As we first reported last Thursday, The Sock Man is closing on St. Mark's Place after nearly 33 years here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.
The Sock Man took to Facebook on Sunday night:
The Sock Man wishes all of you all a Happy and healthy New Year! Unfortunately, after 30 years on The block, we will no longer call 27 St.Mark's Place our home. This will take place in the next week.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support in making my business what it is. You never know where our new home will be, but in the meantime The Sock Man is still open for business at www.thesockman.com. With the low shipping rates!
Thank you for EVERYTHING!! #SaveNYC
A tipster told us that the landlord is asking for 3x the current rent.
Owner Marty Rosen has been peddling socks, tights, lingerie and other accessories in this space since 1983.
In an interview in the Daily News in 2009, Sock Man customer Chloe Sevigny called Rosen the "grumpiest man on Earth." Responded Rosen: "I have my moments. I'm from New York. We all have our moments."
Updated 1 p.m.
In a follow-up comment, The Sock Man said that Friday (Jan. 15) is his last day in business.
Updated 5 p.m.
I should have noted earlier that this address was one of the 16 East Village properties purchased by Raphael Toledano’s Brookhill Properties last September.
Updated 1/15
The store will now close by 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16.
Previously on EV Grieve:
The Sock Man is closing on St. Mark's Place
I'm really sad about this -- how can it be that suddenly the landlord needs triple the rent? Where are the city gov't. officials?
ReplyDeleteWe love you Marty.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe word is a Cat Cafe will open here in February
ReplyDeleteTime to load up on socks this weekend. I really hope Sock Man can reopen in the neighborhood.
ReplyDelete3x the rent? what an a-hole? not even banks can afford that. more vape shops here we come.
ReplyDeleteWell... a tipster isn't an actual source. And even if it was 3x rent, that sounds enormous unless the rent was extremely low compared to market value in the first place. So... if for example he was paying $1k/month 3x that would not be preposterous. If he was paying $4k and they asked $12k that is a different story.
ReplyDeleteEither way, the practice of the city driving out mom and pop building owners in favor of large corporations is why this is all happening.
Well, I'm heading over to buy some socks.
ReplyDeleteToledano owns this building, right?
ReplyDeleteYeah who owns the building.
ReplyDeleteThis address was one of the 16 properties that Toledano closed on back in September.
ReplyDeleteWe should try and help the Sock Man find a new space in the hood somewhere. He doesn't need a big space. If he did one of those on-line things I would actually support him, not like those asses from St. Mark's Books. He should sell from the Flea Market on 14th street in the church. Seems like a decent market these days. Or he could set-up in the schoolyard on 11th and A - oh shit I forgot our neighbor Douglas Steiner dug a big hole there for some lux housing. Anyone know where Dougie lives by the way?
ReplyDeleteI've shopped there many times. All the old haunts are going.
ReplyDeleteRemember, the Sock Man started out on the street, without a storefront; I'm not saying he has to or even can do that again, but a lot of local businesses started out selling on the street.
ReplyDeleteNorman's Sound and Vision was a business that started out selling out of boxes on the street; anybody remember that?
Miss Normans. Will miss Sockman and all the other small businesses that grew from the street up. We live in surburbia now. 7/11s, banks, drug store chains and restaurants and shops that could be at a mall in Peoria is what the EV is about.
ReplyDeleteNow when I see a true old school freak on the street, which is rare, I marvel at how they managed to hang on here, just like me.
What was that save the small NYC businesses bill that did not get passed?
At 10:22 AM, Anonymous said:
ReplyDeleteWe live in surburbia now. 7/11s, banks, drug store chains and restaurants and shops that could be at a mall in Peoria is what the EV is about.
We don't have the Scotch Boutique yet.
Is it true a cat cafe is planned for this space
ReplyDelete