By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava
Manhattan Puppies & Kittens, at 552 Columbus Avenue (between West 86th and 87th streets), has closed. A sign in the window says the closure is due to the passage of The Puppy Mill Pipeline Act, which bans the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits by pet stores in New York. The legislation was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in December 2022 after a fierce battle between animal rights activists and pet store owners, but it did not go into effect until this week. Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, who co-sponsored the bill, told West Side Rag that she had called for a “one-year timeline to allow stores to transition their business models, but that the timeline was extended to two years before the bill was signed.” The goal of The Puppy Mill Pipeline Act is to stop the flow of dogs from puppy mills to retail stores in New York. Puppy mills are defined by the Humane Society of the United States as “high-volume dog-breeding facilities that churn out puppies for profit, ignoring the needs of the pups and their mothers.” According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, “Animals in puppy mills endure severe cruelty and neglect. Crowded into small dirty cages and deprived of companionship, mother dogs are forced to have multiple litters every year. Retail pet sale bans help crack down on these operations by reducing the demand for animals bred in mills.” Assemblymember Rosenthal posted on her Instagram this week saying “This law brings us one step closer to ending the cruel puppy mill industry.”
The sign on the window of Manhattan Puppies and Kittens says, “We are challenging this unconstitutional law in court, but until and unless we get a court order halting its enforcement, we must remain closed.” Pet stores in New York may continue to operate and sell food, toys, treats, and pet accessories. Manhattan Puppies and Kittens has not responded to West Side Rag’s calls for more information.
Lady M, a pastry shop, has signage up at 1 West 60th Street (just off of Broadway) and is planning to open in early-to-mid 2025, a representative confirmed with the Rag. Its desserts combine “French pastry techniques with Japanese sensibilities,” according to the company’s website. The bakery is known for its Mille Crêpes cake, which has 20 alternating layers of French crêpes and cream. They also sell bonbon and crêpe biscuit gift sets. Lady M’s first boutique opened on the Upper East Side in 2004, the representative wrote, and the brand currently has many shops in the US and internationally, including a few in NYC.
Bodega 88, the bar at 573 Columbus Avenue (between West 87th and 88th streets), is planning to expand into the adjacent space, 575 Columbus Avenue. The expansion will add more seating and an ADA-accessible restroom, according to information shared at a recent Community Board 7 meeting. In total, the combined space will have 36 tables and 8 bar stools. Bodega 88 opened in its current location in 2016. The new space, which is expected to open in January or February, used to be Modern Day OptX, an eyeglasses store that’s now located at 463 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 82nd and 83rd streets).
CenterPark, the three-story parking garage at 204 West 102nd Street, has closed. The cars were moved to the CenterPark location at 58 West 58th Street, according to a sign on the storefront. There is also an order posted from the NYC Department of Buildings to vacate the premises due to “severely cracked concrete.” It states that notification of unsafe conditions was given nearly a year ago and that there is no repair permit on file. The company did not respond to the West Side Rag’s outreach in time for this post. CenterPark has several parking and self-storage facilities in the city, including three others on the UWS, at 270 West 60th Street, 205 West 89th Street, and 27 West 105th Street. (Thanks to Joan for the tip.)
Cajun Halal Platters has signage up at 2707 Broadway (between West 103rd and 104th streets). The space used to be Yakitori Sun-Chan, the Japanese restaurant that closed last year. We’ll provide an update when we have more information. (Thanks to Tracy for the tip.)
Florentin, a bistro and bar, has signage up at 480 Amsterdam Avenue (West 83rd Street). The space used to be The Avenue, an Irish Pub, which closed in August after opening in May 2023. We’ll provide an update when we have more information. (Thanks to Howard for the tip.)
The Openings & Closings column wouldn’t be possible without our many tipsters: thank you! Anyone can send tips about openings and closings in the neighborhood to info@westsiderag.com.
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Sorry, I support not selling animals. They’re living breathing beings just like us, and I think you can’t sell humans, right?
Yes, let them all free and register them to vote.
Pretty sure the constitutionality issue was settled long ago, considering the number of cities that have already enacted similar legislation decades ago.
I won’t be sorry to see this puppy mill purveyor gone.
This puppy mill law was supremely misguided and has put some wonderful business that specialize in helping an nyc residents out of business. It was led by the exact same (mostly) women who couldn’t/wouldn’t adopt a large bully mixbreed with emotional problems to live in their 1 bedroom city apartment. So now those who want dogs in NYC are punished for actually living like “real New Yorkers” who shop locally, small, take pubic transportation, have no backyards, and have no cars, and often no elevators, but have time and love to give to the right pet.
And don’t give me the speech about how great adopting is. It’s great when it works. But it’s a long and terrible process and even then, a big crapshoot that simply doesn’t take anything about the HUMAN into account. This is NYC. Every — and I mean EVERY — dog at the city shelters is large and has issues, and it is totally APPROPRIATE and RESPONSIBLE for a person or family to make a decision about what kind of pet best suits the realities of their home and family members and capabilities.
I’m sorry that these long-time businesses, their knowledgeable and hardworking employees, and NYC residents have to suffer so “you” can feel good about “saving animals.”
Oh, and did you adopt a difficult teenager with emotional issues from foster care, or did you have your own children?
Bring on your “do-good we” hate. I don’t care.
“Oh, and did you adopt a difficult teenager with emotional issues from foster care, or did you have your own children?”
Wow. As an adoptee, this comment is extremely offensive and adds to the stigma that people who were adopted deal with from all the time. Also, someone could have a biological child who has emotional issues or is difficult, too so the point you were trying to make doesn’t hold. Regardless, children/people – even those in who are “difficult” and in foster care – are not like dogs or cats.
We looked up breeders of the dog we wanted to get, and found one near us. We went there and bought one of their puppies. We would never think of going to a puppy mill store – there are countless tales of how the mother dogs are bred over and over and over, and then just tossed into the rubbish. And the puppies are often not healthy. Puppy mills are a cruel business. I have heard a ton of awful stories about them. So by all means, hold on to your thoughts. I hold on to mine.
Or maybe put two and two together and realize that dogs don’t really belong in the city. They’re cooped up all day when the owner is at work. They bark and annoy all of their neighbors. If you want a dog, move to the suburbs and get a yard.
Sorry, dogs belong in the city. they are a great solace and comfort to many people of different ages. Don’t like dogs? Move somewhere else.
Well, we banned outdoor dining sheds, fireworks, and (soon – trust me) drones. Might as well ban dogs too!
As someone who volunteered at one of the major animal shelters in NYC, your take on the adoption process is, borrowing your words, supremely misguided. The shelter took in an incredible mix of dogs of all sizes and breeds, with unexpected stories like owner surrenders to pet store returns. It was quite often where I’d meet a pup (from a Norweigan Elkhound puppy to a purebred boxer pup) and I’d be confused on why they haven’t been adopted yet.
This isn’t a blanket statement against breeders; there are many great humane ones. But when you immediately put the “all adoptable dogs are large and have issues” tag on there, you only add more reason to why laws like these, as imperfect as they are, need to exist.
But sure, this is still “do-good” hate in your eyes. Enjoy your pubic transportation, and yes, I’m including the typo in here, Mel.
“…it’s a long and terrible process” For me, it was about 30 minutes of paperwork and around five days altogether. It was neither long nor terrible.
“Every — and I mean EVERY — dog at the city shelters is large and has issues” My terrier Newton was all of 17 lbs when I adopted him. The only issue he has is that he wants to make friends with every human and every dog he meets.
“…did you have your own children?” If you can give birth to puppies, you have 100% of my support in raising them.
(a) Breeders still exist. If you want to buy a dog, take on the responsibility that you’re so big on of identifying a competent and responsible one yourself, rather than relying on a pipeline of traumatized-for-profit commodity pets.
(b) So do rescues, which offer a wider range of breeds than are generally available in city shelters. My rescue is 13 lbs.
Absolutely NO responsible breeder of pure bred dogs will sell to a store. NONE! Pet stores can make a great go of it by selling food, toys, and supplies. They can do grooming and boarding and/or walking services as well. NONE of them needs to sell live dogs or cats. I don’t think anyone worries about fish or reptiles as “breeders” don’t really sell those creatures directly. However, anyone wanting a pure bred dog or cat should go directly to the breeder as they all specialize in different traits and breeds and purposes. Pet stores notoriously get their animals from southern mills. Adoption is something different altogether. I had the greatest German Shepherd who ever lived (and he lived for 16 years.) and I bought him off a street corner in front of the Apple Jack Diner in 1983. He was seven weeks old. For fourteen of his 16 years we volunteered doing pet therapy for the Animal Medical Center. One of my cats I adopted in college, the other from the ASPCA. A mixed breed or a pure bred animal can suffer the same problems — temperament and/or health, so there is literally NO difference, except when adopting a mixed breed puppy there is no predicting its eventual size. There is only the moral and financial difference. Human beings have nothing to do with pets. People are not pets. If you ‘don’t care,” why are you posting here? You are simply wrong on all accounts.
Halal Cajun cuisine? It will be interesting to see how the chefs carry that combination off. No pork, no crawfish etouffe…. I wish them luck.
Some Muslims will not eat shellfish at all. Cajun halal seems like a real NYC description 😉 but we do hope that this new restaurant will not hurt Zurna which is less than 1/2 a block away, and we can’t see that this wouldn’t have some effect on them, sigh. A shame to have two Middle Eastern restaurants so very close together!
I believe that while pork is not halal, shellfish is allowed.
I had written to the WSR about a year ago citing MANY negative google reviews that questioned the morality of Manhattan Puppies and Kittens. I cannot tell you how happy i am that that place is closed. i had visited the store personally and dont believe the owners were treating the animals humanely.
it’s about time we speak up for those who cannot speak! just about every dog i see in the park is a rescue dog. they and the owners are very happy. one can always go to a breeder if they choose.
“Cajun Halal”? Definitely wanna try that.
I am happy to see the Closing of Puppies and Kittens. I ” bought a westie from them to rescue him. He had never been out although 8 months, did not know how to walk on a leash and was given a horrendous diet. had. with a dose of something to stimulate the appetite and did not have all the necessary shots.
In addition to shelters, there are also dog rescue groups from which people can adopt. One is Miracles for Satos, which places stray dogs with owners. There is a vetting process, etc.
Bodega 88 is expanding?! That’s great news – its an awesome spot to catch a game, just has always been on the small side, excited to see them doing so well!
Meanwhile to adopt a dog you gotta go through a whole background check with everyone and their mothers plus the landlord has to approve the pet and give a good referral. Some also have to provide rules of having pets. But anyone can adopt children and rob the state. Perf.
There are too many dogs on the Upper West Side. No space for humans. If you want unconditional love, talk to a senior or ANYone…… Seniors eat their hearts out, watching all the ‘love’ the dogs get, while they get none. And then giving dogs treats all day long, when there are hungry HUMANS out there. Dogs go to spas, get expensive haircuts and treatments…. What kind of world are we living in???
I think we should get rid of the humans, more dogs!
Sorry, humans have plenty of space. In addition, seniors with dogs (I’m one) interact and a get (via the dog) a lot of attention, and social contact, Having a dog, in most cases, encourages folks to get outside on a regular basis, walk, and spend time outdoors. Most good, knowledgeable owners do not give their dogs treats all day, and the food dogs get is, in most cases, not human grade. Dogs who live in the City are generally more and better socialized than dogs who live alone in backyards, and given all of the manicurists, hair salons, etc., on the Upper West Side, I think the human population get plenty lux attention. Maybe YOU should adopt a dog and find out all of these benefits for yourself.
Was the last successful venture at NW corner of 83rd and Amsterdam the Raccoon Lodge decades ago?! What is it with this space that doesn’t allow success?
I’m very glad to hear that pet store has closed but at the same time, I worry about the fate of the animals who were still there. Does anyone know? West Side Rag, is that something you could look into?
Yes, what have they done with those poor dogs?
Where are people supposed to get cats and dogs now? How often does it happen that people see a little pet in the window and take them home? We’ll probably see much less cat and dog adoptions and more of them being put down. How sad.
this makes zero sense. Why would there be LESS adoptions because people can’t BUY them now?? Lots of places to adopt. Petco often has adoption events with cats, and ACC has many dogs.
Very excited to hear about the expansion of Bodega 88, favorite mojito in the neighborhood!
Now can we work on stopping the pet stores keeping those poor small fish in a tiny glass cube on a shelf for months on end. What a sad life, for what!
Looks like Chick-fil-a is opening next to Target on 795 Columbus.
Closed on Sundays?
To the best of my knowledge, I was under the impression that the Columbus Avenue pet store was a venue for selling puppies in Manhattan from their Westchester breeder. I’m pretty sure I’m correct about that. You could go visit the dogs in Westchester too if you wanted.
I used to go in there sometimes and the puppies seemed well taken care of and a pleasure to play with.
I’ve had a lot of trouble trying to find an older poodle to adopt. The problem with the adoption places are the small dogs get adopted before they’re even posted, most are mixed breeds so if you have allergy and think you’re getting a breed with hair you might find out that they’re free that’s mixed for which is more allergic. In addition I applied for two dogs and both turned out to be a scam. Caveat emptor.
My rescue could teach many of the commenters here about humanity and dogs. Starting with dogs are not humans, neither are cats.
This is very RUFF!
Tenants of CenterPark have been assured the garage will be reopening after the repairs are made.
OMG Party City is going out of business nationwide.
I was at the 660 Columbus Ave location just a week ago. They were out of stock of what I was looking for. Sigh.
Was at Best Buy on Lex and 86th yesterday. Terrible, but I hope it doesn’t go the way of the now-closed UWS Best Buy on Broadway.
Party City just announced nationwide bankruptcy and closure so the store on Columbus and 92nd will likely be closed after today.
Pet stores are allowed to have animals from rescue places in their stores. The PetCo on Union Square has done this for many years with cats. The pet store on Broadway, in the low 90s or upper 80s, has cats that need rescuing every Saturday. All puppy mills in all states should be shut down asap!!!! (And they should include guinea pigs along with cats, dogs and rabbits.)
Just me luck. Lady M opens right after my doctor tells me I’m prediabetic.
I’m wearing a continuous glucose monitor, which alerts me when I’m having a blood sugar spike. Just walking by the shop may induce a warning.
The CGM only works for 14 days before you have to remove it and swap for another. I may use the interregnum to sneak over for a slice of their marvelous Tiramisu Mille Crêpes. Ignorance is bliss.
Some notes about other places…
There was a recent post here about Stroko’s at Amsterdam and 114th St. They still have the vague “see you soon” sign in the window that makes it unclear whether they closed permanently or are renovating. But there was also a very new Con-Ed gas shut-off notice when I passed by tonight.
Over on Broadway and 113th, there might actually be something where the Miznon was announced two years ago. There are DOB permits that I don’t recall seeing before (I could be wrong), but the facade scaffolding is finally down, and there were new barriers on the sidewalk to keep people from walking on some sort of exterior work.
Down Broadway at 103rd, the Aangan restaurant had butcher paper up in their windows last week. No indication of whether closed or renovating. But then start of this week I noticed their awning was gone. So, closed, or seriously renovating?
The Miss Saigon restaurant over on Amsterdam near 106th has had renovations signs in their windows for a couple weeks, but I haven’t noticed anything going on in there when I’ve passed by.