Is Sephora a Threat to the East Village?

News of a Sephora location soon arriving on St. Marks Place and Third Ave. in the East Village section of Manhattan has locals up in arms about how it may further reshape a neighborhood known for its counterculture and punk rock heritage, although it’s far from the first time. (Full disclosure: The author has lived on St. Marks for about 30 years.)

One response to an article on the pending arrival by EV Grieve, a local blog, read, “Sephora. On St Marks Place. What’s next? Olive Garden?” Another lamented, “Welcome to Midtown South!”

A response to a discussion on Threads stated, “So tragic. St Marks used to be so lively, alternative, punk and artsy filled with curious young people…now a Sephora.”

On a Reddit thread concerning Sephora’s pending arrival, one response read, “I miss the old NYC. Every corner has become capitalism.”

In 1988, a Gap opening up at St. Marks and Third Ave. on the area’s prime shopping stretch stirred much louder “There goes the neighborhood” vibes.

Covering the backlash to Gap’s opening at the time, WWD wrote that locals felt Gap’s arrival would speed up gentrification and drive up rents to cause numerous long-time tenants to close, mimicking outcries over commercialization taking place in West Village, Columbus Avenue, and SoHo areas. WWD’s copy read, “While landlords cheer the appreciation of their property, tenants boo the deterioration of another bohemian mecca.”

That Gap location closed in 2001, although gentrification has accelerated. According to a recent New York Times article, buying a one-bedroom on the block now costs more than $1 million, and a one-bedroom residence rents out for nearly $4,000 monthly.

Rents have gone up, and several iconic stores at St. Marks — including the Gem Spa newspaper stand and candy store known for its egg creams — have closed. Trash & Vaudeville, a famed punk rock clothing store, moved a few blocks away.

Only a few tattoo parlors and Search & Destroy, a second store hawking vintage punk-rock apparel, remain as a commercial reminder of St. Marks’ counterculture roots, although the street still draws rowdy young crowds on many weekend nights.

However, the stores and restaurants on the block have largely been replaced by other independent shops, including several eclectic Japanese and Korean eateries, rather than national chains. Chipotle, Pinkberry, 7-Eleven, and Subway locations that opened over the years didn’t last long. One clear positive is the street has become safer over the years.

The fear among some locals is that Sephora’s presence may make St. Marks more inviting for other upscale boutiques to set up shop nearby, transforming the area — similar to what happened more recently in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg section.

Critic Suggests Sephora’s Presence Could Make the East Village Feel ‘A Little More Like Suburbia’

The head blogger at EV Grieve, who wished to remain anonymous, noted in an e-mail to RetailWire that the overall commercialization — including Sephora’s landing at the base of a controversial new seven-story office building — raises concerns that the East Village will increasingly feel “a little more like suburbia” and lose its non-conformist and artistic spirit.

The blogger noted, “That block is still seen in some quarters as a cauldron of creativity rather than a generic, mall-like strip.”

He also outlined the backlash that arrives whenever a national chain opens to nostalgia. The blogger wrote, “People remember what used to be there, and that reaction is part of the neighborhood’s DNA.”

Some social media commentators also wondered why Sephora would be opening a store on St. Marks, with other locations nearby on 14^th Street and in SoHo — although one commentator noted the location could prove handy to the legion of New York University students in the area.

She wrote, “Given that the East Village has become dorm apartment central, this is very convenient on their way home. I, too, am hoping that it fails, but going by the tenants in my building (all students) I think this might be successful enough to stick around.”