MarcPacking District

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Fifteen storefronts sit empty on Hudson Street between 10th and 12th Streets in the West Village. Why? Some blame Marc Jacobs. "When asked why so many businesses on Hudson St. have been closing, a man who did not want to be identified replied, 'It’s because of what’s going on across the street,' referring to Bleecker St. 'It’s because of all the Marc Jacobs and Ralph Laurens. They are killing the Village,' the man said. 'Ten years ago — mom-and-pop stores gone, restaurants gone, they’re all gone.'” Strange: He does not seem at all grateful for his newfound access to $1,000 handbags. [Villager]