On the Horizon
After 30 years at 475 10th Ave., the nonprofit gallery Exit Art is closing in May. The two-story, 22,000 square foot space will now be used by Chelsea's Sean Kelly Gallery. The goal is to get in and set up a space before the neighborhood presumably takes off with the development of Hudson Yards — and to open before other galleries that are also eyeing the neighborhood.
The new space is over three times bigger than the gallery's current location on W. 29th St. The gallery is set to open in the fall, with a series of events culminating in an opening exhibition.
Openings
After five years of running Jingle, a Christmas pop-up shop at Chelsea Market, designer Jill Schwartz is bringing her 6,000 square foot shop back for the warm weather. Offering off-beat jewelery and accessories, Springle will run Monday through Saturday from April 19 to April 29. The spring shop at 75 Ninth Ave. will also have men's accessories, bags, stationary and other curious odds and ends.
Irving Place standby Little Town NYC as opened up an outpost in Hell's Kitchen. The new location at 366 W. 46th St. will serve up the restaurant's familiar New York-themed small plates, along with some larger offerings, like a Waldorf salad and Little Italy sausage and pepper pasta.
Months in the making, Foragers City Grocer is now open at 300 W. 22nd St. The Brooklyn-based store specializes in important goods, specialty foods, and will also have a small wine shop. The new Chelsea location will also have a truck to make deliveries to those who don't want to go in person — though those customers will miss out on the store's built-in restaurant and juice and coffee bar.
Closings
Romera, which opened in 2011, closed earlier this month. The experimental restaurant debuted with a wacky menu that showed off owner Dr. Miguel Sanchez Romera's "neuro-gastronomy," which was trashed by critics, but embraced by a legion of fans.
The restaurant at 355 W. 16th St. dropped some of the weirder aspects of the menu, like expensive flavored waters, and dropped prices, but to no avail. In a statement, Romera didn't count himself out yet, and said his unique brand of culinary treats would live again in New York
