The Bean Coffee Shop To Open New Location In The East Village

EAST VILLAGE, NY — The popular coffee mini-chain The Bean is set to open another location in the East Village.

The java joint will open in the space formerly occupied by St. Mark's Bookshop, the beloved local bookstore that went out of business after 38 years in the East Village. The bookstore moved from its namesake address multiple times, and stayed open for years at 31 Third Ave. near Cooper Square, the space that The Bean is set to take over. The bookstore moved from the Cooper Square space to a smaller storefront on 136 E Third St., where it finally closed in 2016 after years of money problems.

EV Grieve was first to report the news of The Bean's newest location, which will be the coffee chain's third in the East Village. (Want more local news? Sign up here for free news alerts and neighborhood updates from Patch.)

"We plan to put in some type of homage to the Bookstore as well as to some other East Village legends," The Bean's owner Ike Escava told DNAinfo. "It is our intention to show off our East Village pride."

Like many neighborhoods throughout Manhattan, many of the East Village longstanding institutions like St. Mark's Bookshop have been forced to close their doors or move to cheaper rents. On Thursday, concerned local residents and business owners gathered at St. Mark's Place to protest the neighborhood's next coffee shop: a Starbucks. Locals bemoaned the addition of yet another chain store to a neighborhood that has long cherished its quirky and independent spirit. Many local business owners are pressing for the city to create a special business district in the neighborhood, which would create limits to how many chain stores could open on a given block and help support local business owners.

The new location will be The Bean's fifth in New York City. The chain's first shop opened in February 2003.

Lead image via Shutterstock.