STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face of New York Installation

We were commissioned to provide 8 of our large-scale photographs of New York City mom-and-pop storefronts to be installed as wall-coverings for the conference rooms at the New York City offices of the #1 worldwide job search site, Indeed.  Indeed has over 180 million unique visitors per month matching employers with job seekers, and they recently began moving into their new 125,000-square-foot offices in the unique Hippodrome building at 1120 Avenue of the Americas, the former site of the once-celebrated Hippodrome Theatre. The design concept for the new office space according to Derek Stewart, head of real estate at Indeed, "pays homage to interesting job industries that call New York home."    

Indeed chose an interesting array of our storefront photographs printed at near life-size for their conference rooms. Many of the storefronts they chose were photographed by us between 10 and 15 years ago using 35mm film and appear in our critically acclaimed book, "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York." 

Sadly, our photographs are one of the only visual records of many of these unique New York City storefronts, as they have disappeared in the face of modernization and conformity and the once unique appearance and character of our colorful streets has suffered in the process.   Even though many people define New York City by its architectural icons including the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Flatiron Building and Central Park. For us, it is the timeworn and tested generational “mom and pop” stores that line the city’s streets and avenues that are just as iconic. They may not be as famous or instantly recognizable as the Brooklyn Bridge, but they are an equally important part of what makes New York a unique and remarkable city. The store owners have expertly defied the forces that make operating a small business in New York City for any length of time a Herculean feat. A great many of them have not only survived but continue to play a vital role in their neighborhood as ad hoc community centers. Just as the skyline of New York changes both incessantly and insidiously, the landscape of New York streets changes as well. But while the skyline still manages to remain just as arresting, its streetscapes are not always so lucky.    

These are the sizes they were printed at: Ralph's Discount City (2004) 139" W x 95" H Smith's Bar 139" W x 95" H Patsy's Restaurant 155" W x 101" H