St. Mark's Comics

Last updated
St. Mark's Comics
Company type Private
Industry Retail
FoundedMay 1983
Headquarters51 35th Street [1] , ,
United States
Number of locations
1 (formerly 3)
Area served
New York City
Products
OwnerMitch Cutler
Website www.stmarkscomics.com

St. Mark's Comics is a New York City comic book retailer. It opened its first store at 11 St. Mark's Place in Manhattan in 1983, and eventually opened two other locations, in Lower Manhattan and one in Brooklyn Heights. In late January 2019, St. Mark's Comics announced it would be going out of business at the end of February 2019. On July 30, 2021, It re-opened at a new location in Industry City, Brooklyn. [1]

Contents

The store's St. Mark's Place location was noted for its underground sensibility and cluttered, over-stuffed decor, and for employing female staff members long before that became the norm in the comics retailing industry. [2]

In addition to comics, graphic novels, and manga, St. Mark's Comics sold trading cards, action figures, toys, T-shirts, and other pop culture collectibles. [3] [4]

History

St. Mark's Comics was founded in 1983, [4] and acquired a year later by Mitch Cutler [5] when he was still in his teens. [6]

Cutler founded a second location at 148 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights in 1988. That location closed in 2012. [7] [ self-published source? ] The store had another location at 150 Chambers Street in lower Manhattan that closed in 2004 in part due to the after-effects of the September 11 attacks. [8]

A fire damaged the St. Mark's location and some of its inventory in 2011, but the store was able to recover. [9]

In October 2017, St. Mark's Comics launched a GoFundMe campaign to keep the store open, but it only raised $1,201. [10]

On January 29, 2019, Cutler announced that St. Mark's Comics would be closing at the end of February. [2] Reasons cited by Cutler included 90-hour works weeks, higher rents and a changing marketplace. [5] The announcement prompted tributes from comics creators including Neil Gaiman, Brian Michael Bendis, [4] [11] and Dean Haspiel. [2]

On July 30, 2021, St. Mark's Comics re-opened at a new location in Industry City, Brooklyn. [1]

Comics

In issue 12 of Brian K. Vaughan's comics series Ex Machina #12, the main character, Mitchell Hundred, laments the closing of a beloved comic book store in Lower Manhattan following the September 11 attacks, and a friend mentions some real-life comics shops that are still open, including St. Mark's Comics, Jim Hanley's Universe, and Midtown Comics. [12]

Television

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crown Heights, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard/East New York Avenue to the south. It is about one mile (1.6 km) wide and two miles (3.2 km) long. Neighborhoods bordering Crown Heights include Prospect Heights to the west, Flatbush and Prospect Lefferts Gardens to the south, Brownsville to the east, and Bedford–Stuyvesant to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bensonhurst, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City

Bensonhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bordered on the northwest by 14th Avenue, on the northeast by 60th Street, on the southeast by Avenue P and 22nd Avenue and on the southwest by 86th Street. It is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Dyker Heights to the northwest, Borough Park and Mapleton to the northeast, Bath Beach to the southwest, and Gravesend to the southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dumbo, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Dumbo is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections: one situated between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another extending eastward from the Manhattan Bridge to the Vinegar Hill area. The neighborhood is bounded by Brooklyn Bridge Park to the north, the Brooklyn Bridge to the west, Brooklyn Heights to the south, and Vinegar Hill to the east. Dumbo is part of Brooklyn Community Board 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloomingdale's</span> American luxury department store chain owned by Macys Inc

Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain founded in 1861 by Joseph Bloomingdale and Lyman Bloomingdale. It was acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1930, which acquired the Macy’s department store chain in 1994, when they became sister brands. Ultimately, Federated itself was renamed Macy’s, Inc. in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Harris (artist)</span> American comic book artist (born 1969)

Tony Harris is an American comic book artist, known for his work on series such as Starman, Iron Man, and Ex Machina. He has been nominated for nineteen Eisner Awards and has won two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Heights</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City

Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, and the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway or the East River on the west. Adjacent neighborhoods are Dumbo to the north, Downtown Brooklyn to the east, and Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill to the south.

The BMT West End Line is a line of the New York City Subway, serving the Brooklyn communities of Sunset Park, Borough Park, New Utrecht, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Coney Island. The D train operates local on the entire line at all times. Although there is a center express track and three express stations along the line, there is no regular express service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8th Street and St. Mark's Place</span> West-east street in Manhattan, New York

8th Street is a street in the New York City borough of Manhattan that runs from Sixth Avenue to Third Avenue, and also from Avenue B to Avenue D; its addresses switch from West to East as it crosses Fifth Avenue. Between Third Avenue and Avenue A, it is named St. Mark's Place, after the nearby St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on 10th Street at Second Avenue.

<i>Brooklyn Eagle</i> Newspaper in Brooklyn, New York (1841–1955)

The Brooklyn Eagle was an afternoon daily newspaper published in the city and later borough of Brooklyn, in New York City, for 114 years from 1841 to 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Brooklyn</span> Central business district in New York City

Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City, and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is known for its office and residential buildings, such as the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower and the MetroTech Center office complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R (New York City Subway service)</span> New York City Subway service

The R Broadway Local is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored yellow since it uses the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough Hall/Court Street station</span> New York City Subway station in Brooklyn

The Borough Hall/Court Street station is an underground New York City Subway station complex in Brooklyn shared by the BMT Fourth Avenue Line, the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and the IRT Eastern Parkway Line. The complex comprises three stations: Borough Hall on the IRT lines and Court Street on the BMT line. The stations are located under Court, Joralemon, and Montague Streets, next to Brooklyn Borough Hall, in the Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn. It is served by the 2, 4, and R trains at all times; the 3 train all times except late nights; the 5 train on weekdays; the N train during late nights; and limited rush-hour W trains.

The BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. At its northern end, the line is a westward continuation of the BMT Jamaica Line in Brooklyn after the Jamaica Line crosses the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan. The Nassau Street Line continues south to a junction with the BMT Broadway Line just before the Montague Street Tunnel, after which the line reenters Brooklyn. Although the tracks merge into the Broadway Line south of Broad Street, there has been no regular service south of the Broad Street station since June 25, 2010. While the line is officially recognized as the Nassau Street Line, it only serves one station on Nassau Street: Fulton Street.

The BMT Fourth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the New York City Subway, mainly running under Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. The line is served by the D, N, and R at all times; the R typically runs local, while the D and N run express during the day and local at night. During rush hours, select W trains also serve the line. Northbound D and N trains run local along the line after 6:45 p.m. during weekdays as well. The line was originally built by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company and is now internally operated as part of the New York City Subway's B Division.

<i>Ex Machina</i> (comics) Comic

Ex Machina is an American creator-owned comic book series, created by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris and published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint. Ex Machina launched in 2004 as part of DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. The series ended in August 2010 with issue fifty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gristedes</span> New York City-based chain of supermarkets

Gristedes is a New York City–based chain of supermarkets. It serves a mostly urban customer base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Comics</span> Comic book shops

Midtown Comics is a New York City comic book retailer with three shops in Manhattan and an e-commerce website. The largest comic book store in the United States, the company opened its first store in the Times Square area in 1997. Its second was opened on Lexington Avenue in 2004, and is known as the Grand Central store for its proximity to Grand Central Terminal. Its downtown store was opened on Fulton Street in the Financial District in November 2010, and its Astoria, Queens outlet store opened in March 2020. It also used to operate a boutique inside Manhattan's Times Square Toys R Us.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairway Market</span> American northeast grocery chain

Fairway Market is a small American grocery chain founded in 1933 by Nathan Glickberg. It is one of the brands owned by the Wakefern Food Corporation, whose flagship supermarket cooperative network is ShopRite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Heights Promenade</span> Esplanade in Brooklyn, New York

The Brooklyn Heights Promenade, also called the Esplanade, is a 1,826-foot (557 m)-long platform and pedestrian walkway cantilevered over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. With views of Lower Manhattan's skyline and the New York Harbor, it came about as the byproduct of competing proposals for the highway's route that were resolved in the midst of World War II. Actual construction came after the war. As a structure built over a roadway, the Promenade is owned by the NYCDOT and is not considered a park; however, NYC Parks maintains the entire Promenade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert Island (comic shop)</span> Comic book shop in New York City

Desert Island is a comic shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. The store focuses on underground and alternative comics, as well as independent and self-published comics sold through consignment. Desert Island also hosts the annual comic book festival Comic Arts Brooklyn, and publishes Smoke Signal, an independent comics anthology that has been nominated for an Eisner Award.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Weaver, Shaye (July 30, 2021). "NYC's famous St. Mark's Comics officially opens at Industry City". Time Out . Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 MacDonald, Heidi. "St. Marks Comics is closing after 36 years – UPDATED with statement". Comics Beat (January 29, 2019).
  3. Lewis, Jeffrey (February 26, 2019). "Opinion: So Long to St. Mark's Comics: The store, which closed after 36 years in the East Village, was a haven in my youth". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Pereira, Ivan; Meghan Giannotta. "East Village staple St. Mark's Comics closing after 36 years: The comic shop will hold a closeout sale through February". AM New York (January 30, 2019).
  5. 1 2 McBain, Amelia. "New York Institution St. Mark’s Comics Closing After 36 Years," WNBC .(January 30, 2019).
  6. MacDonald, Heidi. "Kibbles ‘n’ Bits 1/30/19: More on the closing of St. Marks Comics," The Beat (Jan. 30, 2019).
  7. Taylor, Chuck. "A Sad Farewell: After 24 Years, St. Mark’s Comics Shutters On Montague Street," Brooklyn Heights Blog (November 30, 2012).
  8. Lish, Samantha. "Two More Will Take Its Place: St. Mark’s Comics vs. The Forces of the Universe," Storefront Survivors (2017). Accessed Jan. 30, 2019.
  9. Hedlund, Patrick. "St. Mark's Comics Reopens After Fire — Minus Some Lightsabers". DNAinfo . (February 18, 2011).
  10. Rosenberg, Zoe (January 30, 2019). "St. Mark's Comics will shutter after 36 years". Curbed New York. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  11. Garcia, Kristine. "Iconic St. Mark’s Comics closing after 36 years". WPIX website (January 30, 2019).
  12. Brian K. Vaughn  ( w ), Tony Harris  ( p ), Tom Feister  ( i )."Fact v. Fiction Part 1" Ex Machina ,vol. 1,no. 12(August 2005). Wildstorm Productions .
  13. "Tour the Top 25 'Sex and the City' Locations" on Fodors.com

40°43′46″N73°59′20″W / 40.72945°N 73.98899°W / 40.72945; -73.98899