EAST VILLAGE — Controversial developer Icon Realty has purchased the property at 11 E. Seventh St., previously occupied by neighborhood mainstay Surma the Ukrainian Shop, and is currently looking for a retail tenant to take over the space.
The shop shuttered in June after 98 years of selling books and traditional Ukrainian goods such as hand-woven rugs and ceramics, and had been in proprietor Markian Surmach's family since his grandfather opened the store in 1918 to serve the East Village's Ukrainian community.
The building was bought by Icon in August for $5.75 million, property records show — the company is now listing the ground-floor space at $17,000 a month, as first reported by EV Grieve.
Icon spokesman Chris Coffey said the company had just recently posted the listing and is looking for a tenant that will jive with the surrounding community. The space is perfect for "restaurant, bar, clothing store, salon, and all general retail uses," the listing says.
"We plan on owning the space for a long time to come..." Coffey said. "Hoping for [a tenant] which comports with the neighborhood."
Icon Realty has previously come under fire for alleged "construction-as-harassment" tactics, with rent-stabilized tenants of its buildings accusing the company of trying to force them out by failing to address needed repairs — Icon in May hired a 'building safety manager' to monitor the concerns.
