A tasty slice of the old-fashioned New York food world gets a shiny new home on Monday when the Essex Market opens its doors to the public.
Vendors offering everything from fresh spices, cheese, meat and fish to fruit, ice cream and pastries fill the walkways of the airy new market, which features a large seating area, custom-built stalls and lots of natural light.
It’s a sea change from the 1940s-era, one-story brick building that housed many of the vendors until last week (and was previously known as the Essex Street Market). At 37,000 square feet, the new market, on the other side of Delancey Street, is about three times the size of the original site.
“That will always be a special market in our heart, but this is so beautiful, so well done,” said Saad Bourkadi, who moved his Essex Olive & Spice House shop into its new location last week. “It’s not like a mall, it has a lot of character.”
The market is part of the massive Essex Crossing development, an urban renewal project that spans nine sites and 1.9 million square feet on the Lower East Side. Essex Crossing includes housing, office space and retail (including the forthcoming food hall Market Line), as well as a new public park and bike paths.
The new Essex Market is located within The Essex, a 26-story luxury residential tower that also houses a 14-screen Regal Cinemas movie theater.