Chelsea Mobil

The Chelsea Mobil gas station, marked for destruction back in 2008 and finally shuttered at the end of 2011, has recently been wrapped in fencing and is now being demolished.



Real Estate Equities bought the spot beneath the High Line and plans to turn it into 17,000 square feet of luxury retail. "This is going to complete the street here," said the seller to The Real Deal. "This will have a huge impact on the neighborhood.



Under the High Line, sparks fly as demolition workers tear apart the snack shop and car wash. Gasoline Alley loses ground as the High Line opens up yet another spot for high-end shoppers.



Previously:
Chelsea Mobil: Alive
Chelsea Mobil: Dead

Marc Jacobs Attacked

The Marc Jacobs store on Mercer Street has apparently been attacked by a pink paint-wielding vandal. A tipster sends in these photos:



"ART" it says, the paint splashed onto the sidewalk and neighboring buildings. It's unclear what the graffitist is trying to communicate here.



The tipster asked the three Russian guys who are cleaning it up, "Is this an art show or marketing or vandalism?"

"Oh yes," said one worker, "it's an art show. No, I'm kidding. Someone make a joke."



In the annals of anti-chain store insurrection, can we add this incident to the recent Starbucks egg toss and the 7-11 window smash?

Nusraty Moves Again

In 2008, after 30 years in its location on Bleecker Street, Nusraty Afghan Imports was ousted by a skyrocketing rent that shot to $45,000 a month. A Brooks Brothers store moved in, adding to the lightning-fast luxury mallification of western Bleecker, and Mr. Nusraty moved his store to West 10th Street.

Now Nusraty is moving again.



Abdul Nusraty wrote in: "We're relocating our store one block away from our original Bleecker St. and West 10th location. New store will be located between Christopher St. and 6th Ave., only a few steps from Bleecker. We're having a 50% MOVING SALE beginning Saturday May 5th at our current store location on West 10th St. Sale ends May 13th. 85 Christopher St. ...... COMING SOON!"



A reader sent in these pictures and chatted with Mr. Nusraty: "Next to him, the pet supply store went out of business last week [that was Pet Palace], but does not appear to be the same landlord. He also mentioned that the sushi place around the corner on Greenwich had suddenly closed. He talked about some strange goings on with the landlord."

At the end of this little block, Village Paper is about to become a trendy restaurant with a roof farm.


Previously:
Nusraty Afghan Imports
Nusraty Reopens

*Everyday Chatter

The Pink Tea Cup has been a nomad since its closure in 2010--and now it's moving to 6th Avenue near 14th Street, with a comical new look:


Another record store departs the East Village as Norman's Sound and Vision heads to Williamsburg. [FP]

A high-rise tower is coming to little Jam's old spot on 14th and 3rd. [EVG]

A guide to the city's oldest pizzerias. [Eater]

East 4th to get a new hotel tower. [Curbed]

...because we really need more friggin' hotels. [TC]

Amtrak's ticket punchers to be replaced by iPhones. Another death for solid objects. [Gothamist]

Help preserve the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Grotto in Rosebank, Staten Island. [CIAI]

Rich New York ladies are going bonkers at the gym. [Racked]

Blaustein Hardware

Remarkably, the recently shuttered World of Video, on Greenwich Avenue is not going to become a 7-11 or a Marc Jacobs boutique. It's going to be the new home of Blaustein Hardware.

"We're moving...to a bigger and better location," says the Blaustein site. Blaustein has been in business in Greenwich Village since 1936.


photo from Jenni

And in case you thought your Netflix subscription was the culprit behind World of Video's closure, the manager wrote in to The Villager to make it clear what it was that shut them down:

To The Editor:
Re “Streaming killed the video star” (“Scoopy’s Notebook,” March 22):

Just to clarify, while streaming videos were a drain on business at the World of Video, the main problem was someone bought our lease. We do have a dedicated group of customers, and if there was a possibility of us moving somewhere with affordable rent, we would do so, and our customers would follow us.

Sean Gallagher
manager, World of Video

Sun Shine Cafe

Reader Andrew writes in:

"Not sure if you noticed or have heard anything from around the neighborhood/blogosphere about the Sun Shine Cafe (the Chinese bakery) at 201 Allen street? It's been closed for a few weeks now and last time I passed by most of the interior has been cleared out, the glass door had been removed (the roll down gate was still down) and the word 'shine' had been removed from the awning.

It was nice not having to schlep all the way to Chinatown just to get a couple roast pork bun for a cheap lunch, I'm hoping they're just renovating or rebranding and will reopen soon."


photo: Robert Chin

I gave Sun Shine a call, but there number has been disconnected. Has anybody heard what might be happening here?


Yelp

*Everyday Chatter

Alert robbers: The High Line is easy pickins. People "leave their briefcases, their phones, their iPads, and in some cases people have walked away from their baby carriages, with the babies in there!" [NYM]

And Hell's Kitchen is a pickpocket's dream come true--people don't bother zipping their backpacks. [DNA]

The faces of May Day. [NYM]

The Times follows up on the passing of Fred Hakim, Mr. Grand Luncheonette. [NYT]

Check out the latest Walker in the City--a search for rubber gaskets. [WIC]

Taking a dip into the Municipal Archives shots of the Lower East Side. [EVG]

A look at the Chelsea Hotel's signage. [NYN]

Vote for the Coney Island B&B Carousell to win funding. [CIH]