Google Maps
Free Upper East Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox
Alex Gregg, a fixture of the Upper East Side for decades and the man many neighbors called the “Mayor of Yorkville,” died peacefully on March 30, 2026. He was 78.
Advertisement
Born in Astoria, Queens in July 1947 to a Greek-American family, Alex spent virtually his entire adult life on the Upper East Side neighborhood he loved. He became one of its most recognized and beloved figures.He came up in the hospitality industry, spending 22 years as a bartender at Elaine’s, the legendary Second Avenue institution that drew writers, celebrities, and regulars in equal measure. He also worked at Rathbones, another past neighborhood staple. Those who knew him described a man who never met a stranger — quick with a joke, generous with his time, and the kind of person who made everyone feel like the most important person in the room.
In the early 1980s, Alex rekindled a childhood passion for sports cards and comics, amassing a collection large enough to fill a store. He opened Alex’s MVP Cards & Comics in 1988, turning his hobby into a decades-long neighborhood institution. The shop spent roughly 26 years on East 89th Street between Second and Third Avenues before relocating to its current home at 1590 York Avenue, between 83rd and 84th Streets. For regulars, it was the kind of place you didn’t just stop into — you stayed and talked.
He is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Stephanie.
View this post on Instagram
A memorial service is being planned in the coming weeks. The family asks that flowers be held until the day of the service; details will be announced here as they become available.
Alex’s MVP Cards & Comics is located at 1590 York Avenue (between 83rd and 84th streets).
Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
