A new restaurant and bathhouse are coming soon, and a crafts shop just opened.
An American Craftsman recently opened its doors at 789 Lexington Avenue between 61st and 62nd streets, replacing Ultimate Spectacle, an eyeglass store. An American Craftsman, which Richard and Joanna Rothbard first opened in Greenwich Village in 1980, has since operated in twelve different locations and offers a rotating collection of gifts, furniture, sculptures, glass, jewelry, and more. The pieces are made from wood, clay, fiber, metal, glass, leather, and mixed media. Richard is also the resident artist and the creator of the Boxology line of puzzle boxes.
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@TradedNY reports that The Studio At Fastbreak has leased a space at 1621 First Avenue between 84th and 85th streets, which until recently was home to a Basics Plus hardware store. There’s a Fastbreak Sports at 1629 First Ave., just two doors down, which offers youth sports leagues. We’ve reached out to the company for more info about “The Studio.” The asking price for the 1,740 space was $150 per foot (per year); if that was also the agreed upon price, that means they’re paying $261,000 annually (or $21,750 per month).
(Google Maps)
Hollybrook Lane will be opening March 13 at 1712 First Avenue between 88th and 89th streets, the restaurant announced on Instagram. We first wrote about this place in a December 2023 roundup of soon-to-open restaurants. At the time, owner Cedric Sanders discussed with Community Board 8 his plans to serve southern comfort food in a “moderately upscale,” 1400 square foot space which could accommodate up to sixty-five people. Reservations are currently open on Resy, though at the time of writing a menu hasn’t been made public.
We first heard through @UESthings that AIRE Ancient Baths – which offers “relaxing massages, rituals and thermal baths” – would be opening at Archive Lofts, a new development condo at 305 East 61st Street between First and Second avenues. Gotham Mag also wrote something about this in October 2023, and we’ve gotten confirmation from the business that it will be open to the public (in addition to residents), though an estimated opening date is currently unknown. “We will announce details shortly,” AIRE Ancient Baths wrote to East Side Feed. “Inspired by the tradition of baths from ancient Roman, Greek and Ottoman civilizations, the AIRE Experience always takes place in restored historical buildings in the center of cities,” according to AIRE’s website. The East 61st Street building, according to the Archive Lofts website, was formerly an art warehouse.
