[Photo by Steven]
As first noted on Tuesday, St. Mark's Comics announced that it will close at the end of February after 36 years on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.
"I have been working 90 hours a week for 36 years, and I no longer have the wherewithal to fight them — all of these various reasons," owner Mitch Cutler told me about all the different factors that led to his decision to close up shop. "It is challenging to have a storefront business in New York City for a number of reasons...it is challenging to keep and maintain a retail storefront and there are enough impediments now that—like I said, I'm exhausted and can't fight them anymore."
News of the closing was picked up by a variety of news sources (and thanks to Curbed and Gothamist for linking to my post!) ... there was a lot of reaction via Twitter. Here's a sampling...
gutted! I salute you @StMarksComicsNY you've been amazing to my pals and i for our entire careers and always a delight when we stopped by. go there and enjoy them while you can. https://t.co/LUnFcoOhl2
— BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (@BRIANMBENDIS) January 30, 2019
This is terrible, soul-crushing news. https://t.co/zUlipwiGhc
— Simon Drax (@SimonDrax) January 29, 2019
Another cool spot going bye bye. Jeesh https://t.co/kSiRcgK7Fq
— francesco marano (@italianmojo887) January 30, 2019
So sad about this. How can there not be a St. Marks Comics in NYC? I was there over the weekend, but I will be again when I am in the city this week to buy some souvenirs of the best comics shop that ever was. @StMarksComicsNY you will always be loved and missed by many! https://t.co/x0fLXvaEYJ
— Sue Bachner (@SueBachnerShow) January 30, 2019
Probably the biggest, fluffiest fantasy in that new Spider Man art experiment that's entrancing the kids now is that that seamless mix of old New York culture and New York tech that it does its damnedest to sell you on. You laugh at first... https://t.co/mmMkoKGpbG
— Bartleby and Jaymes (@nilesformayor) January 30, 2019
Jeez Manhattan, I give up on you https://t.co/c5TowCTS8E
— stepped up (@annkpowers) January 30, 2019
RIP @StMarksComicsNY I worked there age 14, summer 1991. X-Force was huge, the murder rate hit a record high, and I was dating a rollerblader. #stmarksisdead https://t.co/DTKBtMGPO7
— Ada Calhoun (@adacalhoun) January 29, 2019
— fake nick ramsey (@nick_ramsey) January 29, 2019
And there was this from storyboard artist Sean Chen...
Meanwhile, the store is having a clearance sale, as you can see on the sign outside...
[Photo by Steven]
2 comments:
Another little piece of what made the EV the EV is leaving us. While I am not a collector I know that this place was a special stop for those who were and for those who wanted to be.
Thank you for making our neighborhood just a little better than it was these last 30 years.
This beloved shop was prominently featured in an episode of Sex and the City; Season Three "Hot Child In The City" circa 2000. Carrie meets a feckless man named Wade who owns this comic book shop on Saint Marks and whom still lives at home with his parents in his mid-thirties. They meet when Carrie realizes it is no longer a shoe repair store. They hook up, smoke a lot of 420, and eventually break up. Whenever I pass by this store, I think of that series, and how it made me curious if the shop really existed. Of course it did! They filmed all over Manhattan and chose authentic locales where people actually lived and worked.
While I don't purchase comic books, I know this shop will be missed and forever adored. Another sad reminder how the EV and NYC are slowly being dismantled and rebuilt in favor of greed, wealth and materialism. Even though I am only 40, I miss the good ole days of NYC when I moved here at twenty in 1999. All of these businesses stand for something. They represent optimism and uniqueness. With fewer operations, much of our city feels more sterile and suburban. I don't blame the owner for checking out and moving on. Such a different time in our world and city now :(
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