Openings & Closings: Sugarfish; Bleecker Trading; Dig; Benefit; Health Atlast Upper West Side

By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava

Sugarfish, a sushi restaurant, is planning to open on August 8th at 207 West 75th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway. Sugarfish, which is backed by chef Kazunori Nozawa and his son Tom Nozawa, has several other locations in California, and NYC, including Midtown, SoHo, and Williamsburg. The restaurants are known for their “Trust Me” menus, which feature select fish from “around the world.” There are also tasting menus dedicated to limited-availability items, such as Toro, Ankimo Sashimi, Pink Lobster, Salmon Kombu, and more. The space will have 40 seats and was most recently an outpost for JOKR, a grocery delivery service. (Thanks to Amy for the tip.) 

Bleecker Trading, a store for buying, selling, and trading cards and sports memorabilia, is planning to have a soft opening the first week of August at 185 West 80th Street. Bleecker Trading’s first location in the West Village opened in late 2020, coinciding with the renewed interest in collectibles in recent years. Bleecker caters to kids and adults alike, founder Mark Zablow said on a call with West Side Rag. “I think a lot of people have a vision of what you saw in the Simpsons with the comic book shop and those older, curmudgeonly-style trading card stores,” he said. “We want to bring a different vibe [and] that’s why you kind of see us highlighting our events, our stroller parking, our clean bathrooms, our lounge, our Wi-Fi. Typically a card shop in the past has not really given off that type of vibe.” The new location will host monthly events – such as trade nights, kids’ events, and Pokémon parties – and will be available for booking private and semi-private events, like birthday parties and happy hours. Bleeker has a catering partnership with Made in New York Pizza, which is just next door. 

Bleecker’s prices can range greatly, with boxes of single cards that go from $1 to $100, as well as cards in its showcase that go from hundreds to thousands of dollars. “We try to be a very accessible store [as] there’s a lot of high-end and a lot of low-end,” he said. “We try to focus very much on new releases and what people are looking to get today.” Mickey Mantle and Michael Jordan items are typically the most sought-after, but Zablow has a soft spot for basketball star Allen Iverson. “Anything that’s an Allen Iverson one-of-one, I’m always chasing.” 

Dig, the counter-service restaurant at 2884 Broadway (between West 112th and 113th streets),  is closed temporarily for renovation. It is expected to re-open in mid-August, a representative from the company confirmed to WSR. This Dig location has been there since 2014 – before that it was Cardomat, a stationery store. There are many Digs in the city including one on the UWS at 100 West 67th Street. 

Benefit, the eyebrow salon at 315 Columbus Avenue (corner of West 75th Street), is planning to close on August 21st, a manager confirmed to WSR. Benefit, which does eyebrow waxing, tinting, threading, and facial waxing, opened at this location in January 2020. There are several other Benefit salons in NYC – the closest ones are on the Upper East Side. Previous customers at the UWS salon should be receiving an email with information about where their aesthetician will be relocated, if they are staying with the company. There is a sale of 40% to 50% off its products going on now. 

Health Atlast Upper West Side, a branch of a California-based medical center, opened on June 18th at 279 Central Park West Suite 1A (corner of West 88th Street). Health Atlast was founded by two Los Angeles chiropractors, Stephanie and Wayne Higashi in 2014. They have eight locations throughout the United States: five are in California. This is the second New York location, the other is on Long Island. Health Atlast Upper West Side currently has one chiropractor and one massage therapist on site, but they are planning to bring in nurse practitioners, physical therapists, and an acupuncturist in the future, a representative from the company told West Side Rag.  Scheduling is by appointment. They are open 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

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