The Sock Man

VANISHING

Since 1983, The Sock Man, aka Marty Rosen, has been selling socks on St. Mark's Place. Now a reader writes in to say the end is near.



She says that Rosen is "being forced off St. Mark's Place forever due to Real Estate tyrannical fascism. It breaks my heart to help him pack up the store."



E.V. Grieve broke the news yesterday, noting the last day of business may be January 18.

With Trash & Vaudeville going, Sounds going, and pretty much everything else gone, St. Mark's is dead and keeps on dying. Like many of those old-school spots and their proprietors, Rosen embodies the vanishing neighborhood spirit -- curmudgeonly, idiosyncratic, the real deal.

Chloe Sevigny once called him "the grumpiest man on Earth. He's like the Soup Nazi, but he sells socks."

Rosen embraced the moniker, replying, "I'm the Sock Nazi."



He's also got a fine-looking #SaveNYC sign hanging prominently in the Sock Man window. So what can be done to save the Sock Man? Nothing--absolutely nothing can be done--unless we get City Hall to make real change. Here's one thing you can do right now.