Gothic Clothing in the East Village: Trash and Vaudeville

Trash and Vaudeville has been selling rock 'n' roll clothes in the East Village since June 1975, and today it trades from 96 East 7th Street, between First Avenue and Avenue A, open Monday through Thursday from 12pm to 8pm and until 8:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays. For anyone typing gothic clothing near me in Manhattan, it is the oldest name still standing, with Tripp NYC bondage pants at $117 and Demonia platforms on the shoe wall.

Founder Ray Goodman discovered St. Marks Place at 13 and fell for its music scene, with the Electric Circus, the Fillmore East and CBGB all close by. He wanted a clothing store entirely influenced by rock 'n' roll, a place where musicians could find clothes that matched their individuality. The shop's own history lists who came through the door: rockers, mods, punks, goths and rockabillies, plus artists, actors, street kids and teenage rebels from all over.

For more than 40 years the store sat at 4 St. Marks Place, in the landmarked Hamilton-Holly House. Its last day there was February 29, 2016, and it reopened on East 7th Street in early March. Goodman told the neighborhood blog EV Grieve at the time that the clientele had shifted and the block was no longer as good for fashion shopping as it once was, with food and smoke shops taking over St. Marks.

Goodman, who by then was a minority partner in the business, was clear that rent was not the only reason. Online shopping had changed how people bought clothes, and a quieter side street suited a destination store better than a block crowded with snack counters. The move kept the shop within a few minutes' walk of its old address, so the long-time customer base followed it around the corner.

The store also shaped people who went on to shape the neighborhood. Jimmy Webb, the punk figure who later ran his own shop, I Need More, worked as Trash and Vaudeville's manager and buyer from 1999 until the 2016 move.

The store still makes a point of carrying the labels that defined downtown style. Tripp NYC, a staple of punk-goth wardrobes, supplies trousers, including a split-leg bondage pant at $117. Kreepsville 666 adds horror prints, such as a spiderweb skater skirt at $49 and a skull studded cardigan at $70. You will also find pieces from the house brand alongside Alchemy jewelry, Leg Avenue and Shrine on the clothing side.

Men's and women's clothing share the floor, and the shop sorts its stock into clear categories: tops, bottoms, outerwear, rock-themed apparel, and accessories from belts and bags to hats and jewelry. That makes it easier to build a full outfit in one visit than at a vintage store, and the sizes are consistent because almost everything is new stock from established alternative brands.

Footwear is the second half of the store and the reason many regulars return. The brand list runs through Dr. Martens, New Rock, Jeffrey Campbell, Pleaser, Underground, T.U.K. and Demonia, in styles from platforms and creepers to Mary Janes and loafers. A Demonia Swing-815 vegan leather platform boot costs $212, and a George Cox creeper $289, the classic British shoe of the original punk and goth scenes.

At the top end, New Rock boots, such as a red M-WALL120 style at $540, are statement pieces for people who want the heaviest, most sculptural sole in the shop. If you are buying your first goth boot, start lower and try a Demonia or Dr. Martens style first; they are lighter, more forgiving to break in and cost less than half as much.

The late closing times are the store's quiet advantage. Most nights it stays open until 8pm, and on Fridays and Saturdays until 8:30pm, so you can shop after work or before a show in the neighborhood. Sunday is the shortest day, opening at 1pm. The online shop carries the same brands and was being updated daily in October 2026, so you can browse a specific boot online before you make the trip, then trying it on in person on East 7th Street.

Trash and Vaudeville's customers have long included musicians, from the Ramones to Debbie Harry and the CBGB crowd in the store's St. Marks years, and that rock lineage is still the core of the look. It suits punk-goth crossover dressers, people who want British footwear brands, and anyone who prefers a staffed shop with new stock over digging through vintage.

Skip it if you want romantic Victorian gowns, Lolita or deeply discounted clothes. The store's focus is rock and punk, so the goth pieces lean toward leather, studs and black denim rather than lace. Footwear is also expensive at the top: New Rock and George Cox styles push well past $200. If budget is tight, set a limit before you reach the shoe wall.

Walk east along East 7th Street and you reach Tompkins Square Park at Avenue A, a good place to sit with your shopping bag. Then head west to St. Marks Place to see number 4, the Hamilton-Holly House where the store spent 40 years. A few doors down at 25 St. Marks Place, the upper-level shop Search & Destroy, opened in 1992, sells chaotic vintage punk clothing, a good contrast to Trash and Vaudeville's tidier racks.

Address: Trash and Vaudeville, 96 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10009, between First Avenue and Avenue A. Hours: Monday to Thursday 12pm to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 8:30pm, Sunday 1pm to 7:30pm. Subway: 6 to Astor Place or N and R to 8th Street-NYU. Founded: June 1975 by Ray Goodman. Prices: Kreepsville spiderweb skater skirt $49, skull studded cardigan $70, Tripp NYC split-leg bondage pant $117, Demonia Swing-815 $212, George Cox creeper $289, New Rock boot $540.