The St. Mark’s Bookshop has been a staple to this neighborhood for years, known for education, arts, literature and cultural diversity. Named after the street the bookshop was originally located, St. Mark’s Bookshop was established in 1977 in New York City’s East Village.
This independent bookstore is one of the oldest Manhattan bookstores still owned by the original owners. Their specialties include Cultural Theory, Graphic Design, Poetry & Small Press Publishing, Film Studies, and Foreign & Domestic Periodicals and Journals.
This bookstore is characteristic of many brick and mortar bookstores in Manhattan that face rising rent costs as margins disappear due to changing demand and usage. In 2014, the bookshop moved from 31 Third Avenue, to its fourth location.
The current location at 136 E 3rd Street, was designed by Clouds Architecture Office to free up the interior as a flex use space, and wrapping the perimeter with shelving from floor to ceiling. According to Clouds AO, the shelving design was created to stimulate a ocular experience.