78thand2nd

UES Craigslinks: M4W, Volunteers Needed, Free Stuff and More

'Cute ones don't use Cragislist' [M4W]
Thanksgiving volunteers wanted [Volunteers]
Moving sale, everything must go [Furniture]
Free bag of women's clothing [Clothing]
Tangos and tapas [Activities]
Free sleeper sofa [Free]

Second Ave. Businesses Are Getting Freakin' Killed

Recently closed wine bar Bar Vespa

A spree of business closings on Second Ave., between 91st and 95th streets, has received a lot of attention over the past year - due mainly to the impact of the Second Ave. subway’s construction, which has spurred a ton of difficulties for the businesses closest to the mayhem. 

Getting far less attention - but maybe more alarming - is a recent string of businesses that shut down on an eight-block stretch between 77^th and 85^th streets on Second Ave., far removed (for now) from the subway's construction.

During the four-month period from June through September, a staggering 10 businesses have closed on this stretch (another shut down in May - so, 11 shuttered in a five-month period).

The businesses were a mix of chains and mom-and-pop stores; they were retailers, restaurants, wine bars and pizza spots.  Some were part of a city-wide chain shuttering (Burittoville) or a nation-wide chain trimming locations (Talbots Kids) - but still, 11 is a ton in that amount of time on such a short stretch.

Not surprising, the area’s business managers and owners I spoke with pointed to a perfect storm of a struggling economy, a drop in consumer confidence and rising business costs – especially increased rents - as main causes of the closings.

The full list of closings after the jump.

Mugger Attacks 'Dorothy' From Wizard Of Oz

Remember this whole thing over the summer, when UES residents were worried crime was on the upswing? Yeah, they were kind of right. There was this string of bank robberies. And now there's reports of some pretty brazen muggings - like this one caught on tape over Halloween weekend: The Post released a video on Wed. (Nov. 19) that shows a guy follow a woman, dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, into a building, then attacking her. Police described the suspect as a black male in his 30s, about 5-foot-8 and with a thin build.

Report: TD Bank On 77th Robbed...For The 5th Time

Apparently the TD Bank branch (it was Commerce Bank up until about three weeks ago) on the corner of 77th and Second Ave. is having some security issues.  This is from the inbox last night:

"Was on my way to pick up coffee and saw investigators brushing for prints at the TD Bank, formerly known as Commerce Bank. A person standing near the scene said the robbery just happened after noontime and that this is the 5TH TIME that the same bank was robbed! The 5th TIME!"

Five times?  Is that true?