NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — The Market Line Food Hall located inside Essex Crossing will close its doors on April 1.
The closure of the 2019-opened food hall was confirmed in a statement by Delancey Street Associates, citing a lack of recovery for food and beverage tenants from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since the onset of the pandemic, we worked closely with Market Line vendors to help them weather a challenging economic environment, including providing rent abatements and ongoing rent deferrals. In the four years since Covid-19 and its effects on retail and food and beverage tenants, the Market Line and its vendors have continued to struggle. We have decided to close the Market Line with a target date of April 1,” the statement read.
As reported by Eater, there have been mass closures at the Market Line since the beginning of the year. The subterranean food hall lost tenants like Veselka, Que Chevre, Pho Grand, Cafe Grumpy, Slice Joint and its anchor beer spot, the Grand Delancey in this time.
Some of the Market Line’s vendors have attributed the closure to poor communication with the market, and a lack of public outreach and signage.
Other vendors said that promises were never fulfilled, and confusing hours of operation made it difficult to turn a profit. Some vendors closed at 8 p.m., despite the food hall’s 2 a.m. close time, per Eater.
Delancey Street Associates are evaluating what to do with the underground space “that will be sustainable for the long term.” According to the group, the closure will not affect Essex Market on the ground-floor, which is run by the New York City Economic Development Committee, nor other Essex Crossing buildings.
“Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Essex Crossing remains a community-oriented development decades in the making, a testament to the ongoing vitality of the Lower East Side, and a hallmark public-private partnership. Essex Crossing continues to be a dynamic and highly utilized destination with thriving businesses and welcoming, fully occupied rental and condominium residences,” Delancey Street Associates’ statement concluded.