Image via Dora's Facebook page.

A change is ahead at Dora, the 9-month old coffee shop on East Broadway.  Nicole Slaven let us know today she’s sold the business to Jamie Rogers, a regular customer who lives in an apartment above Dora (at 221 East Broadway).

Nicole told us a short time ago she loved creating a space that quickly became a community gathering spot with a reputation for high quality coffee and friendly customer service. When Jamie approached her a couple of months ago, Nicole  saw a rare opportunity to hand off the business to a strong manager with neighborhood roots who could make sure her vision “could continue to be a reality.”

Jamie says he wants all of Dora’s customers to know the quality coffee and service they’ve come to expect will continue. He’s looking forward to adding new items to the menu and continuing to expand the shop’s offerings.  An attorney, who’s leaving a corporate law firm to run the Lower East Side business, Jamie will be on the job full time right after Labor Day Weekend.

Nicole says she hopes to be involved in new projects that are even more coffee-centric. In June, she married Ed Kaufmann, a roaster at Stumptown Coffee and an occasional Dora barista.

Dora is an annual sponsor of The Lo-Down.

Lisa Fischoff, Jamie Rogers of Pushcart Coffee.

Regular customers of “Dora,” the year-old coffee shop at 221 East Broadway, have noticed a few changes lately. In September, Jamie Rogers bought the business from Nicole Slaven, who had named the shop for her great grandmother, Dora Cohen.  This week, Jamie renamed the store “Pushcart Coffee.” Recently he also took on a partner, Lisa Fischoff, the first employee he hired three months ago.

We stopped by last week for a little “coffee talk” with Jamie and Lisa.  They’re aiming to make the shop (one of TLD’s first sponsors) a homey neighborhood spot linking the Lower East Side’s past with its present. There are old photos on the walls and a new community bulletin board. Taking the theme a bit further, jamie’s looking to purchase an old-style “pushcart” that could be taken to various locations in the neighborhood.

Lisa is also a manager at the New Amsterdam Market. The day I was in the shop, she had just returned from the Union Square Green Market, where Pushcart Coffee has been sourcing ingredients for a daily soup special and other items.  Quite a few menu items have been added, including  a greater variety of sandwiches and baked goods, including doughnuts made by an East River Co-op resident and goodies from Jamie’s sister, who runs a start-up business called “Maggie’s Kitchen.”

Jamie, a former corporate lawyer, lives in an apartment above the coffee shop.  He’s taken an interest in neighborhood issues. Jamie has partnered with The Lo-Down to produce a weekly print newsletter (available in the store) and he hopes to become a member of Community Board 3 in the months ahead.  In the meantime, there’s still plenty of work to be done at Pushcart Coffee.

Jamie and Lisa are inviting everyone to a grand re-opening next Friday, December 16th, from 6-8 p.m.  They hope you’ll come by to say hello.

Malt & Mold, 221 East Broadway.

In some parts of town, the arrival of a new business might not cause a stir. But on East Broadway, near Seward Park, any new venture seems to get the neighbors buzzing.  This was certainly the case on Friday, immediately after the signage went up announcing “Malt & Mold,” a new specialty grocery coming soon to 221 East Broadway.

Before the weekend, we stopped by the tiny shop (located right next to Pushcart Coffee) to talk with proprietor Kevin Heald. Malt & Mold will be a takeout destination for beer, cheese, charcuterie, pickles, fresh bread, chocolate, ice cream and other locally-sourced products.

You’ll be able to take home beer, poured from one of eight taps, in a growler. The glass bottles will be available in 16, 32 and 64 ounce versions. The focus is on small, regional producers such as Hill Farmstead Brewery in Vermont, White Birch Brewing in New Hampshire and the Bronx Brewery.  In addition to the draught beer, there will be a selection available in cans and bottles.  The cheeses will be sourced from American producers and there will be a carefully chosen selection of hard to find specialty items.

Kevin is new to the food business but understands the neighborhood dynamic very well. He’s lived in the cooperatives on Grand Street since 2004, and has watched the Lower East Side’s slow transformation.  He sees growing demand for quality food and drink but, at the same time, is very much aware people in the immediate area are not about to tolerate inflated prices. “I’m as much as a cheap bitch as anyone,” he professed.  Kevin had been waiting for several years for someone to open a shop like Malt & Mold, but it didn’t happen, so he decided to do it himself.

Not long after opening, the shop will be hosting some acoustic bands in conjunction with “Make Music New York,” the summer performance festival.  But first things first.  Malt & Mold opens this coming Sunday, May 6th. The hours will be Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sundays noon-5 p.m.

The changes along East Broadway appear to be picking up speed.  Just a day after Malt & Mold, an artisanal beer and grocery opened at 221 East Broadway, word comes that another business could be coming to the same building. Inside Pushcart Coffee, there’s a somewhat coffee stained notice from the owners of B-Side, an Avenue B bar:

In case you can’t see the small type, the note is from “Andrew and Sivan.” It says they have “fallen in love” with the neighborhood and “want to be part of what makes it so great.”  They plan to open a “friendly neighborhood bar and take-out restaurant” and are hoping for community support.  They’re holding a get-together to explain their concept tomorrow night at 7:30 at Pushcart Coffee.

221 East Broadway.

As we noted earlier this week,  the owner of 221 East Broadway has spent the last few years renovating the six-story residential and commercial building.  Two years ago, a coffee shop (Dora – later renamed Pushcart Coffee) opened; just a few weeks ago a second upscale business, Malt & Mold, debuted in a neighboring storefront.  And within the past several days, the operators of a bar on Avenue B signed a lease for a prime corner spot, where they plan to open a neighborhood watering hole.

Recently, we spoke with Sivan Harlap, who owns “B-Side” on Avenue B and 12th Street, about her plans for a “friendly, community-oriented” spot, with co-worker Andrew States, in the 1300 square foot space, much of which was once occupied by a 24-hour bodega.  Harlap, who’s in the process of buying an apartment in the Hillman Cooperative just a few blocks away on Grand Street, said she’s fallen in love with the immediate neighborhood.

She believes that the area needs a new community-gathering place to augment Pushcart Coffee, as well as nearby restaurants Cafe Petisco and La Flaca.  The bar is “not meant to be a high-concept place,” she said.  There will be a limited food menu, including falafel and fish & chips.  There will also be a pickup counter, opening around 11 a.m., offering lunch items as well as fresh fruit smoothies and juices. The main bar area will open at about 3 p.m.  The liquor license application requests a 4 a.m. closing time.  Harlap said she envisions an “open and airy” space with windows that open up to the street in warmer months.  Paperwork filed with Community Board 3 indicates the business will request a sidewalk seating license next spring.

In the past few weeks, Harlap and States have met with a number of local residents, many of whom live in the Seward Park Cooperative, located across the street on East Broadway.  The proposal has divided co-op residents; some welcome the new bar; others are alarmed at the prospect of late night noise.

One very vocal opponent of the proposal is Ed Green, a co-op resident who led a 2009 campaign to reduce truck noise on East Broadway.  During an interview last week, he said, “I knew that there were many, many many people, especially in the building I live in, which immediately faces the bar, that just saw as impossible the idea of having a seven-day-a-week bar with a 4 a.m. cut-off time.”  Saying the area is predominantly residential, Green asked, “how are people going to get uninterrupted sleep? How are people going to maintain their health, go to work? How is that good for your children who need their sleep, the elderly?”

Green has organized a petition drive, and has been working alongside a prominent community leader, Pastor Marc Rivera of Primitive Christian Church.  The church is located at 209 East Broadway (223 feet from the proposed bar, according to Google Maps).  “I am not in favor of such an establishment in our community for several reasons,” Rivera explained in an email message.   “I suspect that the noise and disturbance levels will make this quiet street similar to what we are now experience on Rivington Street, which is teeming with late hour bars,” Pastor Rivera wrote.

He also referenced the “200 foot rule,” a section of the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control law which prohibits liquor licenses within 200 feet on the same street as a school or religious institution.  Rivera pointed to the former Young Israel Synagogue at 225 East Broadway, next door to the bar.  The synagogue was demolished in 2010, and a plan to rebuild it is entangled in a complicated legal dispute.

Linda Jones, another Seward Park resident (and a Community Board 3 member), supports the new bar.  Like Green, her apartment faces East Broadway, but Jones said the area could use a bit more street life, especially late at night.  She is confident Harlap and States will be running a responsible establishment, noting that B-Side has only had one noise complaint in two years.

The Seward Park Co-op Board has declined to weigh in on the matter, but the management office did send an email to residents encouraging them to express their views to the community board.    Green said he believes the opinions of those living closest to the proposed bar should count the most, since they are the ones who would be most impacted by late night noise. Green encouraged Harlap and States to substantially revamp their concept. What the area really needs, he argued, is not another bar but a restaurant that closes at 11 p.m.   The open windows are a big issue for Green, since he believes music and loud voices will waft out from Clinton Street, keeping neighbors awake.

The CB3 application details several steps Harlap and States plan on taking to alleviate concerns about noise. They intend to move the entrance to Clinton Street, away from the cooperative.  Security would be hired on weekend evenings to check identification and to make sure people don’t congregate on the street. They also plan to install soundproofing.

The community board vote is only a recommendation; it’s up to the State Liquor Authority to approve or deny the license.  CB3′s liquor licensing committee meets Monday, June 18, 6:30 p.m., at the JASA/Green building, 200 East 5th Street.

UPDATE 3:51 p.m. The community board requests that all letters and petitions be presented at the meeting, rather than at CB3′s office.

Velazquez at Primitive Christian Church on Sunday. Photo: WNYC.

U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez was on the Lower East Side yesterday, campaigning during the final weekend before Tuesday’s Democratic Primary.  In an appearnce at Primitive Christian Church on East Broadway, she injected herself into a hyperlocal issue: a proposed bar at 221 East Broadway.

The pastor at the church, Marc Rivera, is an outspoken critic of the bar, whose owners are trying to persuade Community Board 3 to support their liquor license application. About three dozen members showed up at a recent CB3 committee meeting to speak out against the bar. People on both sides of the issue (quite a few residents also support the proposal) are girding for a battle before the full board tomorrow evening.

According to WNYC, Velazquez sided with the bar opponents yesterday. “When we organized, when we show up at the meetings, when we go to the community board, it takes more than the Congresswoman expressing herself and telling them you shouldn’t do that… It takes an entire community,” Velazquez said, speaking from the pulpit.

Velazquez faces  spirited opposition from City Councilman Erik Dilan, political newcomer Dan O’Connor and former district leader George Martinez.

221 East Broadway.

After a long and sometimes contentious debate, Community Board 3 decided last night to support a liquor license for a new bar at 221 East Broadway.  The vote was 26-11 in favor of the proposal with one member abstaining.  A dozen members of the board were not present when the vote finally took place, close to 11 p.m.

The application from Sivan Harlap and Andrew States had divided members of the Seward Park Cooperative, which is located across the street from the building in which the bar will be located.  Members of Primitive Christian Church on East Broadway, including its influential pastor, Marc Rivera, opposed the application. Earlier this month, CB3′s liquor licensing panel deadlocked, so it was up to the full board to hash it out.

Some residents said the bar, which is going to feature open windows in nice weather, would create too much noise in a quiet residential area.  Others argued that the immediate neighborhood (below Delancey Street and east of Essex) could use another late night hang out.

Last night, the board failed to pass an initial resolution denying support for the proposal.  CB3 Chair Dominic Berg said he wanted to see the owners respond to community concerns. The resolution that finally passed calls on Harlap and States to close their windows at 9 p.m. and to serve food until closing (at 4 a.m.) Some people had complained that the bar’s preliminary food menu is very limited.

As the discussion dragged on, board members debated how much weight to give petition signatures and testimony from residents on either side of the issue.  Some members argued that, while organizing efforts from the community are a factor to be considered, each application should be evaluated on its own merits.

It’s now up to the State Liquor Authority to decide whether to approve the license.  The community board and local elected officials have asked the state to determine whether the proposed bar would be in violation of the “200 foot rule,” a provision that prohibits liquor licenses near churches and schools.  Harlap said a technical survey recently conducted found that the bar would be more than 200 feet from Primitive Church. Opponents disagreed, and said they had conducted a separate survey proving the license would violate state law.   They also argued that the bar is obviously less than 200 feet away from the empty lot (right next door), the onetime and possibly future home of the Young Israel Synagogue.

In a separate vote last night, CB3 approved a proposed license for Paulaner Brauhaus, a new restaurant at 265-267 Bowery. Residents are not necessarily opposed to the new venue, but they wanted more time to negotiate a set of operating restrictions with the owners. The Paulaner Brauhaus team was not present at last night’s meeting.

Eastwood Indiegogo from Miles Kerr on Vimeo.

Crowdfunding is all the rage these days. The latest small business owners to get in on the act are Sivan Harlap and Andrew States, who are opening a bar at 221 East Broadway this fall.  As you probably recall, their liquor license application stirred quite a lot of controversy back in June.  The video they’ve posted online offers a glimpse of the space, at the corner of East Broadway and Clinton streets, and a few other details.  The bar will be called Esstwood and they’re targeting a late October/early November opening.

Eastwood, the new bar at 221 East Broadway, is aiming for an opening sometime next month.  Recently we heard from co-owner Sivan Harlap that she and partner Andrew States are hiring for all positions (bartender, bar back, fry cook, counter person).   Anyone can apply; Sivan says experience isn’t necessary for all positions.  If you’re interested, drop off your resume at her other bar, B-Side, 204 Avenue B, anytime after 3 p.m.

The Mayflower Building, 221 East Broadway, sold last week for $11.3 million.  The six story, 1907 Beaux Arts apartment house with ground-floor retail was previously owned by David Slaven of Red Brick Properties.  This morning, he confirmed the sale, saying the transaction went through on December 27.

According to property records, 221 East Broadway last sold for $6.3 million in 2008.  In the last couple of years, new retail businesses, including Pushcart Coffee (originally Dora), Malt & Mold and Eastwood (a bar opening any day now) have taken over ground-floor retail spaces.  Slaven said he had been willing to keep commercial spaces vacant, holding out for better retail in an effort to “help gentrify” the building.  Many of the 26 apartments were renovated (14 are rent stabilized). Sleven indicated his company typically holds on to properties for three or four years.  He was motivated to close the deal before the end of the year for tax purposes.

The Mayflower had most recently been listed for $12,250,000.  The sales brochure noted that the building is only a block away from the big Seward Park development site.

The sale hasn’t hit the city’s online database just yet.  A representative for the new owner has scheduled  meetings with retail tenants in the next few days.

Eastwood is taking the ground-floor corner spot at 221 East Broadway.

There’s been a setback for Eastwood, the bar poised to open very soon at 221 East Broadway (Clinton Street).  The State Liquor Authority ruled yesterday that a new license cannot be granted at this location because the bar is less than 200 feet from at least one church.

In June of last year, Community Board 3 decided to support the full liquor application after a contentious debate.   Neighbors were divided; some spoke in favor of the establishment while others expressed concerns about noise and late night crowds.  One prominent opponent was Pastor Marc Rivera of Primitive Christian Church, located a block or so away from the proposed bar.

During the community board hearings, the two sides disagreed whether the license would be in violation of what’s known as the “200 Foot Rule,” a section of state law that “prohibits certain licenses from being issued if the location of the establishment is on the same street and within 200 feet of a building that is used exclusively as a school, church, synagogue or other place of worship.”  But the SLA agreed with the opponents.  Local elected officials sent a letter to the liquor authority requesting a review of the “200 Foot” issue.

Eastwood owners Sivan Harlap and Andrew States now have a decision to make. They could end up going for a beer and wine license.  The 200 Foot Rule only applies to full liquor permits.  We’ll let you know what we hear.

Eastwood, 221 East Broadway.

If you pass by the intersection of East Broadway and Clinton streets with any regularity, you probably noticed something different in the last couple of days.  The metal gate is up at 221 East Broadway, revealing a brand new glass and wood facade at Eastwood, the bar being opened by Sivan Harlap and Andrew States.  While the main space is not yet operational, their “Chip Shop” around the corner on Clinton soft-launched yesterday.

As noted last week, the State Liquor Authority rejected Eastwood’s application for a full bar, ruling that the business is too close (less than 200 feet) from a church and a synagogue.  Harlap and States have now decided to go for a wine and beer license.  They’ll appear before Community Board 3′s State Liquor Authority Committee next month.  Beer and wine permits are not subject to the same rules regarding proximity to religious institutions and schools as full liquor licenses.

For now the Chip Shop is open for lunch and early dinner until around 8 p.m. There’s only one table and some counter space, so take-away might be your best option.  Today there was a relatively small menu, including a fresh fish sandwich, falafel, fish & chips, a salad with kale, apples and fennel and a squash, kale and white bean soup.

Eastwood, 221 East Broadway.

After a prolonged liquor license escapade, Eastwood bar has announced their official grand opening.  The team posted a photo of their license (beer and wine) on Facebook with the note, “We have a bar!!! Grand Opening Weekend Hours: Friday 7pm-4am, Saturday 3pm-4am!!” Owners Sivan Harlap and Andrew States renovated the space on the corner last year and have been ready to roll since January, but were held up after being denied a full bar approval by the State Liquor Authority.  The pair have been running their tasty fish and chip shop around the corner, in the space next to the bar, for the last couple months.

Sivan Harlap, Andrew States. Photo by The Lo-down.

It’s been a couple of weeks since Eastwood opened for business at 221 East Broadway.  The new bar, run by Sivan Harlap and Andrew States, joins Pushcart Coffee and Malt & Mold in building a locally-owned, indie nitch in the historic “Mayflower Hotel” building at the corner of Clinton Street and East Broadway. The other day, we stopped by to find out how things are going.

Harlap and States, both musicians, poured a lot of creative energy into the design of this sun-splashed spot just down the street from Seward Park. He restored the original door; she made the lighting fixtures hanging over the bar, using old bike rims.  The colorful floor tiles, made of cement, are from Mexico but inspired by a floor Sivan noticed in Tel Aviv.  The bar and stools were designed for maximum comfort.

They’ve had plenty of time to work out the kinks in the menu (an adjoining “chip shop” opened several months ago).  The falafel sandwich ($7) has been getting good reviews.  A fresh fish sandwich ($12) comes on fresh-baked bread with tarter sauce and greens.  There’s a nice kale salad, available with an egg ($11) if you so choose, and of course fish & chips ($12).   The “Israeli scotch egg,” surrounded by a falafel crust, seems like an ideal bar snack.  There’s an interesting beer selection. Among the options: an Oskar Blues Pilsner, Green Flash IPA and a Bronx Pale Ale on draft.  Cans and bottles are also available.  An Austrian white wine, Hans & Franz Grüner, is on tap; a red and Prosecco will start flowing soon, and pitchers and carafes will be offered.

Harlap and States survived a whole lot of drama over their liquor license, finally having to settle on wine and beer, rather than full liquor.  They’ve put all of that behind them, and are operating a friendly place that has a casual, neighborhood feel.  There’s a turntable behind the bar, and customers are encouraged to bring in their own records. While we were hanging out, selections ranged from jazz standards to Fleetwood Mac.  There are tables set up for Chess and Backgammon. Could be some fierce games on East Broadway!

Eastwood has a happy hour special Monday-Friday 5-8 p.m. — draft beer is two-for-one.  For now, the hours are 3 p.m.-4 a.m. every day.

Pushcart Coffee, 221 East Broadway.

We unfortunately have some unwelcome news to report about a local small business.  Pushcart Coffee at 221 East Broadway is going to be closing after next Friday.  The owners, Jamie Rogers and Lisa Fischoff, are looking for new space somewhere in the neighborhood.  Rogers purchased the East Broadway shop in 2011, and he and Fischoff have since opened two more locations — on 2nd Avenue near 21st Street and in Chelsea.

In a phone conversation this afternoon, Rogers said the Lower East Side store just wasn’t doing enough volume.  About seven or eight months ago, he noticed a significant drop-off in business.  Some customers moved out of the neighborhood, he explained.  Others seemed to have drifted to competitors in the area.  The owners asked the landlord for a rent break (Pushcart paid about $4000/month), but that request was rejected.

Rogers lives on Grand Street, a short distance from the shop and has become active in the community, becoming a member of the community board, for example.  Pushcart has been a valuable gathering spot in an under-served part of the neighborhood.  “We’re not quitting the Lower East Side,” Rogers said. “We love it here.”  They’ve been looking at several possible spaces, but nothing has materialized just yet.  Pushcart will continue to serve several institutional customers, such as the Educational Alliance and Abrons Arts Center.

The coffee shop is located in a property, the Mayflower Building, that has been gentrifying in recent years.  It was sold at the end of 2012 for $11.3 million.  The previous owner, David Slaven, told us shortly after the sale became public, that his decision to lease spaces to the coffee shop (which was initially run by his sister Nicole), Malt & Mold (the cheese and beer purveyor) and Eastwood bar and chip shop significantly added to the value of the property.  In addition to the Pushcart space, the new owner is trying to lease a second storefront on the Clinton Street side of the building (the previous tenant – a bodega – was evicted back in November).

Rogers said he’s happy to see a new coffee shop opening in the immediate area.  As previously reported, a branch of Ost Cafe is coming to 511 Grand St. (between East Broadway and Columbia streets) in a matter of days.  “I’m happy people in the neighborhood have somewhere to go,” Rogers said.  If you would like to keep updated on Pushcart’s next moves, there’s an email signup sheet available in the shop.  Rogers said he’d be in the store most of next week, saying his temporary goodbyes to customers.

Former Clinton Street bodega space is destined to become a Subway Sandwich outlet.

The latest Subway Sandwich franchise is coming to 221 East Broadway, the Mayflower Building.  According to Buildings Department records and the chain’s own website, the shop will be opening soon on the Clinton Street side of the building in a space formerly occupied by a bodega.

The property was sold in January 2013 for $11.3 million. The previous owner said at the time that his efforts to attract upscale independent businesses, such as Pushcart Coffee and Malt & Mold, added a lot of value to the building. The coffee shop closed almost a year ago due to high rent. That space has sat vacant for many months.

An online listing was advertising the former bodega storefront for $3542/month (it’s 500 square feet).

Subway already has locations at 334 Grand St., 64 Delancey St. and 153 Essex St.

When we wrote about the anticipated arrival of a Subway Sandwich shop on Clinton Street back in December, the reaction on Facebook was less than positive.  In the past year, Douglas Elliman’s Faith Hope Consolo has been trying to lease several retail spaces in the building at 221 East Broadway; there are storefronts on both East Broadway and Clinton. The broker’s PR team has now gone into overdrive, pitching the merits of the new tenant. Here’s the Elliman spin in Real Estate Weekly:

The national leasing and sales team of Faith Hope Consolo, chairman, and Joseph Aquino, executive vice president, and Arthur Maglio of Douglas Elliman’s Retail Group, has brought America’s favorite sandwich and salad chain Subway to 221 East Broadway. Part of a seven-store block-front exclusively represented by Consolo and her team, the new store is in the heart of the food-friendly, trend-setting Lower East Side, on the Clinton Street side of the building. “This is the first new retailer we’ve brought to a group of stores being repositioned for a changing neighborhood,” said Consolo. “Our goal is to uplift the profile of the block, one store at a time.” Added Maglio, “The Lower East Side is a vibrant area with several new residential projects under construction or on tap. A recognized brand like Subway in the heart of all this activity has great appeal for workers and residents, alike, because it’s healthy and convenient.”

The property, the Mayflower Building, was sold in 2013 for more than $11 million. The previous owner touted his ability to attract upscale tenants such as Pushcart Coffee, Malt & Mold and Eastwood (the bar occupying a prime corner spot). The coffee shop closed a year ago, citing escalating rent.

Subway has several other Lower East Side locations, including one a few blocks away on Grand Street near Essex Street. While many locals complain about the onslaught of chain stores, others point out that businesses such as Subway offer the neighborhood desperately needed affordable options.

The Subway Sandwich shop signed a 10-year lease on Clinton Street.

Image from Ice & Vice’s Facebook page.

An ice cream shop is taking over the old Pushcart Coffee space at 221 East Broadway. The news comes via the “commercial transactions” column in the New York Times. Ice & Vice, which has been making the rounds at food markets in Brooklyn and Queens the past couple of years, will be establishing its first brick-and-mortar location.

Owners Paul Kim and Ken Lo have taken 575 square feet in the building that also includes Malt & Mold, Eastwood and now a Subway sandwich shop. They signed a 10-year lease. Pushcart Coffee closed its original Lower East Side location in January of 2014, citing escalating rent and declining sales (they operate two other locations in Chelsea and Murray Hill).

On its website, Ice & Vice is described as an “experimental ice cream pop- up shop” that “pushes the boundaries of what frozen desserts can be.” Flavors include “Movie Night” (buttered popcorn, toasted raisins and dark chocolate), Tea Dance (Nilgiri Tea Leaf, Lemon Charcoal, Salted Caramel) and Forbidden Fruit (Green Apple Buttermilk, White Chocolate, Shiso Leaf).

A summer opening is anticipated.

Ice & Vice, the new ice cream shop at 221 East Broadway, is announcing its debut via social media. According to the graphic that’s gone up in the last day, the retail shop and production facility will open for business this coming Friday.

As we reported in March, Paul Kim and Ken Lo took over the space formerly occupied by Pushcart Coffee. They have been making the rounds at food fairs throughout the city, but this is their first brick-and-mortar location.

Paul Kim and Ken Lo of Ice $ Vice.

You can stop pressing your nose to the glass, looking longingly inside the new gourmet ice cream shop at 221 East Broadway. Ice & Vice opens today at noon.

The shop, located in the former Pushcart Coffee space, is owned by Paul Kim and Ken Lo, who got their start two years ago at Artists & Fleas in Williamsburg. They went on to make the rounds at several other New York City markets (including the Hester Street Fair) and won a Vendy Award for best dessert last year.

We stopped by the store yesterday to try out some of the inventive and playful flavors and talk with the owners about the new brick-and-mortar location. Kim and Lo, who grew up in California, always wanted to bring West Coast-style creative ice cream to New York. The idea behind Ice & Vice is to push the limits of what ice cream can be, experimenting with different flavor combinations and sourcing unusual ingredients from all over the world. “This is not your normal ice cream,” said Lo. “This is our perspective on what ice cream should be.”

There will usually be a dozen flavors, six of them signature varieties, with the rest rotating. Have a look at the debut menu:

Milk Money: Toasted milk, sea salt dark chocolate ganache
Basic B: Mexican vanilla, black lava sea salt
Movie Night: Buttered popcorn, toasted raisin, dark chocolate flakes
Tea Dance: Nilgiri black tea leaf, lemon charcoal caramel
Nuts of Wrath: Marcona almond, grape Koolaid jam
9AM: Donut truffle blended with Vietnamese coffee
Three Little Pigs: Salted caramel with bacon butter and bacon praline
American Beauty: Crème fraiche mixed with rose petal jam
Shade: Smoked dark chocolate, caramelized white chocolate ganache
Happy Panda: Black rice horchata, coconut cream, Saigon cinnamon (sorbet)
Mahjong: Jasmine tea leaf, white peach, peach lambic (sorbet)

A single scoop will run you $4 and change, putting it in the same price stratosphere as Morgenstern’s on Rivington Street and a bit more expensive than Il Laboratorio Del Gelato, the veteran on the Lower East Side artisanal ice cream scene.

The East Broadway location is a retail shop but it’s also a production facility. A pristine room in the back of the store is a dairy plant, certified by the state Department of Agriculture. It includes a pasteurizer, giving Ice & Vice the ability to form the base for their products. “It allows us to control every single element that goes into our ice cream,” Lo said.

The shop will be open during the week until 10 p.m., later on weekends. In the months ahead, they’ll be adding new menu items, including sundaes, ice cream sandwiches and even coffee when fall rolls around.