A 25-Year-Old East Village Mainstay Is Shutting Down Due to Vandalism

After 25 years in the East Village, Juicy Lucy, a holdout in the changing neighborhood, is shutting down at 85 Avenue A. Following a recent vandalization at her store, René Henricks attributed the closure to local crime in the area, though vowed to relocate her juice bar to a new location, according to EV Grieve.

A breakfast pop-up wants to settle down

Bagel Joint, a staple at the McGolrick farmers market, and Smorgasburg, known for globally-inspired bagel flavors like saffron and gochujang with wasabi cream cheese, is trying to get a permanent storefront. Lanty Hou and Will Sacks tell Greenpointers that they’re eyeing a space on Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint where they hope to fuse their Jewish and Taiwanese backgrounds to create a first-of-its-kind multicultural bagelry. They’re currently fundraising for a forthcoming retail shop on Kickstarter.

Utopia Bagels is expanding (again)

Meanwhile, in old-school bagel news, Utopia Bagels has signed a lease in Long Island City at 26-11 Jackson Avenue, near 44th Drive, Commercial Observer reports. The expansion comes on the heels of the Whitestone, Queens bagel shop, which first opened in 1981, adding a second location earlier this month, in Murray Hill, which was met with lines down the block. The news of a third location follows Eater’s report that the Spellman family, who own Utopia, paired up in Manhattan with Jimmy and Angelo Tsoulos, the sons of restaurateur Nick Tsoulos, of the Avra Group.

A Juneteenth food festival

Publication Black-Owned Brooklyn has put together a third annual Juneteenth Food Festival, this year held on Saturday, June 15, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., in partnership with the Weeksville Heritage Center. 42 vendors will be in attendance.