EAST VILLAGE — Trash and Vaudeville is packing up and moving a few blocks away, after calling St. Marks Place its home for 40 years.
The iconic clothing retailer plans to relocate to 96 E. Seventh St. near First Avenue in the fall, EV Grieve first reported.
"I love St. Mark's Place," owner and founder Ray Goodman told the blog. "There's no doubt it. There's something magical about it. This just isn't any block. The decision wasn't something that I took lightly.”
Trash and Vaudeville did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trash and Vaudeville has been a go-to spot for rock-and-roll and punk-inspired fashion since it opened in 1975. It outfitted musicians like the Ramones, Debbie Harry and the Dead Boys during the height of the neighborhood’s punk scene, and it continues to attract rock fans as well as fashion insiders.
Changes on the block factored into the decision to move, Goodman told EV Grieve.
“The block is not as conducive for fashion shopping as it once was,” Goodman said. “Now it seems as if it's all food — fast food — and bongs. Even stores that aren't bong stores sell bongs.”
Demand has also shifted since the store opened four decades ago, with more people opting to shop online, Goodman said. Rising rent was also a factor, but "wasn't the sole reason" to relocate, he said.
Goodman considered moving the shop to another area but ultimately decided to stay in the neighborhood, he told the blog.
"We're still in our natural environment. We're just a little further east," he told EV Grieve. "I love the East Village."
