First Word: Panya Space to Expand into Around the Clock

Last night, Community Board 3's SLA Licensing Committee met to dole out the usual approvals and crushing denials to East Village, LES, and Chinatown applicants. The full report is coming up (spoiler: the UCB Theater got approved), but here now, rightthisverysecond, the most interesting news:

Around the Clock Diner, the mediocre 24-hour spot on Stuyvesant Street, is going to yield its bar area to the space that is currently home to Panya, the beloved Japanese bakery set to close on Sunday. The bakery space will grow twice its size, making it a viable option for a restaurant (or, of course, a retail store).
UPDATE: To clarify: Panya will be closing on the 18th, but they will reopen as twice their size as a a restaurant/bakery/shop in three to four months, news the community board welcomed.
· The Shutter: Japanese Bakery Panya Closing Jan. 18 [~E~]