Loss of East Houston Bodega Prompts Angry Graffiti

55 East Houston is the subject of some angry neighborhood sentiments against the perpetual cycle of upscaling. To put it bluntly, people are friggin’ pissed.

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You’ll recall that the La Cocina Deli operated here at the corner of Mott Street for years, a breakfast lifeblood for many weekday commuters. But its life was abruptly terminated at the end of December. Before the business was out the door, so to speak, the brokerage had already skinned the facade in vinyl leasing signage to sell the property. The targeted clientele, however, is definitely not of the utilitarian bodega ilk. Hell no; it’s geared more toward the bag-toting Nolita fashionista.

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Which elicited the graffiti.  It started relatively innocently last week with one tag mourning the loss of the bodega, but has since snowballed into a street campaign. The sleek signage and brown window paper are both covered in remarks bemoaning the possibility of another “shoe store,” Starbucks, or “trust fund boutique” for Nolita yuppies.

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