The northwest corner of Avenue A and St. Marks Place stopped serving coffee on Saturday, Sept. 26. That was the last day for the Starbucks there, and EV Grieve reported that the closure came two days after the company announced plans to close 250 North American locations. The store had opened in August 2017. With it gone, one Starbucks remains in the East Village, at First Avenue and Third Street.
On its own, that corner would be a minor change. It was one of four storefronts on the eastern blocks of St. Marks Place to close between Aug. 31 and mid-October, and none of the four has a named replacement. In the same weeks, the neighborhood's new cafes, bakeries and shops opened a block or two away, on Sixth Street, Tenth Street, First Avenue and the lettered avenues. This fall, the East Village's new businesses have been opening around St. Marks rather than on it.
Four storefronts, one stretch, about six weeks
These are the closures on the blocks of St. Marks between Third Avenue and Avenue A, in order:
- 886, the Taiwanese restaurant at 26 St. Marks Place, closed on Aug. 31 after eight years. The owners gave no reason, according to EV Grieve.
- Reiwatakiya, the Japanese beauty and lifestyle shop at 37 St. Marks Place, had its last day on Sept. 26. The company said it would keep operating elsewhere.
- Starbucks at Avenue A also closed on Sept. 26.
- Bake Culture at 22 St. Marks Place closed recently. EV Grieve reported on Oct. 15 that the chain had removed the location from its website and that an employee at its Bowery branch confirmed the closure.
As of this week, no signage or announced tenant has been reported for any of the four spaces. The one sign of something new on these blocks is older. In May, EV Grieve spotted signage for Tea Leaf and Creamery at 33 St. Marks Place, which was planned as its first New York City location, in the former Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea space. At that point it was a plan, and no opening had been confirmed.
The Third Avenue end went big in the other direction
The western end of St. Marks has been moving the opposite way. The Real Deal reported in September 2025 that Sephora leased 7,800 square feet at 1 St. Marks Place. Rent and lease term were not disclosed. The store opened at the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Marks in May 2026, after a soft launch ahead of its advertised Friday opening.
That puts one large national retailer at the Third Avenue end of the street and a run of empty small storefronts toward Avenue A. The small-format openings this fall went elsewhere.
Where the new places opened instead
Here is what opened or soft-opened in the East Village from mid-September through early October, by address:
| Business | Address | What it is | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Time Country Buffet | 166 First Ave. | Southern all-you-can-eat buffet | Opened Saturday, Sept. 12 |
| Flamingos Vintage Pound | 199 First Ave., between 12th and 13th | Secondhand clothing sold by the pound | Open as of mid-September |
| Herbie's Burgers | 109 First Ave., between Sixth and Seventh | The brand's first Manhattan location | Open as of mid-September |
| Table Mercato | 214 E. 10th St. | Boston sandwich shop, first location outside Massachusetts | Opened Sept. 26 |
| Thone | 501 E. Sixth St. | Georgian bakery-cafe and natural wine bar | Opened Friday, Oct. 2 |
| Barryville General | 70 Avenue A | New market and cafe next to its existing shop | Soft open, official debut planned for Oct. 16 |
None of them is on St. Marks. Three are on First Avenue. Two of the most neighborhood-scaled openings are a short walk from the empty Starbucks corner.
A few blocks from Avenue A and St. Marks
Thone is the clearest case. According to EV Grieve's opening-night report, it sits at 501 E. Sixth St., next to Corner Bistro and just east of Avenue A. It serves coffee, pastries and traditional Georgian breads in the morning, then switches to wine and snacks around 5 p.m. A staffer told the outlet that the name reflects the idea of an accessible neighborhood anchor that is "welcoming, budget-friendly and meant for everyday drop-ins rather than special occasions."
That role, a daytime coffee stop that stays open into the evening, is close to what the Avenue A Starbucks filled, run by a different kind of operator two blocks south.
Barryville General is on Avenue A itself, at No. 70. Its new market and cafe opens into the shop it already ran there, so it grew in place. EV Grieve reported the soft opening on Oct. 5, with Oct. 16 set as the official debut date.
Table Mercato followed the same off-St. Marks pattern on Tenth Street. The Boston sandwich shop chose 214 E. 10th St. for its first location outside Massachusetts and opened Sept. 26.
The signs still waiting on opening dates
The next round is spread across the same side streets and avenues. Each of these has signage, construction or an announcement, but no reported opening date as of mid-October:
- Macario is moving its Guadalajara-style sandwich shop from Park Slope to 167 Avenue B, between 10th and 11th streets, with arrival expected later this fall.
- Kéra, a Georgian-inspired cafe and wine bar, is in development at 95 Second Ave. With Thone already open on Sixth Street, that would make two Georgian cafe-and-wine concepts within a few blocks of each other.
- Chong, a Thai tea shop that also advertises Thai toast and desserts, is coming to 201 E. 10th St.
- Masala East Village, an Indian restaurant, has coming-soon signage at 85 First Ave.
- Fluff Club, a dog-themed apparel shop, has signage up at 9 Avenue B.
- 16 Handles is relocating, with storefront work underway at 105 Second Ave.
One is on Tenth Street, two are on Second Avenue, one is on First and two are on Avenue B. None is on St. Marks.
The avenues are turning over too
The avenues lost businesses over the same weeks, and their empty spaces are being filled at about the same pace they open up.
Double Zero, the plant-based pizza and wine bar at 65 Second Ave. at Fourth Street, closed after 12 years. A sign in its window, quoted by EV Grieve, named "rising food and operating costs, the realities of our lease, and a broader slowdown in the plant-based dining trend." The restaurant had returned under its original name only in May, according to the same outlet.
Several others closed in the same weeks:
- Potenza Centrale closed at 38 Avenue B after nearly three years. Owner Luigi Iasilli confirmed the closure without giving a reason.
- Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart closed at 166 Second Ave., between 10th and 11th streets.
- Fat Boys Burgers closed at 231 First Ave., between 13th and 14th streets.
- At 600 E. 14th St., EV Grieve reported Holy Cow as closed, though as of Sept. 23 its online ordering page still listed the location and there had been no official announcement.
The one closing with a forwarding address is HAGS. The tasting-menu restaurant at 163 First Ave., near East 10th Street, served its last pay-what-you-can brunch on Sunday, Oct. 18. Eater NY reported that co-owners Telly Justice and Camille Lindsley plan to reopen at 334 Bowery and East Third Street in January or February 2027. That leaves another First Avenue storefront open just as the avenue has been filling others.
Looked at block by block, First Avenue lost HAGS and Fat Boys and gained Good Time Country Buffet, Herbie's and Flamingos, with Masala on the way. Second Avenue lost Double Zero and Hokkaido and has Kéra and 16 Handles coming. Avenue B lost Potenza Centrale and has Macario and Fluff Club arriving. The eastern stretch of St. Marks lost four storefronts and has no announced replacement for any of them.
Before November
Two upcoming events this month fall within a few blocks of the closures and openings above.
On Sunday, Oct. 25, NYC Parks Urban Park Rangers are leading a free Great Trees of Tompkins Square Park walk from 1 to 2 p.m. The park had a busy Oct. 17. That morning, Friends of Tompkins Square Park ran a bulb-planting volunteer session, and the 36th annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade marched south on Avenue B from East 13th to East Seventh Street.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and two events take place within a few blocks of each other:
- Kids in Motion runs free, drop-in programming from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the playground at Avenue A and St. Marks Place, per NYC Parks. That puts it across the street from the corner where the Starbucks closed.
- The Village Halloween Costume Ball, which Theater for the New City describes as its 50th, takes over 155 First Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets. Outdoor attractions are free from 3 to 7 p.m. Indoor attractions run from 7 p.m. to midnight for $20, and costumes or formal wear are requested.
The theater is a short walk down First Avenue from the now-closed HAGS at No. 163.
What a block's ground floor holds affects daily life upstairs, and it can show up when an apartment changes hands. If you own on or near St. Marks, or you're weighing a purchase on one of the side streets where these openings landed, Iryna Ferenets can show you what recent sales on your block suggest about value. Start with your instant home valuation, and we can look at the block in detail from there.
