Lee’s Art Shop on West 57th Street was in business for more than six decades before it closed in 2016

The entire building, which the founders of Lee’s, Gilbert and Ruth Steinberg, purchased in the 1990s was sold by their two children after the couple passed away. Most of the decades-old #momandpop stores we have documented have closed due to high rent increases but in this case, that was not the reason. The two Steinberg children who ran the popular art supply store 🎨 👩‍🎨 reported that one of the reasons they decided to close the business is that online business sites undercut their market and they weren’t able to match (Amazon’s) their prices. We were so sad to see this shop as well as our local Lower East Side Shop, Pearl Paint close.