Since 1983, The Sock Man, aka Marty Rosen, has been selling socks on St. Mark's Place. Now a reader writes in to say the end is near.
She says that Rosen is "being forced off St. Mark's Place forever due to Real Estate tyrannical fascism. It breaks my heart to help him pack up the store."
E.V. Grieve broke the news yesterday, noting the last day of business may be January 18.
With Trash & Vaudeville going, Sounds going, and pretty much everything else gone, St. Mark's is dead and keeps on dying. Like many of those old-school spots and their proprietors, Rosen embodies the vanishing neighborhood spirit -- curmudgeonly, idiosyncratic, the real deal.
Chloe Sevigny once called him "the grumpiest man on Earth. He's like the Soup Nazi, but he sells socks."
Rosen embraced the moniker, replying, "I'm the Sock Nazi."
He's also got a fine-looking #SaveNYC sign hanging prominently in the Sock Man window. So what can be done to save the Sock Man? Nothing--absolutely nothing can be done--unless we get City Hall to make real change. Here's one thing you can do right now.
Wow - now there's a real long-standing business going under.
ReplyDeleteSadly, St. Mark's Place has been nothing more than a sort of Epcot-faux Bohemian shopping mall for NYU kids and tourists since at least 1995, and probably a bit longer.
The Sock Man is one of my all-time favorite stores. I tell people to budget some time to spend in there because you're bound to have some wonderful conversation. I really hope he can re-open in the area.
ReplyDeleteOh that's so sad
ReplyDeleteWell Marty, it's Sockman.com or back to street vending . You were good at it.
ReplyDeleteClassic TV/Documentaries on New York
ReplyDelete– 1940 Coney Island
– 1960 Greenwich Village
– 1938 Boats – Hudson
– 1941 Transporation
www.icineflix.com
I didn't leave the east village. It left me. Aka Peter blue in Chiang mai Thailand. Come on over Marty.
ReplyDelete