MEATPACKING DISTRICT—This sounds kind of amazing: This fall, the auction house Phillips de Pury & Company will hold the country's first-ever hip-hop jewelry auction.According to Flypaper, the blog for online retailer Bluefly, "'Hip Hop's Crown Jewels' will include in the sale iconic pieces like Biz Markie's black and white diamond headphones pendant, MC Lyte's Nefertiti ring and necklace (from her 'ChaCha' video), Slick Rick's multicolor diamond-set eye patch, and Notorious BIG's first prized possession, his yellow gold and stainless steel Rolex." The event takes place October 1 at 450 West 15th Street. [Flypaper]
UNION SQUARE—The Gristedes on 14th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue has shuttered, but only temporarily, according to a spokesman for the company. The space isn't large enough to really count as a supermarket, but it's too small to be a "7/11-type operation," he explained; also, "the area is tricky." (We take that to mean Whole Foods put a dent in the local market, but we could be wrong.) Until the company chooses from one of several remodeling plans, the store will remain closed, but ultimately it will indeed re-open as some kind of food-vending operation. [RackedWire]
It's an odd season to be on Project Runway. After four years of steadily increasing popularity, the show announced that it will move from Bravo to Lifetime and from New York to L.A. Designers will presumably stop bragging about having worked for Vivienne Westwood and start bragging about having worked for Heidiwood; Tim Gunn will become Chief Creative Officer of Lindsay Lohan's leggings line; and eventually the whole franchise will flame out like a California wildfire. Before this sad fate can come to pass, though, Project Runway will spend one more cycle in New York. It's the end of an era, and we're here to help you get through it, providing both weekly emotional support and a handy user's guide (below).
This week's challenge: Contestants had to make a garment out of whatever they could buy at Gristedes for $75, which is exactly what they had to do in the first episode of the first season. The Washington Postreview of the show suggested that the producers had given in to nostalgia, and we're feeling the same way. Who knew you could get choked up about Gristedes?
First attempted catchphrase: Teeny orange Blayne, who seems desperate to position himself as the spray-tanned Christian Siriano, responds to Tim Gunn's sage advice with a hilariously deadpan "Holler at your boy." Later, we see him repeat the phrase to himself forlornly.
Second attempted catchphrase: Blayne also keeps saying "Girlicious." He even writes it on his model's thigh, leading us to wonder if he's getting paid by the Pussycat Dolls.
Gristedes stores are usually felled due to some combination of neglect and rent increases, but the chain's Brooklyn Heights outpost was shuttered for another reason altogether: fire. Above, a photo of the rubble-filled interior of the supermarket snapped today by McBrooklyn. According to sources, the blaze was probably started by some sort of malfunctioning rotisserie; chicken fat proved to be excellent tinder, as the photo evidences. The store won't be fully up-and-running until July at earliest, but they have reopened the pharmacy so community members can still pick up those prescriptions.
· Inside the Brooklyn Heights Gristedes [McBrooklyn]
SOHO—What store, whose name starts with a "B," is opening at 91 Broome Street? Your guess is as The Shophound's, who spotted the mysterious signage (pictured at right) there today. [The Shophound]
UPPER EAST SIDE—Pour a little OE out for the Gristedes store on 72nd Street and First Ave. A tipster: "Just an FYI, my fiancée walked into the Gristede’s on 72nd and 1st and they told him that they are closed. We had heard this was coming and the rumor is that the Duane Reade across the street is going to move over. No big loss, that Gristedes was disgusting and Food Emporium is right across the street." [RackedWire Inbox]
MIDTOWN EAST—A Racked source reports that workers are demolishing the interior of the now-shutteredGeorgette Klinger store at 501 Madison Avenue between 52nd and 53rd as we speak. His account of the disturbing scene: "The floor was just totally covered in broken mirrors. There was this ornate spiral staircase like you'd see in a palace or something at the center of the space that's probably going to get it next. You could hear the sounds of glass smashing and crunching underfoot as the construction workers stomped around." [RackedWire]
FIDI—Plans for the awesome-sounding fine-foods market envisioned for the Battery Maritime Building have been officially been scrapped, Curbed reports. Instead, the space may be used for: "cooking demonstrations; food boutiques; 'small exhibitions or shows by local groups like the American Numismatic Society'; or 'private events.'" Gristedes will just have to do for now. [Curbed]
The space that had housed Gristedes at 585 Hudson and Bank Streets will be reopening as a Duane Reade. A West Village correspondent writes:
Grosstedes @ Hudson/Bank will be Duane Reade...The awning is already up, fixtures installed, CCTV already working. Just waiting for the shelves to be stocked and they'll be in business. Apparently the Gristedes store was in such a decline, they decided to just close it rather than wait for it to be shut down by DoH (especially given John Catsimatidis' supposed interest in running for mayor, wouldn't look so good). There are five years left on the 30-year lease, the rent is only something like $7,500 a month which is insane. Gristedes sold the last 5 years of the lease to DR, and rumor is that DR will only be there to finish out the lease. When it goes up for renewal, that's when the rent will jack...
Quoted recently in a New York Timesarticle that mentioned this location in particular, John Catsimatidis said, "'The problem in New York City is you’re going to be left with no supermarkets' because of the rise in basic costs, like rent." Duane Reade, however, will probably survive.
· RackedWire: Another Gristedes Closes & More! [Racked]
FINANCIAL DISTRICT—Rejoice, Fidi residents, as you now have a Gristedes to call your own. Sent in last night by a tipster: "I was walking my dog this evening by the Gristedes on Maiden Lane in the Financial District. I asked one of the workers when they were opening- they told me Thursday morning (10/11/2007). Can you please post this information to all the FiDi Haters that claim there are no grocery stores in FiDi as an argument to why they think it sucks. Today is the day in our history where they can no longer use that as an argument." [RackedWire Inbox]
SOHO—Yet another pay-to-shop event is taking place at the Skylight Studios at 275 Hudson Street. Beginning tomorrow and running through Sunday is the cool-sounding Domino Bazaar. Basically, Domino Magazine has collected furniture and housewares from a variety of retailers (among them, Area, BoConcept, Twinkle Living, Deadly Squire and Dwell) for shoppers to peruse. Goods will be marked 10 to 40% off. The event is $20 at the door or online; and your purchase comes with a year's subscription to the magazine. Might be worth dropping in. [RackedWire]
GREENWICH VILLAGE—The Gristedes store at 585 Hudson and Bank Streets, described as practically devoid of customers and not-fully stocked in a recent Times piece, has closed. A tipster writes: "Gristedes on Hudson closing at 6pm today [ed. note: Saturday September 29th]. I was just in there and the whole store is being packed up!" [RackedWire Inbox]
UPPER WEST SIDE—The Upper West Side is home to a brand-spanking new Starbucks. The caffeine pushers flung open the doors to their latest outpost at 103rd Street and Broadway this past Friday. According to HuntGrunt, there are plenty of vacant storefronts in the nabe—hence plenty of room for more 'bucks. [HuntGrunt]
NEW YORK—Remember that pet-renting service FlexPetz that was in the news a few months ago? Well, according to an article in TONY, their NYC office opens this week. Their Manhattan address isn't listed in the piece, and it doesn't appear on their website. Perhaps someone is afraid that PETA will pay them a visit? [TONY]
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MEATPACKING DISTRICT—This sounds kind of amazing: This fall, the auction house Phillips de Pury & Company will hold the country's first-ever hip-hop jewelry auction. According to Flypaper, the blog for online retailer Bluefly, "'Hip Hop's Crown Jewels' will include in the sale iconic pieces like Biz Markie's black and white diamond headphones pendant, MC Lyte's Nefertiti ring and necklace (from her 'ChaCha' video), Slick Rick's multicolor diamond-set eye patch, and Notorious BIG's first prized possession, his yellow gold and stainless steel Rolex." The event takes place October 1 at 450 West 15th Street. [Flypaper]
Comments
It's an odd season to be on Project Runway. After four years of steadily increasing popularity, the show announced that it will move from Bravo to Lifetime and from New York to L.A. Designers will presumably stop bragging about having worked for Vivienne Westwood and start bragging about having worked for Heidiwood; Tim Gunn will become Chief Creative Officer of Lindsay Lohan's leggings line; and eventually the whole franchise will flame out like a California wildfire. Before this sad fate can come to pass, though, Project Runway will spend one more cycle in New York. It's the end of an era, and we're here to help you get through it, providing both weekly emotional support and a handy user's guide (below).
SOHO—What store, whose name starts with a "B," is opening at 91 Broome Street? Your guess is as The Shophound's, who 
The space that 
UPPER WEST SIDE—The Upper West Side is home to a brand-spanking new Starbucks. The caffeine pushers flung open the doors to their latest outpost at 103rd Street and Broadway this past Friday. According to HuntGrunt, there are plenty of vacant storefronts in the nabe—hence plenty of room for more 'bucks. [
