GRUB STREET: Beloved Ethiopian, Ghenet, Is for Sale
In October we reported a rumor that Ghenet was being pushed out of its space, and though the veteran Ethiopian restaurant is still open for business, we’ve received confirmation that it may not have long for this world, via a listing from broker James Famularo: “284 Mulberry Street between Houston & Prince Street.”
THE REAL DEAL: Moms and dads in West Chelsea clubland
West Chelsea’s streets have long been the locus of New York club life when the sun goes down. The night crawlers’ neighborhood, though, has attracted plenty of new residential construction, setting the stage for a showdown between developers and the nightclub scene.
BLACK BOOK: A Visit to the Village Tart
The Village Tart is both a yet to be discovered floozy I will attempt to hook up with at my birthday party tomorrow night, and the name of Leslie Bernard’s new Kenmare Street corner pastry and light fare joint.
THE NEW YORK OBSERVER: Pizzas, Kebabs No Match for Changing Lower East Side
When Pizzeria De Santo opened at 173 Ludlow Street in January, the 900-square-foot spot seemed situated for success; it sat on one of the heaviest trafficked blocks on the Lower East Side, one that breeds late-night pizza cravings.
CURBEDWIRE: SuperBroker Inks SuperDeal; UES Towers!
Self-described “commercial super broker”James Famularo (right) has issued a press release detailing a recent big sale. We present it to you in full form below…
ALL BUSINESS: Commercial brokers protect their spoils
The term “vulnerable” is not typically associated with the alpha dogs of New York City’s high-powered commercial real estate world. Butthat is precisely how a number of top commercial firms are feeling these days, and to compensate, they are taking extra measures to ensure landlords can’t stiff them.
VILLAGE VOICE: The Gentrification Project That Turned into a Rat Castle on Ludlow
What was once an out-of-town developer’s plan to bring even more deluxe gentrification to the Lower East Side has instead turned into a crumbling eyesore, a haven for rats, and a traffic nightmare that keeps snaring delivery trucks on Ludlow Street.
GRUB STREET: Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce: Alive?!?!
Forty Deuce spokesperson Kris Ferraro told us earlier that Ivan Kane wasn’t currently planning to proceed with a New York outpost of the club, but a Villager article points out that Kane still hasn’t withdrawn his application with the State Liquor Authority. We checked in with broker-to-the-hot-spots James Famularo who says he has received eight to ten Letters of Intent (a step normally taken after an offer letter) from café, restaurant, and lounge operators eager to take over the space.
SPIN: Bowie, Sting to Open Burlesque Club
Combine David Bowie’s glitzy dance tracks with Sting’s promiscuous narrative and what do you get? Well, a burlesque club. According to nymag.com via The New York Observer, Bowie and Sting are the proud new owners of an NYC restaurant space that they’ll convert into a nightclub with club owner Ivan Kane.
THE VILLAGER: Signs of Life at Chumley’s
Nearly two years since the historic West Village speakeasy Chumley’s closed following a partial building collapse, the property’s managing agent announced that the famed tavern could reopen by the fall.
THE REAL DEAL: Slurping through the Recession
It turns out that a steaming bowl of noodles may be an antidote to the city’s real estate woes. While ramen noodle restaurants — modeled after traditional noodle bars in Japan — have been in the city for ages, new noodle shops are popping up with increasing frequency, and they not only offer inexpensive meals for bargain-hungry diners but also a source of deals for brokers with retail leases to spare.
DOWNTOWN EXPRESS: Burlesque Owner says Downtown’s Grit is It
Nightclub kingpin Ivan Kane almost has it all: an L.A. hotspot that attracts more stars than a Kabbalah convention, a Bravo reality series about the opening of his Las Vegas club, and a dancer for a wife named Champagne Suzy.
THE OBSERVER: Madonna Postpones Lower East Side Visit;[br] Her Rep ‘Loved’ 179 Ludlow, Though
Alas, it seems that the much-anticipated Madonna appearance at 179 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side was postponed this week. A representative for the Queen of Pop, however, did tour the three floors there that could eventually house the her new kabbalah center.
THE REAL DEAL: Illegal spaces: Room for the Seedy Side of Life
This summer a Brazilian madam was arrested in her Midtown condo at 100 West 58th Street. She admitted to running a high-class prostitution business out of her $1.2 million apartment at Windsor Park and said she planned to use the profits to buy a floor of condos at the Plaza with Italian investors.
SPIN: Timberlake Provides Southern Hospitality
First it was sexy, and now, Justin Timberlake plans to bring southern back. James Famularo, exclusive real estate broker for the deal, confirmed to SPIN.com that the Memphis, TN-born singer is readying to open a down south barbecue restaurant called Southern Hospitality in Manhattan’s affluent Upper East Side neighborhood sometime in mid-April.
GRUB STREET: High-end Sushi Takes a Recession Hit
Is high-end sushi in danger of joining French fine dining on the list of restaurant recession casualties? After a series of splashy New York openings in the first half of the decade — Masa, Morimoto, Megu, etc. — sushi has fallen off the buzzy-openings map.
THE REAL DEAL: The Quiet Players
New York real estate might be known for its big personalities, but there are a host of owners and investors like Frank Ring who shun the spotlight. Some publicity-shy players are revered in the industry for having orchestrated some of the city’s biggest deals: Lloyd Goldman, Jeffrey Feil and Joseph Cayre, for example, are spoken of in reverential tones by commercial brokers as high-powered, big-money wheelers and dealers.