Essex Market first began as a cluster of independent outdoor pushcart peddlers on the Lower East Side in 1888. These vendors rented their carts by the day and sold a variety of products from pickles to herring to hats.

Soon, the streets of Lower East Side became congested, and Mayor La Guardia ordered the creation of Essex Street Market in 1940 to get these carts off the streets and into four buildings. The market also became something of a neighborhood community center where residents could go and connect with one another.

My first experience with the market came in 2007, when I dated someone who lived across the street and we would pop into the market to grab last-minute ingredients for things we were cooking at home. I was really impressed by the quality and price of the products available at the market. And I loved that the vendors have their own individual stories and personalities to offer in addition to the diverse range of products.

Essex Market moved to a new location earlier this week, across Delancey at the Essex Crossing development project. The space is larger, more modern and crazy tall ceilings and a wonderful mezzanine space for customers to sit and take in the hustle and bustle down below. Also, this is quite important, I found that the prices and quality of the veggies and meats and fish remain the same. I already feel like I’ll be spending a lot of time exploring the old and new vendors at the market.

One last thing to love: there are details in the interior design that harken back to the old market, like the neon signs in the original typeface from the 1930s.