Foot Gear Plus closed this past July 31 after nearly 40 years on the southwest corner of First Avenue and St. Mark's Place.
The space — 131 First Ave. — has been on the market since then. Per Meridian Investment Sales:
Owned by the same family for 54 years, this single story building, located on the southwest corner of St. Marks Place and First Avenue, presents a distinct opportunity for an investor or end-user to establish a retail or food and beverage presence.
The property is currently constructed as a single story, 1,350 square foot building with a large usable basement. Investors have a unique value-add opportunity to either reposition the retail or monetize 4,150 square feet of air rights in the future.
The listing at LoopNet notes that the property is now in contract. (There wasn't any mention of the price.)
So we'll see what the new owner has in mind with those air rights... and that artificial turf atop 134 First Ave.!
As for Foot Gear Plus, Tony Scifo, who opened the shop here in 1980, told this to EVG contributor Stacie Joy in July: "After several years of peaks and valleys in business there were just too many valleys. Companies now sell direct to consumers and once they started offering free shipping it was all over. This is happening everywhere, not just locally. The landlord wanted us to stay. She offered us a fair price and she's been great. We just couldn't make it."
Images via LoopNet
Previously on EV Grieve:
After nearly 40 years, Foot Gear Plus is closing on 1st Avenue and St. Mark's Place
8 comments:
luxury condos what else.
Noodles and/or coffee?
Condo condo condo CONDO
Naah, I see a 50 Story Emporium dedicated to all the various Kinds of Dumplings and Noodles from all the difference Provinces of China.
I remember when that space was a fabric store and I bought material there to make my clothes, in the Sixties...
Three fantastically warm pairs of Wigwam wool boot socks go for about thirty dollars on Amazon, but at Foot Gear Plus you could pick up those same three pairs for about half of that.
Thank you, Patricia, for the mention of the fabric store. I never knew that was there. One by one the fabric and trimming suppliers from the EV and LES disappear. NYC constantly evolves.
Gizmo between 9 and 10 Streets is the only remnant (see what I did there?) of a line of fabric and notion and embroidery stores that ran up 1sr Avenue right to 14 Street. There was a lovely tiny shop where China Star or the taco place is now, run by a sweet older Eastern Europea, couple, selling every kind of ribbon, button, thread, zipper or whatnot imaginable. I still have the heavy steel dressmaking shears I bought from them in 1968, plus yards and yards of metallic silver lace ruffles and that great Ukrainian folky Cossack braid. Another favorite was Diamond Fabrics, a crammed, untidy place with the best fabrics, on 1st between 10 and 11, in the middle of the block on the west side. You took your life in your hands going in, as the bolts of material went up to the ceiling and threatened to tip over on your head. All great.
Post a Comment