We hope you can join us for An evening with Karla and James Murray: “Capturing the Faces and Voices of Manhattan Neighborhood Storefronts”

September 27 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm EDT

INFO: http://n2ngreenwichvillage.org/event/an-evening-with-james-t-karla-l-murray-capturing-the-faces-and-voices-of-manhattan-neighborhood-storefronts/

Date: Thursday, September 27  Time: 6 PM – 8 PM
Place: Jefferson Market Library (at 6th Avenue and W. 10th Street), first floor Program Room (next to the main reading room – up the stairs to your left as you enter the building).
Accessible entry is on the W. 10th Street side of the library.
Please RSVP as seating will be limited: n2n.greenwich.village@gmail.com

Analog photo we took in 2004 of Vasquez Grocery in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

These neighborhood guys were relaxing and reading the paper outside the #bodega when we asked if we could take their photo. To us, they totally personified the friendly atmosphere we encountered inside the corner store too. Photo appears in our book “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York”.

It is sweltering in NYC so we thought what better way to cool off than have some #pizza 🍕 for lunch followed by an Italian ice.

Rizzo’s Fine Pizza in Astoria has been in business since 1959 and are known for their “squares” thin and crispy square pizza aka Sicilian style. This #Pizzeria is still owned and operated by the Rizzo family today and even opened a 2nd location in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Sadly they don’t serve homemade Italian ices anymore (this is an #analog photo from 2009)

Dead Horse Bay is a small body of water in Brooklyn...

Dead Horse Bay is a small body of water in Brooklyn that got its name from the horse rendering plants that were on the former Barren Island in Jamaica Bay near the shoreline of Flatlands. In the late 1850s, Barren Island was the site of the largest dump in New York City, fed by barges carrying garbage and animal remains. Factories on Barren Island used the carcasses of dead horses, which were put in large vats and boiled until the fat could be removed, for use in fertilizer, glue, and oils. The bones of the horses were then chopped up and dumped into the water. The last horse 🐎 rendering factory on the island closed in 1935 and in 1936, the island’s final 400 residents were evicted to make way for the creation of the Belt Parkway. The City continued using the area as a garbage dump until 1953, when the landfill was capped.

To see more of our photos of Dead Horse Bay and read the article “Trash or Treasure” we wrote for @6sqft please visit: https://www.6sqft.com/take-a-tour-of-dead-horse-bay-brooklyns-hidden-trove-of-trash-and-treasures/

The Tanks at Bushwick Inlet Park for 6sqft.

To see more of our photos from our trip to @thetanksbk please check out the full article: https://www.6sqft.com/behind-the-scenes-at-williamsburgs-abandoned-bayside-oil-depot-set-to-be-nycs-next-public-park/ and learn more about the team’s plans to adaptively reuse the decommissioned fuel containers and transform them into performance spaces and greenhouses.

Photography and article from our trip out to Dead Horse Bay, Brooklyn, NYC with the The City Reliquary​ for 6sqft​...

Full article: https://www.6sqft.com/take-a-tour-of-dead-horse-bay-brooklyns-hidden-trove-of-trash-and-treasures/

"There are stories of people who knew the geography of Barren Island really well and then a fog came up in a storm and they got lost and weren’t found for two days because of how the land itself was fragile and volatile to the forces of nature. So when you anchor all of that with a landfill and when you build that landfill badly you pretty much guarantee that everything that was buried there is reasserting itself into the world and has been for decades."

Deep under the Lower East Side, NYC, earlier...

Photography from our visit to THE TANKS at Bushwick Inlet Park for 6sqft...

Full article: https://www.6sqft.com/behind-the-scenes-at-williamsburgs-abandoned-bayside-oil-depot-set-to-be-nycs-next-public-park/

"...the plan is unique in that it plans to adaptively reuse the 10, 50-foot decommissioned fuel containers, transforming them into everything from performance spaces to greenhouses."

Monk Vintage Store in Greenwich Village

Being fans and collectors of #vintage items including typewriters, cameras 📷 and assorted clothing, we always love browsing the many shops located in the city. Sadly, this shop on MacDougal Street recently closed but we are happy to report that there are other locations in the East Village and Brooklyn.

Since it is back-to-school time for many students, we are posting Hornstein’s Toys & Cards, which was located on Broadway by 156th Street.

When we took this #analog photo in 2004 for our book “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York” the owner told us that he sold lots of back-to-school supplies including notebooks 📓, pens, and backpacks 🎒 along with toys and gifts. Sadly, stores like this have disappeared from the city as people’s shopping habits have changed, with on line retailers taking much of their business.

Thank you "Notes on New York" for putting us on the list!

LINK: https://www.notesonnewyork.net/essential-nyc-photographers/

Carlos Shoe Repair in East Flatbush, Brooklyn was founded in 1973 by Carlos Benoverebes

The #handpainted #signage and #storefront are original as well as much of the machinery used in this shoe 👞 repair business.

When we interviewed Carlos in 2009 for our book “Store Front II-A History Preserved” he told us, “This neighborhood has really changed a lot over the years. It was predominantly Italian and Jewish and was a very nice quiet area. I didn’t even have a gate over my storefront when it was closed. Now it is definitely a rougher neighborhood but I plan to stay here as long as I can.” Sadly when we passed by recently the shop was gone and the building it was located in is undergoing a gut renovation.

Hudson. Ball choosing fun, over in Brooklyn, NYC, earlier...

#thatonethere

Benash Delicatessen, the last of the three big Theater District Jewish #delicatessens recently closed its doors after 28 years in business

The iconic Carnegie Delicatessen closed after 79 years in business in 2016 and Stage Deli closed after 75 years in business in 2012. Benash closed its doors after failing to pay rent (they owed $850,000 in back rent and real estate taxes). When they initially signed their lease, rent was set at $50,000 a month plus real estate taxes and water bills. In our 20+ years of documenting mom-and-pop stores and restaurants, the most common reason why places close, is due to a high rent increase.

Holdout. Hell's Kitchen, NYC, earlier...

Photography from our visit to SHOP Architects for 6sqft:

Full article: https://www.6sqft.com/where-i-work-go-inside-shop-architects-aviation-inspired-offices-in-the-woolworth-building/

"The largest collection of WWII-era spotter planes in the world, a massive copper section of the Barclays Center facade, a materials library with hundreds of samples of everything from fabric to flooring–these are just some of the surprises you’ll come across in SHoP Architects‘ offices in the iconic Woolworth Building. The firm’s projects include buildings at mega-developments like the Domino Sugar Factory and Essex Crossing, the twisting American Copper Buildings, and the world’s future tallest residential skyscraper 111 West 57th Street, and their office certainly embodies this creativity and range of work."

In honor of Aretha Franklin’s passing we are highlighting the Apollo Theater in Harlem

When 19-year-old Aretha Franklin first played at the Apollo Theater in 1962, she had yet to become the Queen 👑of Soul but her many later concerts at this venue definitely helped establish her as a musical icon. Photo of the Apollo Theater and text on its history appear in our book “New York Nights”. R.I.P. Aretha Franklin.

Sunset. Over in Queens, NYC, last night...

Hudson. Over at The Storefront Project Gallery, Orchard St. Lower East Side, NYC. FINAL 4 DAYS!

We created these chromatic branded signage collages using over 90 different #storefront signs that we have documented over a twenty year period in New York City.  A signed limited edition 12 x 36 inch print of our chromatic branded signage collage is currently available through @thestorefrontproject Gallery as part of our solo “Store Front” exhibition which is on display through August 19th.

The Storefront Project Gallery is located at 70 Orchard Street (near Grand St) and is open Tuesday-Sunday 1-6 pm. Our Store Front prints and collage are also available through @thestorefrontproject online shop. Larger sizes of the collage are also available upon request.

Watches for sale, NYC.

Hudson. Sunday "Off-Road" fun over in Brooklyn, NYC, just now....

Karla. Cutting across Central Park, NYC, earlier...

Rainy day over at "Mom-and-Pops of The L.E.S" in Seward Park, Lower East Side, NYC, just now...

You can take home a print of our LES Bodega Superette from The Storefront Project Gallery on 70 Orchard Street near Grand St. Our solo exhibition with over 40 of our "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York" photographs are on display through August 19th. The Storefront Project Gallery hours are Tuesday-Sunday 1-6pm.

#uniqloparkexpressions #artintheparks #momandpopsles

On "The Rundown" with Nadia Neophytou!

Thank you Nadia for such a fun time and the great video running to some of our favorite store fronts in our neighborhood!

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/MQOCzEifm3o

From THE RUNDOWN: 

"James and Karla Murray have been photographing shopfronts and store signs for over 20 years. I met them at an exhibition of their latest work, "Storefront: The Disappearing Face of New York," which chronicles some of the long-gone shops of New York City. 

I've been following their Instagram for a while now, and so it was great to be able to meet James and Karla -- and their dog, Hudson -- in person. Like James and Karla, I'm saddened by the numerous stores that close down in New York. With each one the city seems to lose more of its character. 

So I went for a run with Karla and Hudson (with camera-shy James not too far behind) as she showed me a few of the mom 'n pops stores still standing in the East Village and the Lower East Side. 

You can find the route here: https://therundown.net/news/2018/8/9/the-rundown-with-karla-and-james

If you don't already follow their work, you can find James and Karla here:

W: http://www.jamesandkarlamurray.com
T: https://twitter.com/jamesandkarla
IG: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandkarla

The photos used in this video come from their books "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York", "New York Nights", and "Store Front II - A History Preserved." 

As for me, well, if you liked this video, and want to see me run all over New York, please subscribe to this burgeoning channel of mine.

Thanks, as always, to Mike B Fort, for his track Tokyo Nights
https://soundcloud.com/mikebfortofficial.

Find me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/therndwn/
Find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nadianeo/
Find me on Twitter https://twitter.com/NadiaNeophytou
Also:
http://www.MissNtertainment.com! "

More of our photos from the run:

Ray of Ray's Candy Store with our metal print of his store and our Store Front II: A History Preserved book cover that is now hanging from the ceiling in the institution itself!

The print was a gift to Ray from @MatthewRosen who put worked with us to put it all together! Thank you Matt and love you Ray! Photos of Ray by Matt Rosen...

Thank you to the great Slapz Photography for documenting our installation in Mom & Pops of The L.E.S. in Seward Park! We really appreciate the love and support. Check out his amazing photography!

Check out his amazing photography: https://www.etsy.com/shop/slapzphotography

 and https://www.facebook.com/SlapzPhotography/

Thank you Tobi Elkin for Hyperallergic!

LINK:  https://hyperallergic.com/454945/storefronts-highlight-stories-of-independent-shops-and-their-proprietors/

Thank you Tobi Elkin for Hyperallergic for highlighting our Capturing the Faces & Voices of Manhattan’s Neighborhood Storefronts workshop exhibition, on view through October 1 at the Little Underground Gallery in the Jefferson Market Library on Sixth Avenue and our mixed-media installation, Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S., which opened in Seward Park on the Lower East Side in July, and will remain up through July 2019! Also our solo photography exhibition from our Store Front books at The Storefront Project Gallery , 70 Orchard St., through August 19!

Lightning over the East Village, NYC, just now...

Photography from our visit to a Bed-Stuy brownstone for 6sqft...

Full article: https://www.6sqft.com/our-2500sqft-new-homeowners-mark-and-lauren-take-us-inside-their-relaxed-bed-stuy-brownstone/

"The Upper West Side to Bed-Stuy may seem like a big jump, but Mark Macias and Lauren DeGregory haven’t looked back. Last August, the lovely couple bought a renovated brownstone in the ‘hood, upgrading from a one-bedroom apartment to a three-story 1890 house complete with a rental apartment, owner’s duplex, and, best of all, rear deck and backyard."

Marietta is a family-owned clothing store in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn which was founded in 1940.

We loved its gorgeous #script #signage made of porcelain tiles. When we interviewed the 2nd-generation owner, Giuseppe Chirico in 2009 for our book “Store Front II-A History Preserved”, he told us that when he first started working at the store after he returned home from World War II, “ Most of the clothes we sold were big in size because everyone in the area was Italian and Italians eat a lot! Now, the neighborhood has changed in age (lots of younger people) and size (the younger people are skinny)”.