Closed for Business: Rita Knox Realty, 241 Fifth Avenue

Rita Knox Realty, on the well-trafficked corner of Fifth Avenue and Carroll Street, has been packed up and shut down. According to a message on the real estate agent's website, the company has gone entirely online after 27 years in the space.

I was always mildly intrigued by this storefront, largely due to the fact that there never really seemed to much going on inside, and was also pleased that they kept the old neon vertical sign for the liquor store that previously occupied the space.

As always, it will be very interesting to see what ends up taking over the space. If Moutarde is indeed closed across the street, then that's two of the most prime (and presumably expensive) corner storefronts in the neighborhood for rent, right across the street from each other.

Windows Papered Over at Moutarde

The deathwatch has been on at Fifth Avenue's Moutarde, on the corner of Carroll Street, since December of last year, when the owners decided to only be open on the weekends, for some reason. Then in March of this year the space was put up for rent, for nearky $8K/month.Then over the weekend the restaurant was closed.

Many thanks to a tipster for sending in a shot taken yesterday, which might just mean that the French bistro has finally closed for good after what was a slow death, begun a few years ago with a renovation/paint job/menu change.

I've reached out to the owners and will update if/when I receive confirmation.

"The Good Wife" Filming on Fifth Avenue Tomorrow, Move Your Cars Today

I hope your car isn't parked on the blocks mentioned in the poster above, which was tacked onto a pole on Fifth Avenue near First Street over the weekend, because as of tonight at 10 PM it most likely won't be there any more. The crew from the CBS hit The Good Wife is in town, and your car will not be blocking Julianna Marguiles' trailer, thank you very much.

Filming for the show begins tomorrow morning in the area, and whenever a production of this size rolls into town it always takes up a lot more space than you'd think after seeing the finished product (which in many cases is a simple interior scene, maybe with one establishing shot).

Either way, CBS says to move your car, and soon. If you have an issue you can give the CBS Locations Department a call at 718-389-0018. If your can ends up getting towed, call 917-750-4524.

Signage Up at The Crab Spot

Two weeks ago I brought you the scoop about The Crab Spot, the new seafood-oriented restaurant that should be opening any day now in the space last occupied by the ill-fated PSbklyn, on Union Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. Signage went up last week, in the form of a flag waving over the entrance.

The restaurant, which will serve primarily steaming pots of shellfish, is owned by two sons of the owners of Brighton Beach's boardwalk restaurant Volna, and the chef previously logged time at Flatbush Avenue's Piquant.

Some Updated Signage on Seventh

A walk down Seventh Avenue reveals some updated signage on storefronts that are home to pretty varied businesses.

First, there's the Park Slope Copy Center, near Carroll Street, which also used the opportunity to straighten up the cluttered interior and add a couple more computers.

Next up, there's the Douglas Elliman real estate office on the corner of Garfield Street. On the previous sign, which was a darker shade of blue, the word Prudential was more prominent than Elliman; apparently they're no longer even in the equation here.

Finally, further down the avenue, Hudson Cleaners got a new awning for their lone remaining storefront between 11th and 12th Streets (they previously occupied the rest of the block heading north; that's since been taken over by Talde). The old sign was dark green and said simply "Hudson Cleaners," this one is a bit more flashy and complements the ghastly green paint job that the rest of the storefront recently got (sadly painting over high-quality wood, below). I think I can safely say that this is the only lime green storefront in the neighborhood!

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