Overview

116 Suffolk St is a commercial storefront on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The history of this address can be traced back as far as 1871, and reflects a rich history of the neighborhood and its demographic changes over the many years.

1871 Tailor shop (operated/possibly owned by Thomas Colgan)

1873-1905 Bakery (owned by Samuel Monschein at least in 1905, when he is the second bakery boss to sign an agreement with the bakers' union to end a city-wide strike)

[Basement] 1894 Cafe (accused of being an illegal gambling parlor) owned by Max Hochstim (Tammany Hall miscreant often in the news at odds with the police, who also owned an unsavory saloon at what is now 146 Delancey St.)

Circa 1940 Women & children's clothing store S. Rothkopf & Sons (Jewish-owned, one of multiple locations, long-running, and the source of the storefront sign still there today!)

[Murky timeline gap]

1995 Storage space for nearby Jaybra's Beauty Shop (also Jewish-owned)

1996 Independent movie theater Lighthouse Cinema owned by Dennis Nyback, who screens eccentric selections. The anniversary screening of a hilariously out-of-touch CBS documentary on homosexuals catches the eye and praise of Gary Indiana in the Village Voice.

2003 Stripclub-inspired nightclub Adultworld owned by Eric Raz.

2004-2006 Nightclub Rothko, (named, of course, for the sign above the storefront!). With an impressive roster of live music acts, including The Killers, LCD Soundsystem, Futureheads, Sum 41, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The New York Post notes Rothko is among the spaces with the highest number of 311 noise complaints.

2010-2013 Organic juice shop Space of Love of the chain Organic Avenue, owned by Denise Mari and Doug Evans.

2014-2017 Gallery/exhibition space SHNY owned by Spreadhouse LLC, then daytime cafe/nighttime cevicheria Mr. Rapidan owned by Spreadhouse LLC, then a coffeeshop and video production company Spreadhouse. Vegan bakery Cake Thieves also baked and sold pastries at Spreadhouse.

2021-Present Beloved radical leftist queer feminist bookstore Bluestockings, cooperatively worker-owned. They open a free store; host readings, open mics, Narcan trainings, workshops and live music; offer a public restroom; continue selling their iconic $1 coffee; and replace Spreadhouse's giant Bart Simpson mural with a Molly Crabapple original commemorating Julia de Burgos.