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Read the press release here.

Officials to Support East Village Shops Affected by Blast with Biz Crawl

By Lisha Arino | May 20, 2015 11:04am
 A debris-strewn street seen amid the site of a seven-alarm fire that caused the collapse of two buildings and damage to two other buildings a day after the blaze took place on March 27, 2015 in New York City.
A debris-strewn street seen amid the site of a seven-alarm fire that caused the collapse of two buildings and damage to two other buildings a day after the blaze took place on March 27, 2015 in New York City.
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Getty Images/Nancy Borowick-Pool

EAST VILLAGE — City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Councilwoman Rosie Mendez will host a "Small Business Crawl" on May 29 to help the restaurants and shops that were affected by the Second Avenue gas explosion two months ago.

“Despite the horrible tragedy that occurred in this neighborhood recently, the East Village remains a vibrant and lively destination in New York City,” Mark-Viverito said in a statement, encouraging New Yorkers to visit the neighborhood.

The blast killed two men and razed three buildings after it ripped through the basement of a sushi restaurant at 121 Second Ave. on March 26. Authorities evacuated nearby buildings as a precaution and closed the streets and sidewalks to traffic.

“When the disaster happened, we worked really hard to get up and running again,” said Jimmy Carbone, who was forced to close his bar, Jimmy’s No. 43, for two weeks following the incident.

Although the roads have been reopened and the vacate orders mostly lifted, many people haven't realized that nearby businesses have returned, Carbone said in the statement.

Many of his customers, he added, “thought we were closed for good.”

“This event will help show everyone that this part of the East Village is up and running again,” Carbone said.

The crawl begins at 5:30 p.m. at the explosion site — the northwest corner of East Seventh Street and Second Avenue — with a moment of silence for Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locon Yac, who were both killed in the explosion.

The tour will then stop through Moishe’s Bake Shop, New Yorkers Market, Café Mocha, Bar Virage, Himalyan Visions, Enz’s and Jimmy’s No. 43.

Those who wish to participate can RSVP to crawl by emailing jli@council.nyc.gov.