La Lunchonette Revisited

In 2015, the Chelsea restaurant La Lunchonette was forced to close, thanks to the High Line Effect. It had been in business there, and beloved, for 26 years.



The building was slated to be demolished, along with a former horse stable built in the 1880s, for a tax-supported, 10-story luxury condo made of wood, from SHoP, architects of the Barclays Center. Then the restaurant's former space showed up for rent.

Earlier this year, the developer scrapped plans for the luxury tower, blaming a downturn in the luxury condo market. “The project just wasn’t feasible,” he told The Real Deal.

And now?



A deli called Chelsea Square Market has opened in La Lunchonette's former space.

So the buildings get to live another day and the space isn't sitting empty, contributing to high-rent blight. It didn't turn into a chain store, either. But if I had to guess, I'd say the market's lease is likely short, that it's a temporary place-holder until the developers figure out what to do with their parcel.

And doesn't it seem a waste? All this time, La Lunchonette could have remained in business.

La Taza to Ikinari

Here's what the gorgeous old La Taza de Oro is becoming:



La Taza de Oro closed in 2015 after 68 years on Chelsea's 8th Avenue. The reasons were complex, including money struggles, Con Ed, and Google.

Now it's going to be an Ikinari Steak. It's a rapidly growing chain restaurant. There's another one on E. 10th Street. And another one opening on Bleecker. And another one...

14th and 8th

Back in 2009, I had a nightmare that WalMart would be replacing the Korean deli on 14th Street and 8th Avenue.


2009

I don't know about WalMart, but it looks like the whole corner is coming down--the deli building and the building next to it. (Thanks to Shade for the tip.)

Everything's closed and shuttered up, marked with big X's.



Back when I worked nearby, I went to this deli all the time for lunch. Someone on Yelp recently wrote:

"After 25 years in business this place closes the door today, 9/2/17. I'm feeling nostalgic because I've been going here off and on since I moved to the neighborhood in 1995."



I always liked this corner. I liked seeing that it was still standing and in business. It was a holdout, low-rise and scruffy, the brown bricks flaked with old paint. It held a candy store/smoke shop and a liquor store. Basic stuff.

The bright yellow DISCOUNT LIQUORS neon sign is something to behold. Enjoy it while it lasts.



So what's coming? In 2015, New York Yimby reported that a permit application was submitted for a 12-story office tower here. The architect was listed as Gene Kaufman.

The site 42 floors listed the new building in June as 10 floors and included this sliver of a rendering for the address:

Hong Kong Tailor Jack

VANISHING

Christian writes in to let us know about the end of Hong Kong Tailor Jack in Greenwich Village.


photo via Hong Kong Tailor Jack's Facebook page

He writes: "There's a note on the front door of Hong Kong Tailor Jack saying that they aren't going to renew their lease and will be closing next month. This place is kind of an institution in the West Village. Jack unexpectedly passed away from cancer last year. His niece and nephew were trying to keep it open in conjunction with the longtime staff. It looks like they've decided to move on."

The note reads, "Our lease is expiring and we will close for good."


photo by Christian

Jack Ko was named Best Tailor in the city by New York magazine in 2007. He opened shop in the 1980s and was well-respected by his many fashionable customers, including Tommy Fazio, men’s fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman, who told New York, “Jack Ko is a master with a suit. He can make anything you want perfectly.”

The shop's last day will be October 21.


photo via Hong Kong Tailor Jack's Facebook page

Cup & Saucer Stripped

This summer we saw the tragic end of the Cup & Saucer, thanks to a non-negotiable rent hike.



It didn't take long for the beautiful old signage to get stripped.



And replaced by a bunch of shitty For Rent banners.

Native Leather

VANISHING

On Bleecker Street since 1968, Native Leather is closing.


photos courtesy of Carol Walsh

Owner Carol Walsh writes in:

"Native Leather, formerly Natural Leather, has been a constant on Bleecker Street for 49 years. I was heartbroken when the landlord told me that he would not be offering me a new lease. The last lease expired 2 years ago and since then he has been trying to find a tenant who will pay double what my rent was."

The shop was originally started by sandal-maker Dick Whalen in a basement on MacDougal Street in 1962. (For more history on the shop, see Mitch Broder's account.) Since then, it's been a favorite of locals and tourists.

Carol notes, "A day doesn’t go by that I don’t hear from someone 'I’m so glad you’re still here,' or 'I was so worried walking over here that you would be gone.' It wasn’t because they needed me to make them a belt or sandals, or they needed a new hat. It was the comfort of knowing that this little plot of Greenwich Village was impervious to the 'progress' that has afflicted so much of New York and notably the Village. I have customers who started out window shopping on their way home from elementary school across the street at the Little Red Schoolhouse."



The high-rent blight that afflicts western Bleecker Street is creeping east. More and more, we see For Rent signs in the windows of shops shuttered by impossible rents and denied lease renewals. They are unprotected by the city. The Small Business Jobs Survival Act would have helped.

Carol says, "The 'Commercial Space for Rent' sign has yet to appear in the window. I expect it any day. 203 Bleecker is destined to join the many empty storefronts which populate Greenwich Village and beyond. The future is still uncertain, but I know that I will need help if this business is to survive to start a new legacy somewhere else in Greenwich Village."

Reme Restaurant

VANISHED

Reader Keith Taillon writes in about the recent loss of yet another affordable coffee shop:

"A beloved neighborhood diner in Washington Heights abruptly closed recently, and I don't know why. I visited one week, and walking past a week later, found the space emptied with auction fliers taped to the windows. It remains empty."


photos by Keith Taillon

"The diner was called Reme, and it sat at the northwest corner of 169th and Broadway. It was a classic NYC diner, open for at least 40-50 years, attracting old timers, hospital workers, students, and newcomers (like myself) drawn to the area by low rents and a sense of 'home' you can't find elsewhere in the city anymore. Part of what made Washington Heights home for me was being able to go to Reme, where I knew all of the employees by face if not by name, and where I knew I could get a good hot meal for just a few bucks."



Keith shares a few anecdotes:

"- It was cash-only, and very affordable.
- It attracted a great mix from the neighborhood. Lonely old Dominican men & women sitting alone at the bar, loud multi-generational families spilling across tables in the middle of the room, and doctors & students from NY Presbyterian Hospital all could be found there on a daily basis.
- Sheila was my favorite waitress. She was a short, gruff, and sassy Trinidadian woman who lived in Queens and commuted in almost daily. She was even there during blizzards and immediately after Hurricane Sandy, though god knows how she made it in. She was always ready with her order pad and a 'whattayahavin?' I'll miss her.
- There was an ancient TV above the kitchen prep alcove that was usually tuned to the news or a soap opera, sometimes kids' shows. Next to that was a shelf covered with a menagerie of action figures. I don't know why.
- The breakfast menu, which was used before 11AM, had a long history of the restaurant printed on the back. The details I remember are that it was originally called 'Remel Restaurant' when it opened in the 40s, but that the L fell off at some point. When it was bought by a new owner, he liked the metal lettering, even without the L and decided to just call the place Reme from then on."



He concludes:

"I can't help but think a lot of people in the neighborhood are missing Reme, but Washington Heights lacks the preservationist infrastructure to discuss what's happening or to properly mourn our losses as they pick up speed. Whatever replaces Reme will have to work hard to pry any dollars from my wallet. This is a bitter loss for me."