James and Karla Murray Photography: February 2014

Eddie Unda opened Maryland Furniture in 1962 and installed the huge neon sign that same year. In 2007, Eddie told us that he almost lost the whole business because of that sign.

I don't keep the Maryland Furniture neon sign lit anymore because it got too expensive to maintain and believe it or not, I almost lost my entire business because of that sign. It used to be a very small fee the City charged in order to keep an illuminated neon sign on your business. I remember paying about $76 a year and then they slowly raised it and when it reached over $200, I wrote a letter to the City that I would not be renewing the permit, but in the early 1980s i got a letter from the City saying that they had foreclosed on my business because I hadn't paid my neon sign permit fees. I was so upset because my whole life is this store and they were going to take it away from me. I had to hire a lawyer and go to City Court and fight to get my store back. I ended up having to pay the City $1,200 in order to own my business again. Eddie Unda, owner

According to our blog follower, Scott Andrew Hutchins, "the building is vacant and the building owner's number with a for sale sign is hanging on the storefront."

(Image from STRORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face of New York)