Previously, 8-Bit and Up, the retro video shop, was upstairs before moving to Third Street in the fall of 2013.
And once upon a time... bring back Kim's!
The above photo is by Barry Joseph, and it was published in Ada Calhoun's book "St. Marks Is Dead."
P.S.
The Gap was on the ground floor from 1988 to 2001...
The fine people at The Gap tried to warn us of a chain store future but we just laughed at them.
ReplyDeleteI remember when the Gap moved in and people saw it as the end of an era! (There were two others on 8th street at the time.)
ReplyDeleteIt WAS the end of an era. Take a look around.
ReplyDeleteI miss the St. Marks movie theater that used to be on that corner. Now that really takes you back in time.
ReplyDeleteThe Saint Marks movie theater was a few doors from the corner, next to the library. I lent them my foreign Mad Max posters when they showed the movie in 1981, 2 years after original American release. After the showing, the owner didn’t want to return the posters to me but he did.
DeleteI think there also used to be a café in that 2nd floor location, around 2000? I might mix up the building though...
ReplyDeleteHmm, not sure if this is what you’re thinking of, but I know there was a bar up there, which may have been part cafe, in the early ‘00’s. I seem to recall it had a Soviet-themed name, but don’t remember what is was. I’m pretty certain it opened by 2002 at latest, probably a little earlier, and it must have still been there after 2003, cause I remember they still allowed smoking quite a while after it was prohibited in bars. I fondly recall sippin’ a whiskey and having a smoke, while taking in a (low-flying) bird’s eye view of workers switching the street crossing signs on the former BBQ corner of St. Marks from the worded “Walk/Don’t Walk” ones to the ones with symbols. Think it closed shortly thereafter, maybe 2005-ish? Not sure if that’s any help, but thanks for sparking that recollection, ha.
DeleteMany tried to break the GAP windows, but they were tough, even withstanding an M80 crazy-glued to one.
ReplyDeleteChris Karma succeeded by twirling a fire hydrant cover like a discus (sp?) and letting go after several rotations.
NO ONE shopped at the CRAP. It was always EMPTY. The loss of income at that corner was simply a tax write-off for them.
The loss for our community was far more.
In summer and fall 2002, it was indeed a bar/cafe. I thought it was just called St. Mark's cafe; Turkish owned and very underrated foodwise. It was, for a brief period, the go to place to watch Turkish domestic league soccer games for the Turkish community in Manhattan. And yes, it was very smoke-filled. I left NY in early 2003, and when I came back in 2005, it had closed. The same people later on opened a Turkish restaurant in Avenue between 6 and 7 (Maya?) which also didn't last too long.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember a tie-dye clothing store there in the late 70s, early 80s? I can't remember if it was both floors or just the upper, and don't remember the name, but definitely remember shopping there.
ReplyDeleteI remembered the clothing store name, Shazzam, and found this post and 1974 image. https://tinyurl.com/2ayvpcrw
ReplyDeleteObviously more than tie-dye, both floors, and I'm remembering an open staircase inside leading to the second level.
Here is a link to the web page of the owner of Shazzam which shows that she was in business on that corner from 1971 to 1988. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachellestarr/
ReplyDelete