This Really Stinks: Sock Man’s Sign Comes Down

It’s official– the sockpocalypse has come and gone, and the Sock Man is gone for good. His iconic awning came down this morning, and we were there to witness the carnage. Marty Rosen, the “grumpiest man on earth” (per Chloe Sevigny), was nowhere to be seen, as he’s now minding his online store. When we spoke to him earlier this month, the St. Marks denizen told us, “I don’t want to leave this block. As bad as it is, I don’t want to leave.” If it makes you feel any better, Sock Man, we’ve snagged the awning and are keeping it safe in the B+B vault, right next to this tile from Mars Bar.

Update, 6:30 p.m.: We caught up with Rosen, who says he’s going to begin searching in earnest for a new spot soon– but right now he is “mentally and physically shot” from the hasty move. Rosen wants to stay in Manhattan, below 14th Street, but after an initial canvassing of streets around St. Marks Place and Orchard Street, he’s come to the conclusion that “everything is expensive.” Even though “it’s no longer the East Village,” he didn’t want to move. “Whatever the case is, the new person that bought the building [Rafael Toleadano of Brookhill Properties] wanted me out of there. I had no choice but to get out.” He went on: “I would still have stayed there, but whatever the new landlord wanted, I can’t meet those rents– maybe a Starbucks can.”