East Village mainstay Katinka is closing after 45 years on 9th Street

Katinka, one of the most unique shops in the East Village, is closing at the end of August after 45 years in business. 

Jane Williams and Billy Lyles, partners in Katinka and in life, made the announcement yesterday on Instagram:

Thanks for your love and support for 45 iconic years! We will be closing at the end of August. We loved every moment spent with you all. Please come and purchase our treasures, which will be on sale in the coming weeks. 

The shop is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5-8 p.m.

The two opened their closet-sized shop in 1979 at 303 E. Ninth St. just east of Second Avenue... offering hand-made pieces — including shirts, vests, quilts and rugs — all made and imported from India. 

For the past 15-plus years, Williams has worked with the Lasksh Foundation, an NGO in Mangar Village, Haryana, India. She travels there twice a year, volunteering her design services and supplies to educate women in the village.

Here's a 2021 video about the shop and the couple by photographer-filmmaker Josh Charow ...