Progress Report: Opening Soonish

In the next month and a half, the streets of Tribeca should look a bit different—new businesses (and new outposts of existing ones) are set to pop up all over. Let’s seen what’s on its way….

STUZZICHERIA
Location: 305 Church (at Walker)
What was there before:
Province, a Chinese-sandwich restaurant.
What we know about it:
Last summer, New York magazine said that Paul di Bari, executive chef at the Flatiron’s Bar Stuzzichini, would be opening Stuzzicheria with “30 seldom-seen Italian tapas” on the menu.
Opening date:
Looking like the week of Aug. 23, says the PR rep. UPDATE: Now open.

JOSEPHINE
Location: 40 Harrison (at Greenwich, in Independence Plaza)
What was there before:
N/A.
What we know about it:
Josephine—named for Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoléon Bonaparte’s first wife—is referring to itself as a “Café Francais & Bar à Vin”; the word on the street is that half will be a restaurant and half will be a bakery specializing in French pastries.
Opening date:
Around the end of August, say the owners.

THEATER BAR
Location: 114 Franklin (between W. Broadway and Church)
What was there before:
Grace, a restaurant/bar.
What we know about it:
Owner Albert Trummer recently told the Wall Street Journal he wants to “‘create a new kind of show bartender who belongs to New York City.’ Mr. Trummer built the bar with a proscenium where bartenders will be in the spotlight. […] The vibe is an old theater from the 1930s. Think Viennese salon with maybe jazz music, a pianist, or violinist. The dynamic will change through the night with new ‘acts.’ The drink menu will be organized by acts, too, with each featuring ‘original remedies’ from around the world. […] ‘The whole bar is a performance, with four to five bartenders, shaking, mixing and squeezing,’ he said. ‘It’s almost like Top Chef.’” Trummer was also in the news when he was arrested for doing pyro tricks at Apotheke, his bar in Chinatown.
Opening date:
“Around Fashion Week,” said Trummer—i.e. September 9–16.

CANAL PARK PLAYHOUSE
Location: 508 Canal (between Washington and Greenwich)
What was there before:
N/A.
What we know about it:
The playhouse’s website says the goal is to “specialize in presenting one and two character plays,  subway performers, silent movies and children’s entertainment/brunches on weekends at 12 and 2.” The landmarked 1826 townhouse has two theaters: “The Front Room, with cabaret chairs and tables, seats 35 and has a snack bar with wine and beer. (No wine or beer available or on display during children’s matinees). The Back Room is furnished with upholstered theater seats from the legendary Sullivan Street Playhouse […]. It seats 55, has a proscenium stage with raked seating and 1826 architectural flair.” While the mantra is “The popcorn’s always 2 bucks. And the butter’s real,” the playhouse will also serve an interesting little menu of panini, waffles, a salad, chili, handmade pretzels (with mustard or chocolate dipping sauce), and more.
Opening date:
Handbook for an American Revolutionary, Matthew Lee-Erlbach’s one-man, ten-character play about “ordinary Americans in extraordinary times,” opens Sept. 15. (through Oct. 3). The Children’s Brunch series kicks off Sept. 18 with the Piccolini Trio’s The Circus in a Trunk. There are also weekly events, such as the Subway Performer Series, Teen Open-Mic Nights, and an improv night, Properties of Play, that involves three audience members.

BIRDBATH
Location: 200 Church (at Thomas)
What was there before:
N/A?
What we know about it:
City Bakery’s “green bakery” spin-off gets a Tribeca location to go along with outposts in the West Village, East Village, and Soho. Owner Maury Rubin shared some details in an email: “The basis of the place will be like Birdbath Soho, but we’re going to try some new ideas out also.We’ll have more food that’s packaged and ready to go from a display case, with a special emphasis on dinners to go for families in the neighborhood. We’ll also have the Birdbath version of it’s big sister City Bakery hot chocolate (this will be a first for a Birdbath). It’s a modest size space (500 sq. ft.) so there’s not room for tables and chairs but we’ll have some nice benches to sit at and eat and drink for about 10 people at a time. We’ll be open seven days for breakfast, lunch and into the early evening (we’ll play closing time by ear, but the later we can stay open, the better). And the bakery will be built from around 99% sustainable building materials (as is the Birdbath way).”
Opening date:
Ideally by the second week of September, Rubin said in an email.

DOWNTOWN DANCE FACTORY
Location:
291 Broadway, 5th floor (between Reade and Duane)
What was there before:
The Globe Institute of Technology.
What we know about it:
Previously operating out of Tribeca Health & Fitness, Downtown Dance Factory is moving to its own location, with “three dance studios, reception area, office space, girls’ and boys’ changing areas and restrooms, and retail space.” The DDF will begin a partnership with TADA! Youth Theater at the same time, offering musical-theater classes for kids. As you can see from the rendering above, the space—by Tribeca’s own Ghislaine Viñas Interior Design—is shaping up to be very colorful.
Opening date:
Sept. 20.

RH GALLERY
Location:
137 Duane (between W. Broadway and Church)
What was there before:
Raimo, a pizzeria.
What we know about it:
“Founded by Rebecca Heidenberg and Adam Taki, the gallery will adhere to an interdisciplinary and nuanced approach to community-building through critical dialog, exhibitions and events related to art, academic issues, business, fashion, and poetry,” says the website. “RH Gallery’s international stable of cutting-edge artists and designers includes: Paul Edmunds (South Africa); Wolfgang Ellenrieder (Germany); Daniel Escobar (Brazil); Parastou Forouhar (Iran/Germany); Micah Ganske (USA); Dante Horoiwa (Brazil); Rick Leong (Canada); Kirstine Roepstorff (Denmark/Germany); Stephen Burks (USA); Fredrik Färg (Sweden); Harry&Camila (Spain); Katrina Vonnegut (USA); Isabel Wilson (USA); Jonas Lutz (Netherlands).
Opening date:
“The Third Meaning,” the gallery’s first show, debuts with a reception Sept. 25 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

PINNACLE MEDICAL
Location:
200 Chambers (at West)
What was there before:
N/A.
What we know about it:
It’ll be a 24-hour urgent-care facility “with the same resources as an emergency room,” according to its website. Pinnacle guarantees you’ll “be seen” within 15 minutes.
Opening date:
Sept. 27 (in which case it seems unlikely that I shot the right space…).

MEHTAPHOR
Location:
130 Duane (at Church, in the Duane Street Hotel)
What was there before:
‘Beca, the hotel’s breakfast room.
What we know about it:
Eater learned that chef Jehangir Mehta will open a “bigger and more intense sister” to his East Village restaurant, Graffiti. What’s Graffiti, you ask? Its website said this: “Arguably one of the country’s most celebrated pastry provocateurs, Jehagnir Mehta has pushed palates—with his deliriously avant-garde creations at Jean Georges and Aix. Now, he branches out with this sweet-and-savory spot in the East Village, an eclectic shoebox-size boite which he designed himself. Mehta will be serving up equally eclectic, international small plates that will feature his trademark affinity for bold flavors and spices such as chilies, sambhar, tumeric and star anise.”
Opening date: “Sometime in September,” emailed PR rep Sam Firer.

MASERATI/FERRARI DEALERSHIP
Location:
One York (Sixth Ave. and Laight)
What was there before:
N/A.
What we know about it:
Nothing, other than that it’s a dealership selling Maserati and Ferrari cars.
Opening date:
I’m hunching that it’s soon because the space looked nearly done, and it’s not like they need all that much infrastructure….

UNLEASHED BY PETCO
Location:
157 Chambers (between Greenwich and Hudson)
What was there before:
No clue.
What we know about it:
Unleashed by Petco is Petco’s boutique brand, with “everyday pet essentials in a unique, neighborhood store,” according to the website. “We serve up only the best in premium, natural, organic and raw pet nutrition. Talk with our knowledgeable, pet-obsessed associates while your pets mix and mingle at our treat bar or during special store events.” There’s another one on the Upper West Side (as well as a handful in California and Massachusetts), if you’re curious to see the concept in person. According to Crain’s, the store will be 4,600 square feet.
Opening date:
The manager at Columbus Ave. location says we’ll “start to see some activity at end of September,” with an opening in October.

 

5 Comments

  1. Great compilation…Thanks for putting this together.

  2. Thank you, love these articles. It’s exciting to see what’s opening up.

  3. This is high quality investigative work. Thanks for sharing!

  4. I *think* that the Petco place on Chambers was a printer’s shop that went out of business about ten years ago. And…don’t we have enough pet stores in the neighborhood?? Poor Dudley’s Paw, pioneer and now only one in a crowd.

    I agree with the others…good reporting on things that are of interest to us all. The doc-in-a-box at Chambers and West will get plenty of business, I suspect.

  5. Glad there’s a theatre in the neighborhood! Always wondered where they’ve been this whole time. First play sounds very interesting as well. Cheers to all the new businesses!