The budget-friendly days of heading to 23rd Street, halfway between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, to pick up a can of sterno for 99 cents (or your choice of a knife, fork or spoon for 33 cents) will soon be over. On January 31, our beloved (and dare we say, iconic) 99 Cent Creation store will close its doors for good — ending 15 years of providing Chelsea with not-quite brand name bargains galore. A victim of prohibitively high rent, the store’s been operating month-to-month, without a lease, for nearly two years now. A few months ago, an ominous “Store for Rent” sign went up. It’s gone now, and 99 Cent Creation will soon be as well — possibly replaced, rumor has it, with yet another 7-Eleven.
Photo by Scott Stiffler
