Covered in this blog, an incomplete list includes:
Iconic bars like Mars Bar and the P&G. The loss of Mars Bar was met with deep grief, especially from denizens of the East Village. The original P&G had already been lost, but this year its reincarnation also vanished.
We saw the shuttering of the Chelsea Hotel to all but its permanent residents. I spent the night there on its final night in business before it was ruthlessly gutted for a renovation that will surely be a gutting of its soul.
We lost (at least) two bookstores. Bookberries vanished and so did the Atlantic Bookshop, the reincarnation of the lost and beloved 12th Street Books.
West Chelsea's automotive-related businesses were mowed down after the second half of the High Line opened. Firestone Bear Auto was shuttered by its landlord for high-end development, as was the antique Olympia Garage and the third-generation business Brownfeld Auto. Two gas stations went with them--the Chelsea Mobil and the Village Lukoil. A quirky lunch spot for taxi drivers and mechanics, Poppy's Terminal Food Shop closed, and its neighbor 10th Ave. Tires was sent packing.
In other news, the Chinatown Fair, famed for its tic-tac-toe chicken, shuttered and moved away. Elliott Pharmacy was eaten by the many Duane Reades and Rite Aids. Wu-Tang martial arts studio fell along with Mars Bar. And we learned that Lucky Cheng's is on the vanishing list for 2012.
I'm sure I've missed many--please add them to the list. (Restaurants and buildings are coming soon.)
Previous Year-End Reviews:
2010
2009: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
2008
2007
4 comments:
All so very sad...I do know that 2 of my all-time favorite places (New York Fragrance Shoppe on E. 7th St. & the magnificent "C'est Magnifique" on Macdougal) have been told to shutter their current locales by January, though both are trying to find a new spot. Such losses!
Timboo's last weekend coming up.
7th ave between 12 and 13th street lost both a news store (that had been there for 20+ years)and Jessie's deli that was forced to close after 30 years. These both happened in 2010-2011 due to the shuttering of st Vincent's. The Block has now been taken over by a massive Duane Reade.
Seaburn books in Astoria closed last month.
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