Shopping

Demolition Depot

The Demolition Depot entrance on East 125th Street

On a stretch of 125th Street in East Harlem stands a funky four-story building called the Demolition Depot. Located at 216 East 125th Street between Second and Third Avenues, this is a building chock-filled with organized treasurers.  From the minute you step through the door, it’s as if you are transported back in time.  A real ‘Age of Innocence’ setting that will make your checkbook and your imagination run wild.

The store is like a salvage shop but full of the most wonderful object salvaged from places like the Commodore, Biltmore and Vanderbilt Hotels, the Audubon Ballroom, the Loew’s Delancey Theater, the Helen Hayes Theater, and the New York Life Insurance Building. Here you are almost certain to find unique treasures unlike anywhere else in the city.

La Marqueta

Sitting beneath elevated Metro North railway tracks between 111th Street and 116th Street on Park Avenue, La Marqueta brings together the very best of East Harlem. The vibrant marketplace not only offers food and a variety of diverse shops, but also live music and occasional cultural events. It’s located in the heart of historic East Harlem — and due to its prominence, La Marqueta has been called “the most visible symbol of [the neighborhood],” according to The New York Times. 

Mayor LaGuardia originally opened the space as the Park Avenue Retail Market in 1936. However, as East Harlem transformed into Spanish Harlem in the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s, the market eventually turned into “La Marqueta,” where ethnic foods, traditional medicines and dry goods were sold. At one point, over 500 vendors occupied the bustling market.

It has since reduced in size, prompting the City Council and the NYCEDC to revive the market by making way for additional retail space and fully-equipped kitchen facilities. In 2011, HBK Incubates — a food business incubator operated by Hot Bread Kitchen — opened at La Marqueta.