PHOTOS: Essex Market Opens At New Location On The Lower East Side

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — The new Essex Market officially debuted Monday morning at its new digs at Delancey and Essex streets.

The market originally opened in 1940 under an effort to move street vendors off the streets. Under the new Essex Crossing development, the former market was re-located to a new location nearly triple the size at 115 Delancey St.

The new Essex Market features 21 vendors from the Essex Street Market, 16 additional vendors and two full-service restaurants. The Essex Market, operated by the Economic Development Corporation, will eventually extend into a subterranean marketplace along Broome Street. The first phase of that project, dubbed The Market Line, is expected to open this summer and will be operated by the partnership of developers of Essex Crossing, Delancey Street Associates.

"I feel like I have one foot in the past and one foot in the future today," Rhonda "Roni-Sue" Kave, owner of Roni-Sue's Chocolates, which will have a location at the new market, said at the opening Monday morning. "I walked into the Essex Market in January of 2007, and I instantly felt at home."

"At a time right now in New York City where we see all unique and fantastic mom-and-pop places getting squeezed out sometimes with rents in the public arena [and] the fact that a place like this exists and is allowing so many of us to realize our dreams and connect to our community — this is like a microcosm of the Lower East Side," Kave said. "To be a part of that is really special."

Among the former Essex Street Market vendors includes New Star Fish Market — which has been in the neighborhood since 1994.

"It's a brand new beautiful market," said Eric Suh, who's father founded New Star. "We're still getting used to everything, but we're really impressed with how it turned out."

"My dad's a little more old school — he's not really accustomed to so much change, but he's coming around," Suh said.

The rent per square foot remained the same for vendors, Suh said. The fish market will include a kitchen area to serve sandwiches as well, he said.

The original Essex Street Market, located just north of the new location, closed earlier this month, and vendors re-located to a new, 37,000-square-foot facility.

The market's re-location comes as the sprawling mixed-use Lower East Side project, developed by a partnership of developers called the Delancey Street Associates, unveils itself. Just this year, one of the tallest building in the development is nearly full, another building reached its peak and will open next year with more than 100 below-market-rate apartments, and Regal Cinemas has also opened.

"When you listen to people talking about New York City right now, a lot of people are excited about the changes that are happening and the opportunity that it creates, but at the same time people are concerned about what it means for them," said James Patchett, head of the EDC, which operates the Essex Market.

He added, "I think there is no better demonstration of the way to do it right than this."

For a full list of the vendors, see here. The market is open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A grand opening celebration is slated for Saturday.

See the top of the article for a full photo slideshow of the new market.