Neighborhood Watch: East Village

Anthology Film Archives

Anthology Film Archives (Second Ave. and Second St.) is an independent movie theater originally conceived as a showplace for an intensely curated, ever-evolving collection of masterpieces called “Essential Cinema.”

Over the past four decades, however, Anthology has expanded beyond this permanent series into a premiere venue for independent films. Anthology now puts on regular series with varying themes outside of “Essential Cinema.”

The unifying theme of Anthology’s collection and what makes the archive such a special place is the rarity of its films. Of the 800 films in its permanent archives, many are unique to Anthology.

The emphasis on obscurity is partly a rejection of mainstream style and partly a desire to fill an important niche. The theater’s operators love the aesthetic of the art they save, and they also know that marginalized films would disappear without places like Anthology.

Anthology’s ongoing series “Stuck On The Second Tier: Underknown Auteurs” fits neatly into this mission. As the title suggests, the focus is on bringing little-known directors into the spotlight.

This weekend’s installment of “Underknown Auteurs” features two movies by Gregory La Cava. “Unfinished Business” (1941) follows a woman, seduced and abandoned on a bet, as she gets to know the brother of her seducer. Meanwhile, “She Married Her Boss” (1935) follows a secretary as she struggles with her new husband’s eccentric family.

La Cava is known for effectively mixing comedy with drama, and though the plots of these movies are very different, both show La Cava’s signature style.

If you don’t have time this weekend to see these films, or if La Cava just doesn’t sound appealing, Anthology has dozens of screenings every weekend, and the film list is highly varied.

Whether you’re a film buff looking for something new, an enthusiast trying to discover a bit more about the movies, or just a supporter of independent art, a visit to Anthology Film Archives is worth a trek down to the Village.

ArtUp! Initiative at Extra Place

What used to be average shipping crates and scaffolding in the East Village have recently gotten face-lifts, thanks to the Fourth Arts Block’s ArtUp! Initiative, now in its fifth year. “It’s making an impact in the neighborhood,” curator Joyce Manalo said. “It’s widening the reach of public art.”

The curators explained that for the public project, artists draw on local themes that inspire them, like street style and grittier graffitti. One ArtUp site, at East Fourth and Bowery streets, features the work of five local artists and includes painted construction crates with a images of faces and diagrams of carbon chains and chemical reactions, as well as illustrations directly on the cement surfaces.

The most recent exhibit is called “Groundbreak,” and is located in the Artist Alley at Extra Place tucked behind what used to be CBGB’s, a now-demolished punk concert hall.

The mission behind ArtUp! is twofold: to give local artists space to show their art and to beautify otherwise dull construction.

Curator Keith Schweitzer said that this project is a way to integrate an art form that often has negative connotations by allowing local and visiting artists to legally show their street art in a controlled setting.

The construction crates “aren’t going anywhere for a while,” Schweitzer said.

FAB has its own café that also serves as a visitor center for the East Village. Visitors can ask questions about the local area, enjoy a good cup of coffee, and see a temporary exhibition of a local artist.

“You see the before, and then you walk across the street and see the after,” Schweitzer said.

Thift Shops

Fashionably distressed clothes can come with a high price tag. For Manhattanites, however, paying top dollar for these garments is inexcusable when genuinely distressed clothes are available for a fraction of the price in a plethora of locations just a few subway transfers away in the East Village.

At First Avenue and 11th Street, the meandering bargain-hunter can find No Relation, the quintessential thrift store—down to its unglamorous but well organized layout, large selection, and taxidermy squirrel wall décor. Its prices weren’t too shabby—$10-$15 for flannels, $10-$30 for ‘90s jean jackets, $40 for leather jackets, and best of all, $40 for stunning, genuine fur coats. No Relation is definitely a winner for statement pieces that would cost a fortune at LF or Urban Outfitters, and even had a costume section for the especially wacky. As it turns out, the shop is associated with a number of thrift stores along the L train, from 7th avenue in in Manhattan to Morgan Avenue in Brooklyn, which should be well worth a trip.

Eleventh street is lined with several small, higher end second-hand boutiques with browse-worthy collections before arriving at the next true thrift shop, Buffalo Exchange. A chain buyback second-hand store, (“Recycle your ugly Christmas sweaters!” read a chalkboard on the wall) Buffalo Exchange has a more retail feel. In turn, its more varied style options make it more suitable for anyone who isn’t a grungy hipster but still appreciates a good deal. Perks included its shoes—good sneakers and heels (~$20)—and jewelry, ($7-$15). Prices were comparable to No Relation, though the unused look came slightly at the expense of quality—its fake fur coats cost the same as No Relation’s genuine ones.

A few blocks away, Metropolis, on 10th Street and Third Avenue, offers a top-notch collection of ‘80s and ‘90s grunge but charges its patrons accordingly for the sifting time saved. Fabulous acid wash and bedazzled jean jackets were $65, shredded band tees $35-45, bombers $98, Dr. Huxtable sweaters $35, leather boots $75-90, and exquisite studded leather bags a depressing $195-200. Though it leaves the wallet hurting, Metropolis is the place to go for genuine, unique pieces of rock 'n roll garb.

Finally, the Salvation Army on 4th avenue between 11th and 12th is yet another stop for fashionistas on a budget. Unfortunately, it leaves much to be desired, with its awkward layout, disorganization, and heavily used clothing. Its perks: gems like Prada and Jimmy Choo are findable with some digging; prices range from the affordable $1-$25, and all but recently added items are half off on Wednesdays— worth checking out, at the very least.