NYCEDC Opens the New, State-of-the-Art Essex Market on the Lower East Side
At Triple the Size of the Former Essex Street Market, New 37K SF Facility Features 37 Merchants & Vendors
Essex Market Is the City’s First New Public Market to Open Since 1955
NEW YORK, NY—New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today opened the new home for the Essex Market at Essex Crossing. Originally opened in 1940, NYCEDC led the relocation and revitalization of the market into a new 37,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that features 37 vendors, two full-service restaurant spaces, a demonstration kitchen for cooking classes and educational programming, and more. The new space, which is triple the size of the previous location, provides the surrounding community and visitors alike with local and globally sourced fresh and affordable grocery items and prepared dishes.
"For nearly 80 years, the Essex Street Market has been a beloved community staple that has served as a home for cherished vendors and merchants who reflect the diversity that defines this City,” said NYCEDC President & CEO James Patchett. “We worked closely with them and the community to develop and build a top-notch space so that they could continue to offer the community fresh, affordable foods and specialty items. I sincerely appreciate our partners, including Council Member Chin, Borough President Brewer, Delancey Street Associates and other supporters, who were instrumental in bringing this project to fruition. We look forward to its continued growth and success.”
“The new and improved Essex Street Market will create a vibrant future for the hard-working vendors of this iconic space,” said Council Member Margaret S. Chin. “Working with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, vendor associations and the LES Partnership, we were able to ensure that these entrepreneurs will be able to grow and thrive in their new home. They will be joined by several new vendors many of whom are from the Lower East Side community. The new Essex Street Market will continue to provide the community with fresh, affordable and diverse food options as well as cooking and educational programming.”
"New York City is home to a vibrant food industry, and nowhere is that more clear than Essex Market,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “Many thanks to NYCEDC for their work in expanding this market that will provide affordable spaces to even more eateries and vendors.”
"Quality food and produce sold at diverse price points is what makes Essex Market such a unique shopping destination and fixture of the Lower East Side's local economy," said Tim Laughlin, President of the Lower East Side Partnership. “The new state-of-the-art market facility will ensure lasting community benefits and continue to serve Lower East Side residents through expanded offerings and exciting programming made possible by our dynamic partnership with NYCEDC.”
"Essex Crossing is a perfect example of how government, the private sector and the community can come together through public-private partnerships to create thoughtful development, and the new Essex Market is a cornerstone of that work," said Ron Moelis, CEO and Founding Partner of L+M Development Partners, a Delancey Street Associates Partner. "We've worked hard to create something at Essex Market that's not just great for the city, but that reflects the heritage and flavor of the Lower East Side. Thanks to the de Blasio administration, our local elected officials, and the community task force for their commitment to delivering this beautiful new space for the Lower East Side and the city."
In its new space, Essex Market will continue to offer affordable foods and specialize in a wide variety of grocery items and culinary products including gourmet cheeses, premium cuts of meat, fresh fish, and prepared foods for every culinary palette. The market features all 21 vendors that operated in the original market space and 16 new vendors, including Lower East Side Ice Cream Factory, Samesa, Don Ceviche, and Heros & Villains. The new Essex Market also includes two full-service restaurant spaces. Later this year, restaurateur and operator Roni Mazumdar and his team, behind successful Indian restaurants Rahi and Adda, will bring their new concept, Dhamaka, to the space near the corner of Essex and Delancey Streets. The new facility was developed by Delancey Street Associates (DSA), a joint venture between BFC Partners, L+M Development Partners, Taconic Investment Partners, the Prusik Group and the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group.
Essex Street Market was developed in 1940 by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia as part of an effort to provide street merchants and pushcart vendors with a dedicated, affordable place to do business. After a period of decline in the 1970s, NYCEDC took over management of the Market in 1992, renovating the facilities and helping to catalyze its resurgence. NYCEDC has long partnered with the Lower East Side Partnership to provide support for Essex Market including marketing as well as promotional and community programming initiatives.
Essex Market is now located within Essex Crossing, an unprecedented 1.9 million square foot development that features residential, commercial, and community space. Also located within Essex Crossing is The Market Line -- an expansive, bazaar-like marketplace that will run three city blocks along Broome Street. Opening later this summer, phase one of The Market Line will bring together an eclectic mix of more than 30 locally sourced vendors and restaurants reflecting the character and culture of the LES.
Essex Crossing will be anchored by 1,079 units of housing, half of which will be permanently affordable for low to middle-income households and senior citizens. The project also will include a 15,000-square-foot public open space, community facilities, a rooftop urban farm, 350,000 square feet of office space, and a diverse mix of retail space.
For a full list of Essex Market’s returning and new vendors, please visit EssexMarket.NYC.
About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation creates shared prosperity across New York City’s five boroughs by strengthening neighborhoods and creating good jobs. NYCEDC works with and for communities to provide them with the resources they need to thrive, and we invest in projects that increase sustainability, support job growth, develop talent, and spark innovation to strengthen the City’s competitive advantage. To learn more about our work and initiatives, please visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
About LESP
The Lower East Side Partnership’s mission is to enhance the unique and diverse character of the Lower East Side by improving overall quality of life and supporting the continued growth and vitality of the local economy. The organization has operated within the community for nearly 30 years and provides an array of support services ranging from street cleaning to production of community based events and programming. You can learn more about the Partnership by visiting LES.nyc.
About Essex Market
Essex Street Market has provided affordable space to eateries, artists, merchants and other vendors since the 1940s when Mayor LaGuardia made a dedicated effort to provide street merchants and pushcart vendors with dedicated places to do business. In the new space, the public market will continue to specialize in a wide variety of grocery items and culinary products including gourmet cheeses, premium cuts of meat, fresh fish, and prepared foods for every palette. Vendors will continue to provide the local community as well as visitors from throughout the City with both local and globally sourced fresh and affordable grocery items and prepared foods.
About NYC’s Public Markets
New York City’s public markets are energizing hubs for local neighborhoods, they help preserve cultural heritage and promote diverse and healthy foods, attracting local and international visitors. The public markets network also provides economic opportunities for New Yorkers, unites communities and creates active, engaging public places. From Essex Market on the Lower East Side to the Arthur Avenue Market in the Bronx, to Moore Street Market in East Williamsburg, to La Marqueta in East Harlem, to 13th Ave Market in Boro Park, to Jamaica Farmers’ Market in Queens - we envision a world class markets system that is expansive, cohesive and reflective of New York City’s local communities.
