A belated farewell to a familiar fixture of St. Mark’s Place

For years, the southwest corner at Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place buzzed with several sidewalk vendors selling everything from cheap sunglasses and floppy hats to wigs, umbrellas, and novelty holiday fare — items that were more functional than fashionable but always there when you might need them. 

The vendors disappeared earlier this year. (Photo below by Steven from 2020.)

We haven't seen the vendors since late February or early March here in the spaces outside the current tenant, Poetica Coffee.

A reliable source informs us that the newish landlord plans to demolish the structure that housed these vendors. 

In a sale announced last July, Ryco Capital purchased the three buildings at 127-129 Second Ave. and 36 St. Mark's Place from Jonis Realty (which is run by Citi Urban Management, also owned by the Helegua family) for $29 million. 

For decades, until 2020, the corner housed Gem Spa, the candy shop-newsstand. The wall was lined with payphones in the 1970s and 1980s... (and well-known for New York Dolls photo shoots)...

 

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We attempted to establish a more precise timeline of how the corner space evolved but only came up with fragments. 

Ray Patel bought Gem Spa in 1986, and he eventually removed a wall, replaced it with glass, and began selling goods such as T-shirts and hats outside. The adjacent kiosk was said to have arrived about the same time. (Photo below from 2019 by Stacie Joy.)

Buying something here was a bit of a rite of passage — mostly touristy, the kind of stop longtime residents might scoff at or avoid altogether. But in a sudden downpour or after a few drinks, it was often where you found yourself. And you knew that you could get the $20 asking price in half by starting to walk away. 

You can still find sidewalk hats and scarves from the kiosks that remain on the southeast corner of St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue (as well as outside Funky Town mid-block). 

Still, for those who remember the cluttered charm of that southwest corner, its absence leaves the block feeling just a little less alive — and familiar.