Much-loved St. Mark’s Comics gets set to re-open in New York

By John Freeman on May 20, 2021

In this age of crisis for much physical retail it’s good to hear of a comic shop re-opening, and that’s certainly the case for St. Mark’s Comics, a venerated piece of New York’s cultural landscape which has announced it plans a summer return to Brooklyn.

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Famed pop culture retailer St. Mark’s Comics has announced its return to brick-and-mortar with a new location in Industry City this August. The store’s previous location in Manhattan closed in February 2019.

“There was such an enormous outpouring of support when we closed our last location. We were a proud part of the East Village for over 35 years,” said Mitch Cutler, one of the owners of the new shop. “The decision to close wasn’t easy, but it’s what we had to do at the time.”

Fans and New York diehards always hoped St. Mark’s Comics would make a triumphant comeback. For the store, it was just a matter of timing, opportunity, and the addition of partner Nick Giangarra, a longtime comics professional and St. Mark’s Comics veteran.

“Almost immediately, people began proposing a new shop. We’ve had many offers to reopen over the past two and a half years,” Cutler said. “The pandemic certainly slowed us down, but we were really waiting for the right situation. We’re tremendously excited to have found the perfect new home at Industry City.”

The Industry City campus, described as “a community of creators”, features 35 acres of restaurants, retail shops, small businesses, art installations, green spaces, and more. By welcoming local businesses and celebrating its surrounding Sunset Park neighborhood, Industry City creates an authentic New York experience for locals and visitors alike.

“With the recent opening of HiFi Provisions Record Shop, vintage markets like A Current Affair, and antique purveyors such as cityFoundry, the arrival of a renowned comic book establishment like St. Mark’s Comics marks our campus as a haven for old school New York.” says Jim Somoza, Director of Development at Industry City.

Former and future patrons of St. Mark’s Comics will not be disappointed when they visit the new location. “You can expect the same vast stock, deep back issues, and dedicated customer service that you’ve come to expect since we started in 1984,” Cutler said. “But we’re also adding a new layer of expertise –
and a vintage toy inventory – by combining forces with Nick’s company, Big Tin Robot Toys and Collectibles.”

The shop is already buying collections and stocking up to prepare for the grand reopening, currently slated for mid summer. And when the time comes, Cutler says they “are looking forward to seeing our old friends and making new ones.”

The store’s previous closure was much mourned by many, Bleeding Cool’s Rich Johnston noting it was a noted “indie” comic store, rather than the supermarket or classical bookstore look. “It employed women staff long before that was the norm and was such a New York institution that it ended up appearing in Friends and Sex And The City. Employees at the shop would go on to become industry figures at major comic book companies.”

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John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.