) Take Out starting on 4/8 Call Ahead 212-982-3300 Website

Black Stone Coffee Roasters (502 Hudson) Open. Call 212-989-6131

Bleecker Street Pizza (69 7th Ave South) Open for delivery via Cavier Website

Bluestone Lane (55 Greenwich Avenue) is open for order ahead pickup Click for link…

Brunetti Pizza (629 Hudson Street) Open no contact delivery or pickup. Wine specials, craft beer, and pizza 5p-9p Wed-Sun Website

Bus Stop Cafe Diner (597 Hudson Street) Open for Delivery & Pick Up via Delivery.com. Seamless, Grub Hub and Ubereats Website

The Doughnut Project (10 Morton Street) is open for pickup and delivery via Postmates Click for link

Extra Virgin (259 west 4th) Delivery or Take Out Mon-Thurs: 4p-10p, Fri-Sun: 12p-10p also via Grubhub, Seamless, Postmates, Delivery.com, Eat 24 Website

Faicco’s Italian Market (260 Bleecker) Currently open, and only letting a few people in the store at once. Delivery available through Uber Eats, Cavier, and Mercato Link to Website

Flip Sigi (525 Hudson) Curbside contactless pickup Link to Website

Il Mattone Pizza and Pasta (450 Hudson) Delivery via Grub Hub and Uber Eats or contact at 646-370-6875 Link

Joe’s Pizza (7 Carmine Street) Takeout or delivery. Website.

LelaBar (422 Hudson Street) Currently open from 12p-8p everyday for curbside pick up. They are serving to go happy hour kits along with wine by the glass or bottle Link to Website

Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleecker Street) Local pickup and delivery on Grubhub Link

Molé Mexican Restaurant (57 Jane Street) Open for delivery or pick-up 7 days a week between noon and 9p. You can also call in your orders (212) 206-7559 Link to Website

Oslo Coffee Roasters (236 West 10th Street) is open for order ahead pickup… Click for link

Piccolo Angolo (621 Hudson) is open for take out and local delivery, as well as on Grubhub, Postmates, Cavier, Seamless and Uber Eats Link to Website

Red Farm (All Locations) Open for delibery via Postmates, Cavier, and Uber Eats Website

Sant Ambroeus (Soho, West Village) Delivery and pick-up available and via Cavier and Postmates. Link

Taim (all locations) Open for contactless delivery, pickup and curbside pickup) Link to Website

Tavern on Jane (31 8th Avenue) open for take out Link to Website

The Butcher’s Daughter Plant Based Restaurant (all locations) Curbside pickup and Delivery via Postmates, GrubHub, DoorDash or Cavier. Link to Website.

Trattoria Pesce Pasta Italian restaurant (262 Bleecker) Open for free delivery and take-out Mon-Sun 12p-11p Link to Website

Uncle Chop Chop Southeast Asian (7 Cornelia Street) Call for takeout or order on Cavier or Seamless. Website

Westville (all locations) Take Out and No contact delivery. Delivering alcohol - wine, beer and cocktails as well as menu. Website.

Wolfnights the gourmet wrap (235 Bleecker) is open for pickup & free delivery, $10.00 off first delivery order. Also can order on Grubhub, Doordash and starting next week on Uber Eats. Click for link

Liquor/Wine Stores

Le Du’s Wines (600 Washington Street) Pick up and Delivery only. Call 212-924-6999 or email leduwines@leduwines.com Website

Sea Grape Wine Shop (512 Hudson Street) Call for local delivery. (212) 463-7688 Website

We Met Up with Whalebone on Bleecker, and then Coronavirus hit the city

March 28, 2020 by cybele policastro

BY BRIA SCHIRRIPA

Detail, Whalebone Interior Store, Photography by Avery Schuyler Nunn

In late January, Whalebone Magazine, a Montauk-born publication set up shop on the coveted corner of Bleecker and Christopher Streets in the heart of the West Village.

I had the pleasure of kicking back with Whalebone’s co-founder and self-described janitor, Eddie Berrang, at the magazine’s new Library On Bleecker.

Whalebone’s journey dates back about a decade, when founder Jesse Joeckel began making t-shirts and printing them out of an old ice house out East. Shortly thereafter Berrang and Joeckel ventured out to create what was to be a “simple, summertime print magazine”, they would call it Whalebone after Jesse’s grandfather’s dog.

The publication, initially intended for Montauk locals, went to print and the demand went beyond state lines and exceeded expectations. “We were starting to get e-mails and phone calls saying ‘Hey, I picked up your magazine in Montauk, where can I get a copy in the city?’”and ‘Where can I get a copy in Austin or Nashville or Chicago?’ at the end of that summer, we had a really bad idea and said let’s keep doing print magazines.”

“there’s not a lot to it besides romance, in terms of business model”

Berrang describes print as being an antiquated idea, particularly in the age of technology, “there’s not a lot to it besides romance, in terms of business model.”

Whalebone store, Photography by Avery Schuyler Nunn

Their first issue, centered around New York City, was a success. The positive response from readers and partners gave Berrang and Joeckel the confidence to push out more issues. “We said ‘okay, you know what?’ we’re going to publish a print issue all about New York City, who knows? Let’s see how it goes. A couple of people liked it, enough people to give us the drive to churn out more issues and we got the sense that we could do this a little bit more. From there, we started to get picked up with some some other partners which led us here.”

In an era when the world has gone digital, Eddie attributes Whalebone’s success to those who have an appreciation for process. “Just creating a magazine in the format that traditional print media was made you might as well throw your money out the window. The big differentiator is how the print was done”. Each issue is thematic, both in style and approach. “We have to communicate in a visually compelling way. Communication technology has changed how we consume media. So you have to make a publication that is up with how people are engaging with it [media]. The need comes from the fact that we spend a lot of time on our phones."

Aside from its print publication, weekly newsletter, and apparel, Whalebone’s latest endeavor is a bit different. The Library On Bleecker, a pop-up shop that opened earlier this year, is the first of its kind. The space, built upon a “what can we do for you” mantra, offers its visitors books from an independent store shipped in from Sag Harbor, drinks, a fireplace, old school movies — on this particular morning, talks of loading up the Karate Kid were buzzing — a pool table, and much more.

“The Library is designed to be transformative, a reflection of the print issue’s ever changing theme.”

Caddis, a modern eyewear company, is Whalebone’s most recent partner to set up shop in the Library. Berrang emphasizes that the vitality of the space is not dependent upon Whalebone alone, but rather upon the concept of community. With partners like Yeti, Allbirds, Montauk Brewing Company, and Shinola — each of which recognizes the “all ships rise with the rising tide”, mentality — Whalebone is confident that they’ve got the right companies beside them.

The Library is designed to be transformative, a reflection of the print issue’s ever changing theme. Where a pool table sits today, will be a small stage to host comedians for Whalebone's upcoming comedy issue.

Though West Village locals (a friendly neighbor delivers batches of homemade cookies to the Library every Saturday morning, an older couple comes in to shoot pool together) and tourists are responding well to the space, every so often a visitor comes in, unable to wrap their head around the concept, or is “delightfully disoriented” upon entering, in the words of Berrang. The space is one of a kind, so much that it’s caught the eye of an international audience, most of whom have found their way to the Library through Instagram. Just the week before our conversation, Whalebone did a collaboration with @AccidentallyWesAnderson — an Instagram account dedicated to featuring design and architecture that could easily fit into the background of a Wes Anderson film — that took over the Library for four days and as a result brought several thousand people through the doors.

Despite being headquartered in Tribeca, landing on the corner of Bleecker and Christopher was a happy accident and fortunately for the West Village, the Library has big plans and will be open until the end of 2020.

As the interview is winding down, a passerby knocks on the door asking if this was the same Whalebone out in Montauk, he had helped package their t-shirts many years ago. When BSB asks Berrang if this is an isolated occurrence, he quickly responds “no, it happens all the time”.

“In the weeks that following our chat with Eddie, the world has become more chaotic...”

In the weeks following our chat with Eddie, the world has become more chaotic as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads through New York. It’s no surprise that Whalebone has quickly come up with a way to do some good during this time of uncertainty. “There’s so many people helping and doing creative things to lift the spirits of the world”, says Berrang. Whalebone has begun distributing a daily, pop-up newsletter, “Afternoon Delight” (sign up here) with the purpose of keeping readers connected and smiling during this time of social distancing. “We feel honored that on a daily basis we’re able to help aggregate and share some of our own initiatives along with those of others through our newsletter that goes out each afternoon. We’re super fortunate to be able to partner with amazing brands like Montauk Brewing Co., HillCity, Shinola, Ansea, OTIS Eyewear, JUST Water, and Sir Kensington who all believe that supporting through positivity and adding delight into the world are making a difference. These brands simply ‘get it’ and for that we’re beyond thankful.”

North Fork restaurant exterior (Photo by Erica Freudenstein)

Cozy Neighborhood vibes at North Fork

July 30, 2019 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO AND LIZ KEENAN

Bleecker Street Beat was excited to see several restaurants joining Rita Sodi's excellent Italian restaurant I Sodi on the stretch of Christopher Street between Bleecker and Hudson.

Recent openings include the charming and rustic Fiaschetteria Pistoia where you’ll feel like you’ve walked into an authentic Tuscan restaurant. Red Paper Clip from Blue Hill alums, Kevin Chen and Tashi Gyamtso, which serves Himalayan and French-inspired entrees, and nestled on the corner of Bedford and Christopher - right across from the historic Lucille Lortel Theater- you’ll stumble upon North Fork, which serves American casual with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients.

North Fork’s new Executive Chef, Brian Jawahir, has refined the menu. It’s a bit less meat-centric than when it opened. Entrees include Sea Bass and Spinach Penne along with favorites like the North Fork burger and the Pastrami Crusted Long Island Duck.

We had a chance to chat with Brian. The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Brian Jawahir (Photo by Erica Freudenstein)

What is the inspiration behind North Fork?

We are using seasonal ingredients. Everything is fresh. We are using local farms in the New York, New Jersey region.

When you took over the kitchen, did you change the menu?

Yes. I really wanted to take it to a higher level. I do modern technique cooking as well as the classic French techniques. So, sous vide cooking, also, gastronomy, changing textures of food, making orange juice into caviars, doing stuff like taking a pea puree, making it transparent. Infusing flavors and things that shouldn't really have that flavor and also just like changing the overall form of things.

What was your background in cooking?

I started off as a pizza delivery driver and a dishwasher and one busy day the manager just kind of looked at me and he was like, hey, do you want to learn how to cook? And kind of started from there. And that was 11 years ago and then, the same guy got me a job in downtown Disney. It was high volume, two kitchens, and two floors. One day one of my friends, who was involved in a fine dining restaurant that was opening asked me if I would like to cook professionally. I ended up working with a French chef, John Stephan Bernard, who took me from being a high volume cook, just getting food out, to precision cooking, precision cutting, really intense French cooking, you know what I mean? He molded me into where I'm at now.

How have the locals been reacting so far?

Everybody's been loving it. Someone just told me they had the best French toast I've ever had. I had one lady actually called me out of the kitchen to tell me that it was the best burger she's ever eaten.

North Fork

122 Christopher, West Village, NY 10014 (917) 261-6598. Visit Website

Bookbook storefront on Bleecker Street (Photo by Erica Freudenstein)

bookbook Closing Store, Will Do Pop-Ups

May 16, 2019 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO

Beloved independent bookstore, bookbook (formerly known as Biography Books) has been located in the West Village for over thirty five years. First located at 400 Bleecker, it relocated to 266 Bleecker in 2010 after Marc Jacobs took over the space with Bookmarc.

bookbook with its wall to wall shelves of books with everything from kids books to rare first editions, was a gathering space for locals, visitors, writers and readers.

Interior of bookbook (Photo by Erica Freudenstein)

The owners Carolyn Epstein and Charles Mullin have decided to end their brick and mortar chapter and are planning to do pop-ups around the city, including the Abingdon Square Farmers Market. You can follow them on social media to find out where and sign up for the stores email list here.

bookbook’s last day will be May 19, 2019 (this coming Sunday). There will be a closing party 6:30pm-9:30pm at the store on May 23rd, complete with refreshments, as well as music from Gary Lucas beginning at 8:30pm.

Left Bank Book owners, Jess Kuronen, and Erik DuRon (Photo by Erica Freudenstein)

The Return of the Left Bank to the West Village

April 26, 2019 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO AND LIZ KEENAN

The original Left Bank Books was a quirky, good, used bookstore with a long history in the West Village until it closed in 2016. Two former employees, Erik DuRon and Jess Kuronen, regrouped as Left Bank 2.0, creating a website, building a mailing list, and working the book fair and trade show circuit. In March they have opened a new store at 41 Perry Street (between W. Fourth St. and Waverly Place).

BSB met up with Erik to discuss the latest iteration of the book store.

Who is Left Bank Books’ target audience? We sell largely 20th and 21st century literature and the fine arts; film, photography, music, fashion, design and performance, the the lively arts as well as good literature. Everything has a strong visual or graphic component. We want to appeal to creative professionals and people who work in the arts. The Greenwich village community is arts aware, literate and art centric.

We sell to gallery owners, film people, fashion designers, photographers, writers and artists that still live here a plenty. We sell books that are an inspiration and a resource for people in their work or in their practice. We want it to be kind of an active living resource for people so it's not just for collectors.

Inside the newly reopened Left Bank Books (Photo by Erica Freudenstein)

On your Instagram account, I noticed that you even allow people to bring their dogs in the store. Yes, we want to be open and accessible. I think stores not just book shops, but mom and pop retail shops are the soul of the neighborhood. They are the fabric of the community. It revitalizes street culture (and) it brings people together. I just think it's so important. The city has changed and The Village has changed and that's really been the greatest and most tragic loss; seeing the decimation of retail spaces in favor of big corporate anchor stores, banks and drug stores.

Book Case at Left Bank Books (Photo by Erica Freudenstein)

I read that your books sell for anywhere from $10 to $10,000 dollars, can you talk a little about that? We wanted to carry forward the DNA of the old Left Bank, which was a used bookshop. But because I don't believe that that model works or can work in this day and age we had to modify it. So, we do carry vintage paperbacks and reading copies of what we think are good books that retail for between 8- 15 dollars and that makes up about 15% of our inventory. On the other end of the spectrum we handle books in the $5,000 to $15,000 range. And that comprises about 15% of our inventory. We also have lots of books for $50 and $75, and we also have a lot of good books that are a between one hundred and six hundred dollars. So, anywhere and everywhere.

Exterior of the newly opened Left Bank Books (Photo by Erica Freudenstein)

What's the reaction been the reaction from the locals? Great. Everybody has been so welcoming and complimentary and thrilled to have us here. We want people to come in and tell their friends about us and spread the word, and buy books.

Are you planning on doing events? We would like to do events. We have been hosting open houses each Thursday night in April, to meet the neighbors, and it has been a lot of fun. We want to eventually do an exhibit, whether it's posters or flyers or letters or just a really solid collection of one type of thing such as an archive. Then we can devote our window and a couple of our cases and have an opening event and have it up for two or three weeks and have it also be available for sale either in its entirety or piecemeal depending on the circumstances.

Left Bank Books' current hours are Wednesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or Tuesday by appointment.

Record Stores and Cute Shops: West Village in the 1980s

January 30, 2019 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO

Ron Giacone has been taking photos off and on since the 1970s. In the early 1980s while spending time at his then girlfriend (future wife) Joanne’s apartment on Barrow Street he documented many of the storefronts and street scenes. Ron says, ”… on Sunday mornings, she’d put a pot of coffee on while I went to buy, the ‘Times’, at ‘Sheridan Square News Stand’ and pastry at ‘Lafayette’.”

Sheridan Square News Stand, Seventh Avenue

Topeo Collectible Store, Christopher Street

The Front Porch, Corner of West 11th Street & West 4th (Now Tartine)

Rebel Rebel Record Store, Bleecker Street

Christopher Street, Above the shops, just off Bleecker Street

To see more of Ron’s work, check out his Instagram gallery: @nycdigital

Bleecker Street is Alive and Kicking

December 12, 2018 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO

It has been awhile since my last post, and quite a few stores have opened on the west side of Bleecker Street. Naadam (392 Bleecker) sells responsibly sourced Mongolian cashmere, Buck Mason (300 Bleecker) is an American men’s clothing brand with a loyal following, Slightly Alabama (350 Bleecker) makes leather accessories, Lingua Franca (382 Bleecker) sells hand-stitched cashmere sweaters emblazoned with statements like, “I Miss Barack” and “Give A Damn”, and Prabal Gurung (367 Bleecker) is a Nepalese-American fashion label. Also in the mix is bedding and bath brand Hill House Home (395 Bleecker) and luxe home decor company, St Frank (373 Bleecker). Another, home decor brand, The Citizenry (379 Bleecker) has a pop-up (Open until December 22). And finally, bodega and florist, Fleurotica + Bonberi (384 Bleecker).

Some other highlights…

Jay Kos + Heirloom (400 Bleecker)

A collaboration between Jay Kos, who started out 25 years ago on the Upper East Side, and Heirloom sneakers. All the clothing is designed by Jay Kos and hand made in Italy and France and serving clients that range from CEO’s to the biggest hip hop and music moguls and entertainers as well as the aspirational shopper.

Heirloom sneakers all are designed by Scott Burr of the highest quality Italian leather. Jay says they chose Bleecker because “ …it has a strong sense of community, a lot of the shopping areas in NYC have turned into suburban malls . We look for areas that are rich in culture and individuality.”

Huckberry (382 Bleecker)

Huckberry, the online men's lifestyle and outdoor retailer, opened in November. The pop-up features many events and self-guided “NYC adventure itineraries” such as ‘West Village Drinking Tour with Jack Kerouac’ that starts just outside the store’s door (open until January 31).

Kilona Shop (378 Bleecker)

Kilona Shop features Indian hand craftsmanship with the intention to create conscious living products following the Vedic Texts and Ayurveda. The store features Ayurvedic Apparel dyed with turmeric, ginger and other medicinal herbs, pure copperware, pure silver and Rudraksha Mala Bead Jewelry amongst many things.

Sophia Helena, Kilona Retail Manager says, “Our favorite thing about Bleecker is our neighbors who have been so incredibly supportive and shown us a tremendous amount of love. … neighbors come into the store all the time telling us how happy they are to see our boutique open as it is the breath of fresh air”.

Quaker Marine Supply Co. + Tombolo (359 Bleecker)

Quaker Marine Supply Co. is a heritage nautical brand started in 1949 recently brought back to life. Icon Ernest Hemmingway was known to don one of their ‘Oysterman’ hats.

Tombolo is a unisex Hawaiian shirt brand with original artwork. Think a hipster version of Tommy Bahama! Chris Galasso, the general manager, says what made them select Bleecker was …”the charm, the sense of community, and the holiday shoppers!” (month of December)

goldno. 8 + Thursdays (332 Bleecker)

gold no. 8 sells handbags designed and made in the USA. Every style is customizable and empowers women to create bags that unique to their personal style. Thursdays, a family run independent retail business, is providing the cashmere.

Ariane Gold, the founder of the handbag company and a former designer for Ralph Lauren, told BSB… “I am thrilled to have our first brick and mortar store on Bleecker Street. The West Village is my favorite neighborhood in NYC, and Bleecker Street has always held a special place in my heart. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the revitalization that is taking place right now on Bleecker Street.” (open until January 31st).

Art Pops Up On Bleecker

July 27, 2018 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO

This week Bleecker Street Beat meets up with Zahra Jlayer, one of the Chashasa artists being hosted by Arts Brookfield at 350 Bleecker. She and artist Howard Gladstone will create and display new work during a month long residency.

BSB: Where are you from originally and what brought you to New York?

I am from Iran originally and I came to New York after my husband started his residency training in New York.

BSB: I understand that you in addition to being a visual artist, are a Physician Pathologist and former Medical Examiner. Can you tell me a little bit about your art background?

I grew up in an artistic environment. My dad was a self-taught artist and poet and he was my inspiration to fall in love with art. Before moving to the United States, painting in a traditional way, was my hobby but I hardly found time to spend on painting while I was in medical school.

Following my graduation from pathology residency here in New York I found more time to go back to my passion. Working with microscope and looking at the human body at cellular level became my inspiration for the world of “abstract art”. After my dad passed away, going back to the canvas and paint made me feel closer to him. First I used pour painting as a way of self expression by translating my emotions to the colors and print them on canvas. Then I noticed strong emotional responses in the viewers.

That was the time I started to search the cause of this strong emotional responses and I found my answer in Dr. Eric Kandel’s book "Reductionism in Art and Brain Science. Color has an extraordinary ability to elicit strong emotional responses whether used alone or in combination of lines and forms.

BSB: Can you describe how the pop-up gallery located at 350 Bleecker came about?

Arts Brookfield hosts Chashama at 350 Bleecker Street, and I had the pleasure of working with Chashama organization and performing live pour painting at their Chashama gala. I also have been a participant in their space to create and present program.

BSB: Can you tell us a little bit about the focus of the exhibition?

The focus of exhibition is interactive art. I am doing paint pouring during the day and people who passing by show a lot of interest to the paint pouring. Howard Gladstone, who I am sharing the space with, will be sketching visitors and chatting with them and at the end asking them to write something about the conversation on their portraits.

BSB: What kind of response have you had so far from the local community as well as tourists walking in?

People's responses are so encouraging both from the community as well as tourists. Neighbors are so excited about the pop-up exhibit and talk about it to other neighbors and bring other family members to visit. Tourists come in taking the cards and they leave their email address for us to notify them about our next show. We have gotten a lot of positive feedback so far.

This pop-up gallery located at 350 Bleecker on the corner of West 10th Street is open until Aug 7th, 2018.

Artists Reception: Saturday July 28 th, 2-5 PM.

Closing reception: Sunday Aug 5th 2-5 PM.

About Zahra Jlayer
Zahra Jlayer is a physician pathologist currently residing in New York. Zahra grew up in an artistic environment: her dad was a self-taught artist and poet, and inspired by him, Zahra fell in love with painting.

For further information about Zahra, please visit her website: http://www.zahrajlayer.com/

About Howard Gladstone

Howard Gladstone is known for creating innovative programs that enable artists and cultural institutions to work together. He convened two conferences and co-founded a coalition in Chicago, to link independent producers with Public Television and emerging technologies, and empower its more than 500 members to voice commentary on issues that are often overlooked by mainstream media.

In New York City, he founded and directed the Portrait Project, to bring together accomplished painters and sculptors to portray one another and provide opportunities to collectively exhibit their work.

For further information about Howard, please visit his website: http://www.howardgladstone.net

What kind of retail would you like to see on Bleecker Street?

April 24, 2018 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO

This week Bleecker Street Beat spends some time with Irem Cansu Yildiz, Architect and MA Candidate in Design Studies at Parsons. Irem is working on her thesis, The Vacant Store Initiative. First check out this video we did which will show Irem out in the field, followed by an interview.

Where are you from originally and what brought you to New York?

I am from Istanbul, Turkey. I moved to New York in August 2016 to pursue my master’s in Parsons the New School for Design.

Can you tell me a little bit about your background and what led you to do this project?

I have experiences in various lands of design – architecture, hospitality design, event design and management, design research and strategy, and retail design. I am very intrigued by exploring the alternative ways of practicing our everyday life through rethinking conventional means of spaces, systems, and services. The roots of my thesis go back to the work that I was doing with a young urban culture brand, NOW. With the purpose of contributing to the urban culture, NOW. designs event series in different urban settings by tweaking the usual programs of those spaces such as brunch parties in a different coffee shop every Sunday or warm up to the night at a different local liquor store every Friday. So, I've been practicing how to apply different tactics that tackle the relationship dynamics of culture and program through spaces to create better experiences – for a while now.

Can you describe what your Vacancy Initiative is about?

The Vacant Store Initiative is a program proposal that is a part of my thesis work. The Initiative mainly activates vacant retail stores by creating hybrid uses in one space through matching up different businesses. It focuses on the stretch of Bank and Carmine Streets on Bleecker. The purposes are vitalizing street life, supporting current businesses and encouraging new small businesses. One of the main responsibilities of the Initiative is to understand and analyze the needs of the neighborhood. To make it happen, the Initiative facilitates the conversation between stakeholders. It builds up a ratio that assures the needs of the neighborhood and then creates room for ancillary uses. Besides the proposal of the Initiative, my thesis suggests some policy changes. By quoting from my thesis, “I see the Vacant Store Initiative as not an end product, but a generative process that constantly seeks a balance between theory and practice, consumption and production, local and global, yesterday and tomorrow – and urban and village, by constructing a solid approach on how to apply tactics and strategies to reframe and transform everyday life practices and experiences through space.”

How did you get started on this project?

Right after the initial research on vacancy problem in NYC, I decided that it was a great case study for me to explore what I’ve been interested in. I can say that it was a long process until I “ended up” – as my thesis work, with the proposal of the Vacant Store Initiative. Along the process, I did a lot of research including historical readings, stakeholder mapping and analysis, many interviews, theoretical analysis, market research, street interviews, etc,..

Who are the main stakeholders on Bleecker Street (who will determine what happens there?)

Landlords, businesses, and residents are the most salient ones. But - the power of real estate and retail industries cannot deniable. The life of the street is highly affected by the fluctuations and trends specifically in those industries. The city government is one of the stakeholders with the power of creating and applying policies. Community organizations with their power of bringing the community together and bringing attention to specific subject matters. Also, I think it is important to point out the fact that even though it seems like a local project, it is a part of a bigger picture. The needs and habits of people are changing because of the way that technology's a growing part in our lives. The change is inevitable as it is drastically fast - and Bleecker Street is a great case study to see the complexity of the issue.

Once you collect your data, what’s the next step?

I will share the project with different stakeholders who contributed to the process. I would love to continue working on it to not only to make it real but also to trigger an exciting conversation!

When will we be able to see the results of your study?

The project will be exhibited at Parsons the New School for Design between May 7th and 17th on 66 Fifth Avenue. To look at the details of the project and follow the process, you should check my website! And please don’t hesitate to contact!

It's Still Sunni On Bleecker

April 13, 2018 by cybele policastro

This week Bleecker Street Beat meets up with Sunni Spencer. Her “Après Sea store (371 Bleecker) is for people who want to live the beach lifestyle every day. Sunni just celebrated her first year on Bleecker Street. The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO

Where are you from and what brought you to New York?

I am from Tampa, Florida. I moved here in 1997 because I wanted to pursue my dreams. I wanted to be one of three things, an actress, a singer or in the fashion industry.

So how did you find the space on Bleecker Street?

Well, it's actually a really cool story because I had a dream where I saw Intermix; I saw another brand and then an empty space. And I was like, what the heck does that mean. My husband, Andrew and I had been all over the city looking for pop-up spaces. I was looking at Meatpacking, I was looking Upper East Side and just everything was blocked.

And so we get invited to an event in the West Village and we're in a cab and Andrew's like, let's get out. There are all these empty spaces on Bleecker Street, so we get out of the cab and it was Intermix, Burberry and a blank space. And I was like, this is the dream. It's like I'm supposed to be here. And I basically borrowed money from my 401k to make it happen. I thought it was just going to be a month.

What was the evolution of Sunni Spencer?

I started working at Bergdorf Goodman. I was supposed to be a specialist for a brand and the day I started they told me that fell through but we're going to have you be a floating salesperson on the couture floor for fourteen dollars an hour!

I moved here thinking I had this high-roller job and I was kind of flipping out but I started selling and a few months later I went to the store manager and was like can you give me an opportunity in management? And she created an assistant manager position for me. I think I got four promotions. I was running the couture floor by the time I was 25. I got to meet some of the most fabulous people in the world. It was really interesting.

So I learned to navigate, like was a good manager, was I a good salesperson? When I saw gaps in the merchandise, it would be painful for me to see. And so I went to my boss who was the general manager of the store and I was like, I want to be a buyer. They created a unique role for me. I taught myself, through the resources around me how to be a buyer.

And then eventually a fashion trade show company scooped me up. I did that for five years and got to travel to Paris, Berlin, Milan, and I had to search for these cool brands to sell to the shows. And so I got to see a lot of product.

I grew their business a lot and I thought outside of the box and created a special show within a show. I had this vision for every season it would change to be a different destination. So the first destination was vintage Hawaii.

So I curated these lounges and hired my friend who has a floral design and event company in LA and they brought in these huge 10 foot Areca palms and white curtains, beautiful Hawaiian décor and I curated like the top 25 brands that I could find to make it interesting for retailers. And, people loved it.

My inspiration was the Viceroy and Anguilla because I love Kelly Wearstler and her design aesthetic, so we use that as inspiration to create the look and feel of the show and that is where I got the real inspiration to open a store that had the combination of home accessories and ready to wear all in one place. The beach lifestyle vibe was kind of born that way.

So where was your first store?

I knew I needed to be in a beach destination. So I opened up the Hamptons in June 2016. It was going to be a three-month pop up. Everyone asked me to stay. I had no store permanent store until Bleecker Street.

There have been a lot of store closings, not just on Bleecker Street, where did you get the gumption to take a risk and open a store?

Well, I actually heard from God to do it. Everyone told me not to open the store. They're like; you're going to open a store, why would you do that? And I'll tell you why I did it - I see the gaps, I see the lack of interesting stores, all the stores that I went into when I was traveling for my career all had the same brands and the little guys don't have a chance. I really don't carry big box brands for the most part because I want people to discover something new.

I love the beach. I love the sunshine and it's a real pain that we have to suffer through at least six months of horrible weather. So I wanted to create this oasis in the middle of a dark, cold city and to create a space for people to come and feel like they're on a staycation.

Do you produce your own products?

The only thing that I have that's my label is kaftans and I just started the design process to come out with my own line. So work in progress. The goal is to have Sunni Spencer products across all categories. I've been working on developing a candle.

What is the most rewarding aspect of running your business?

Freedom. I was in corporate for 18 years and it was just the political drama that I had to go through to be in a leadership position. This whole Time's Up is a real thing. The thing is freedom doesn't mean working less. I actually work a lot more from a time standpoint, but it doesn't feel like work. I always wanted to be able to say thank God it's Monday.

Sunni Spencer seems to be part of a wave on non-corporate stores that seem to be opening up on Bleecker Street

I think that's going to be the next trend. The mom and pop shop model, Marc Jacobs drove out all those people. I have a book full of quotes from people who come into my store; they don't want to shop at Kate Spade. So there's a reason why that didn't last.

So speaking more about Bleecker Street, what would you like to see open around you to make it feel more vibrant or more like the kind of place that you'd like to see?

Restaurants. More restaurants, but also cool stores like Saturdays, that have a cult following. We need stores that have a really good social media presence because that is what's going to drive the traffic to the street. The type of clientele that comes to my store, they are looking for something unique and different. We don't need copycats. We need people that came up with something, that are really different.

I feel that there is major potential for Bleecker Street. I decided to stay on Bleecker because I believe in the street. I believe in the response that I was getting. So I really believe that it will bounce back.

After over 24 years, Your Neighborhood Office bids farewell to Bleecker Street

March 23, 2018 by cybele policastro

BY CYBELE POLICASTRO

Last Friday, Bleecker Street Beat sat down with Helen Ann Lally, owner of Your Neighborhood Office (YNO). Lally’s store, which has provided copy-office services on Bleecker Street for 24 years, is closing on March 24th. Bleecker Street Beat was curious to ask why she is closing now, how she started to begin with and her take on the changing landscape in the West Village. Here’s what she said…

BSB: Why did you decide to close YNO?

Well, what happened is I should have really gotten out three years ago, but I loved it so much that I came in, but last year I took a beating. My business was down 100 thousand dollars and it left me no choice but to close. And already this year I'm down twenty percent. It's like somebody turned a switch. I figured December would pull me out of it and it didn't, it actually was the worst December we've ever had. So then it was time to be more realistic.

I'm not somebody that says, oh, what's happening to the Village, it's what's happening in the world. Everything is changing and this is part of that change, you know, the young people that work for me don't know stores with people in them, they only know them empty. So I try to go to that timeline to think and feel sometimes. You know there's always somebody with a dream and a buck to come in, but it's not as much as used to be.

The landlords are working with the tenants. People don't think they are but they are. They don't want the storefronts empty, they understand what's going on, but the city and the landlords are 10 years late, they needed to do this 10 years ago.

And you know I order everything online. It's no different than everybody else.

BSB: Do you think a big part of it is the disruption that is happening with Amazon?

I was a very successful shipping business. I now take free packages all day long. The foot traffic deceased. I would say a quarter of the apartments in my vicinity are empty because the people don't live in this country, there are a lot of reasons.

Bleecker Street became more of a corporate block, whereas before there were little shops that people would stop that on the way to school or work and those shops have gone out, you know, was 20 years ago that. Marc Jacobs stepped in. So that's two, 10-year leases that have turned over in that time, and for me it hit with Marc.

People used to give away things. They shipped clothes or old computers. People throw things out now or they are more thrift shops and they drop it off for the tax deduction. So there's not one thing, but there are enough things that ate away at it for the first time in 24 years. The copy counts. The facts from the notary numbers were down and they increased every year for 24 years.

BSB: How were you doing with mailbox rentals?

I had four hundred and twenty, and they were always rented, five years ago They started to slip off. I have added so many services in the last 10 years to keep my bottom line going up and I have, the number stays the same, except for last year.

BSB: How did you end up opening YNO on Bleecker?

I worked for an Ogilvy & Mather subsidiary for 13 years. I started as a typist and I ended up as the Director of Administration. We had a good run and then a very large company came in and bought us out. I'm a high school graduate school and I went to look for a job nobody would hire me because I didn't have college and they didn't know how to pay me. So I went and I applied to Mailboxes, Etc. and I went into a training course and after the first week realized I knew more than them. My boss called me up and said, Helen Ann, you're not going to believe but I have a client that owns a Mailbox business on Hudson Street. And that was on August 1st and I opened YNO on September 15th, 1993 and it was only mailboxes. There wasn't anything else. I worked seven days a week for five years.

BSB: I have read that Amy Sedaris was one of your clients?

We would do everything for Amy. We would watch her rabbit. She became my friend.

I had a couple big time celebrities, and it's not the celebrities, it's their assistants would find us and I'd have to buy a piano by 3:00p and have it in a public school. I got a call the day before and said; I'm told you can do anything. I said, that's a pretty tall order. Tell me what your story is. well, I'm dying and I'd like to have my estate cleared up because my family's crazy and I want to know that somebody has everything in place. And that was a three month period and, and we became friends so it was really interesting to be in someone's life for that.

BSB: Do you still see a lot of characters in the Village?

Who is left is anybody who can afford it needs to have a rent controlled apartment and they usually people in their sixties or older at this point. They really can't afford to live here, but there's still a breath of the old air. I think it's losing its personality but anything I'm saying I think is New York City, not just Greenwich Village. I'm not limiting it to down here. It's everywhere and a lot about personality is just because people don't talk anymore and it's just the way it is.

BSB: How do you feel about the blog, Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, take on what is happening with retail in the city?

So funny, I thought, oh my god, I am finally going to make it to Jeremiah's list. I think that things always change, the average life of a retail business is eight years and I don't think most people realize that.

BSB: What accounted for your longevity?

I had a place to go. I told people what to do and they gave me money. I went back every day. I did. I loved it. I loved my little business. I'm very sad. I'm going to cry. I have to go home every day at 1pm because I'm so overwhelmed.

I've had people come in and offer me affordable space in the Village. I've had people come in, I've had venture capitalists. I have had many offers. The business is gone, the business is gone. I wouldn't be leaving.

BSB: We will all really miss you. Thank you.

Helen Ann will be splitting her time between her hometown, Rockaway Beach, NY, Palm Beach, Florida and Provincetown, MA.