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Tough Times Down on the East Side: Kurve and Ray's Imperiled
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 23, 2009
Modified Jan 23, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 23, 2009
Modified Jan 23, 2009
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Two distinct East Village establishments are on the verge of going under, and though the businesses are polar opposites, their troubles highlight the downward spiral of the neighborhood into a boarded-up ghost town dotted with high rise condos. Exhibit A, Kurve, is no surprise; the long-delayed Thai restaurant from acclaimed chef Andy Chang (Rhong-Tiam) finally opened last Autumn to disastrous reviews . But given Kurve's groovy design and its party zone location, it seemed possible the drunken masses would keep it afloat. In better times, maybe, but today Eater reports that the restaurant has been abruptly shut down, with an eviction notice on the door demanding $52,253.43 in back rent from last May.
Further east on Avenue A, there's more trouble at a place we actually give a shit about: Ray's Candy Store, across the street from Tompkins Square Park. The hole-in-the wall burger, shake, etc. joint with the take-out window has been a neighborhood institution for decades, reportedly raking in $3,000 a day at its peak in the '80s. But 75-year-old Ray Alvarez is about to turn 76 with $40,000 in credit-card debt and a range of health problems he can't afford to fix, the Villager reports.
A Turkish immigrant, Alvarez does have a green card, but can't prove his age because he doesn't have a birth certificate. Which means no Social Security, and if things don't change, no Ray's. Fortunately, a neighbor has been trying to help Alvarez get things sorted out, but the way things have been going in the East Village, you may not want to postpone stopping by Ray's for an egg cream or malted milkshake. Grub Street has more on how much Alvarez "loves his customers," and earlier this week The Chocolate Bar also gave up on the neighborhood.
Tagged
closed
closing
downtown
east village
kurve
manhattan
nyc
Ray Alvarez
ray's burger
recession
thai
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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