"The Market Line, the food hall located inside Essex Crossing, is closing on April 1. A spokesperson for Delancey Street Associates, a real estate group backing the development, confirmed the news in a statement, citing pandemic difficulties. It was not immediately clear whether the remaining tenants had been made aware of the end of their tenure. Delancey Street Associates stated they're exploring other options for the downstairs space. The subterranean Lower East Side food hall experienced a mass exodus this month. A recent wave of closings included its anchor beer bar the Grand Delancey, with only a handful of tenants remaining, who will now have to scramble to find new homes for their businesses. When it opened in 2019, the Market Line touted a mix of established, old-school restaurants — Veselka, Nom Wah — and hot up-and-comers like Peoples Wine, a combination wine bar and bottle shop from the Wildair team. The Market Line faced an uphill battle from the opening because it is below ground, adjacent to the street-level Essex Market. Yet, given the caliber of some 30 vendors, there was potential for the space — and a lot of money riding on its success. Essex Crossing has been described as “one of the largest developments in the city,” and billed as the “anti-Hudson Yards.” Several Market Line vendors told Eater that some of its promises never came to light and that pandemic or not, the food hall suffered from poor communication between vendors and the market, as well as what they described as insufficient public outreach and signage. Opening hours were confusing to visitors and traffic remained “inconsistent.” The Market Line operates separately from the upstairs, city-funded Essex Market, which relocated to the Essex Crossing building, from its longtime home across the street. Essex Market, where rents were cheaper for vendors, will remain as is, as well as the movie theater, and housing units inside the building." - Emma Orlow
