First night of “Capturing the Faces & Voices of Mom-and-Pop Storefronts” workshops at East Village Community Coalition​, East Village, NYC!

We started the night with a pre-workshop visit to Ray's Candy Store and a visit to our, East Village, NYC with PIX 11's Greg Mocker for a Ray's Candy Store egg cream! Thanks to all who attended our workshop...great crowd! Watch the PIX11 segment here: https://pix11.com/2019/04/29/neighbors-fight-to-save-east-village-candy-store-other-local-businesses/

We are holding free photography, social media, and oral history workshops in partnership with @evccnyc, teaching participants how to create their own powerful photos and connect with proprietors through interviews and @rayscandystore is definitely a wonderful example of one of the unique places we have documented. To find out more, please follow @momandpopstorefronts on instagram.

Down in the East Village TONIGHT!

We will be holding free photography, social media, and oral history workshops in partnership with @evccnyc tonight, teaching participants how to create their own powerful photos and connect with proprietors through interviews and @rayscandystore is definitely a wonderful example of one of the unique places we have documented. To find out more, please follow @momandpopstorefronts on instagram! 

RAY’S CANDY STORE was founded in 1974 by Asghar “Ray Alvarez” Ghahraman. This 24-hour shop specializes in soft-serve ice cream 🍦, egg creams 🥛milk shakes, french fries🍟, hot dogs 🌭 and beignets. We interviewed Ray when we photographed the #storefront in 2013 for our book, "Store Front II- A History Preserved" and he shared with us, “I have always been open around the clock and can be found on most nights still working the late shift. This is one of the few stores near the park that stays open 24/7 and I was even working behind the counter when there was the tent city at Tompkins Square Park. I stayed open during the famous riot in 1988 and many of the protestors were my regulars. Customers that I knew when they were youngsters still come in these days to buy things and say hello to me, but now I can barely recognize them.”

#momandpopstorefronts #LESmonth #leshistorymonth #peoplesLES #eastvillage #signcollective #handpainted #signsunited #seeyourcity #ig_signage #signgeeks #everything_signage #typevstime #dailytype #fontastic #whpgoingplaces

EDDIE’S SWEET SHOP has been in business for over 100 years.

Previously called Witts Ice Cream Parlor, this Forest Hills classic was sold to the Citrano family in 1968. When we photographed this #storefront with its vintage Coca-Cola #privilegesign for our book "New York Nights" we also interviewed the fourth owner, Vito Citrano. Vito told us that “The entire interior of @eddiessweetshop including the marble counters, stained glass windows, tin ceiling and inlaid wood cabinetry is original. We still use some of the original owner’s recipes for our homemade ice cream 🍨 but we’ve added many of our own touches over the years .”

• Please join us TODAY Friday, April 26th at 3pm for our FREE “Best of the Boroughs : Queens Day” illustrated discussion about small #momandpopshop businesses in Queens at the American Folk Art Museum @afamuseum . Our talk is offered in conjunction with the exhibition “Made in New York City: The Business of Folk Art” from March 15- July 28, 2019.

• We will be speaking about the interesting history of many small businesses in #Queens including Eddie’s Sweet Shop. • While our illustrated discussion is FREE, registration is recommended through Eventbrite.

Please join us this Friday, April 26th at 3pm for our FREE illustrated discussion at the @AmericanFolkArtMuseum in Queens

Please join us this Friday, April 26th at 3pm for our FREE “Best of the Boroughs : Queens Day” illustrated discussion about small #momandpopshop businesses in Queens at the @AmericanFolkArtMuseum.

Our talk is offered in conjunction with the exhibition “Made in New York City: The Business of Folk Art” from March 15- July 28, 2019.

We will be speaking about the interesting history of many small businesses in #Queens. While our illustrated discussion is FREE, registration is recommended through Eventbrite.

Photography from our visit to art curator Blair Russell's Midtown apartment for 6sqft...

Full article: https://www.6sqft.com/my-800sqft-art-curator-blair-russell-brings-miami-to-midtown-with-graffiti-art-and-fluorescent-finds/

"Florida native Blair Russell spends half of every month in Miami. And for the other two weeks, Miami comes with him to his New York City apartment. The curator-creative has decked out his Midtown abode, located in a 1910 building formerly home to an upscale children’s apparel store, with fluorescent colors, graffiti art, and international finds, all while mixing in a mid-century modern flair. Blair first bought his home on 35th and 5th one month after September 11, at a time when living next to the Empire State Building wasn’t exactly a selling point. “It used to be called the dirty 30’s when I moved here in 2002,” Blair told us."

Tsagaan Ochir, West Village, NYC

Tsagaan Ochir on Carmine Street in the West Village is a fine art gallery and boutique specializing in unique artwork and handmade crafts by Mongolian artists. It was founded by Khurel Baatar Ochir, from Ulaanbaatar (the capital city of Mongolia), who told us that every piece of art he has in the shop “speaks to me” and has a strong, positive, and healing energy as they are crafted using ancient meditative techniques created by the nomadic people of Mongolia.

The energy and spirit of the people who created each artwork is embedded in their pieces and every piece sold at @tsagaanochirart directly helps the nomadic people of #Mongolia. Below are artwork and handcrafted items in the shop.

https://tsagaanochir.com/

Happy Easter! Over at Cafe Konditorei Fürst, Salzburg.

Founded in 1884.

Easter-time over at The Baroness, East Village, NYC...

The Baroness on East 13th Street by Avenue B is New York City’s premiere latex designer boutique. We recently stopped by @latexbaroness and spoke with The Baroness herself, who explained that she first fell in love with this fabric after having received a latex scoop neck dress from a slave over 30 years ago. Although, the dress itself was not her style and not the correct size, she “crammed herself into it and felt like a sausage”, but she loved the fabric and started making #latex pieces for herself and for her slaves and the people around her. The Baroness has a strong philosophy about the art of latex and “tries to take people’s mind out of what they think latex is, which is generally BDSM or sex”. Latex is #vegan as it is made from the sap that comes from the rubber tree.

To The Baroness, “it’s all about the desire, passion, and fantasy. I don’t want people to feel like it is difficult to get dressed. My whole concept for latex is that it is elegant and provocative and is for everyone in all shapes and sizes and curves and that you should feel comfortable and attractive in it and empowered. Most of the work that I do personally is custom and I am known for using color. Nothing is sewn. Everything is glued. I do a lot of cosplay stuff and dress people for fetish events and have done work for @ladygaga @beyonce @fergie and @ditavonteese. Although I have been creating custom latex for 30 years, the shop has been open for around a decade and it allows us to actually see things on people and for people who are curious about it to just buy things off the rack.”

• Personally, we always look forward to see her seasonal window displays, with the latest one created for Easter.

#shopsmall #shoplocal #supportsmallbusiness #latexfetish #latexdress #latexfashion #eastvillage #veganclothing

Our photo of Albanese Meats & Poultry graces the cover of today's TIMEOUT New York.

Check out: "James and Karla Murray share their favorite photographs of New York store fronts": https://www.timeout.com/newyork/art/james-and-karla-murray-share-their-favorite-photographs-of-new-york-storefronts

Get well soon Notre Dame.

Thank you for keeping us company on that night we spent on the Pont des Arts...

We hope everyone had a great #recordstoreday yesterday!

We are highlighting one of our favorites, Zig Zag Records in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Although you can no longer shop at Zig Zag as it closed in December 2010, there are still many independently owned #recordstore in NYC to purchase the more than 500 rereleased #vinyl albums special to this day. Our #analog photo of Zig Zag Records appears in our book “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York.”

Pitkin Avenue Bootery in Brownsville, Brooklyn was in business for over 40 years before it closed in 2011.

We loved their #vintage #signage complete with the #handpainted shoes and #script lettering. We also love their "lobby" style entrance with the deep window 👞👢displays and the kiddie horse ride out front. Photo from 2009 appears in our book "Store Front II - A History Preserved."

Out at Tineo Brothers Mini Market, earlier...

Over in the East Village, NYC, just now...

A frigid day we spent with the crew of Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park out on Coney Island getting ready the season for 6sqft...

Full article: https://www.6sqft.com/photos-see-coney-islands-historic-wonder-wheel-get-ready-for-the-season/

"Honoring a 60-year tradition of opening on Palm Sunday, Coney Island Amusement Park will be back in business this Sunday, April 14th. One of the many activities will be the annual blessing of the rides at Deno’s Wonder Wheel. The 150-foot-tall, 100-year-old structure is one of the most iconic pieces remaining at Coney Island. But there’s a lot that goes into this seasonal opening than even the most well-versed New Yorker may not know. Each winter, the 200-ton ride is repainted, and all of its 24 cars are removed. But come spring, second-generation co-owner Dennis Vourderis goes through the process of precisely reinstalling and aligning the cars. We were lucky enough to visit Dennis on a recent frigid Sunday to watch the magic happen."

Yesterday marked the birthday of the legendary #jazzsinger Billie Holiday, who was born on April 7, 1915

We are highlighting the historic, LENOX LOUNGE, which became a hot spot for after-hours jam sessions, boasting performances by jazz legends 🎶 including Billie Holiday, John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

The Lenox Lounge was founded in 1939 and when Alvin Reed purchased the Lenox Lounge in 1988 from Dominic Greco, the bar no longer had live musical performances, but was functioning just as a nightclub with a live DJ. Alvin Reed decided to reopen the Lounge as a live #jazz venue and worked closely with a design firm to restore much of the clubs original #ArtDeco interior. The famous “Zebra Room” where live music was played nightly, had 1940s swinging glass-and-wood double doors, black leather banquettes, cozy tables, zebra-print walls and a space for the band to the right. The first banquette to the left, next to the band, was Billie Holiday’s booth, a space that was once reserved weekly for the singer herself.

Sadly the lounge closed at the end of December in 2012 after a huge rent increase and the building which housed Lenox Lounge was demolished in 2017. Photo and full text appear in our book, “New York Nights”.

Hudson. Guardian Statue fun, out and about in the West Village, NYC, just now...

What a difference a day makes...

Friday it was rainy and cold in NYC but today it feels more like Spring again so we are highlighting one of the local flower 🌸 and plant 🌱 shops in our neighborhood, East Village Florist. We love how this small shop creatively makes use of the sidewalk in front of their tiny shop to display and draw in customers with vast selection of house plants and flowers.

"Moms-and-Pops of the L.E.S." installation, Seward Park, Lower East Side, NYC.

Thanks to Unique Copy Center and Unique Visuals NY for their expertise and guidance in selecting a material (dibond) that could withstand all the New York seasons! Our tribute to all the small businesses like bodegas, coffee shops, luncheonettes, delis, and newsstands that used to be numerous in the Lower East Side still looks great after over nine months thanks to them.

Tobacco Road, Hell's Kitchen, NYC

Tobacco Road, a dive bar on West 41st Street located near the Port Authority Bus Terminal (and close to Times Square) was known for bikini-clad bartenders 🍸and for hosting musical 🎶 performances and events. It closed in 2017 after failure to pay its rent.

Photography from our visit to Louise Phillips Forbes' family-friendly Upper West Side home for 6sqft...

Full article: https://www.6sqft.com/my-3000sqft-power-broker-louise-phillips-forbes-shows-her-family-friendly-upper-west-side-home/

"For close to three decades now, Forbes has been a powerhouse in the real estate field; in fact, her sales team is the number one at Halstead with more than $3.5 billion in career sales."

Registration for our “Capturing the Faces & Voices of Mom-and-Pop Storefronts” workshop is now fully booked!

 Waitlist via Eventbrite.com (see link in bio) for our “Capturing the Faces & Voices of Mom-and-Pop Storefronts”- a photography, social media, and oral history workshop focusing on the cultural significance of neighborhood stores and the impact they have on the pulse, life, and texture of their communities.

The workshops culminate in both online (website and dedicated Instagram page) and public exhibitions of participants’ work at The Theater for The New City Gallery in the East Village.  The workshops teach how photography, social media, and oral history can be tools for public awareness and advocacy.

Participants will learn to create their own powerful photographs of neighborhood storefronts as well as record oral histories with shop owners, which communicate artistically and are insightful and moving. Participants will also gain valuable knowledge in creating and maintaining their own social media account.

Space is limited to 35 participants per 2-session workshop (70 participants total). The workshops are free but advance registration is required. Registration includes admission to both sessions of each workshop, which are spaced 7 weeks apart. • Please register for ONLY one workshop : Both Monday, April 29th and May 6th workshop start dates are SOLD OUT but the WAITLIST is open and we expect that spots will open up, so please register for the waitlist.

When you register for either date, you will be automatically registered to attend the second corresponding session). • Workshop 1A/1B April 29/June 17, Workshop 2A/2B May 6/June 24 •

Capturing the Faces and Voices of Mom-and-Pop Storefronts is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.  Done in partnership with the East Village Community Coalition.

Registration is now open for “Capturing the Faces & Voices of Mom-and-Pop Storefronts”

“Capturing the Faces & Voices of Mom-and-Pop Storefronts” is a photography, social media, and oral history workshop focusing on the cultural significance of neighborhood stores and the impact they have on the pulse, life, and texture of their communities. The workshops culminate in both online (website and dedicated Instagram page) and public exhibitions of participants’ work at The Theater for The New City Gallery in the East Village from September 16th - October 27th, 2019.

The workshops teach how photography, social media, and oral history can be tools for public awareness and advocacy. Participants will learn to create their own powerful photographs of neighborhood storefronts as well as record oral histories with shop owners, which communicate artistically and are insightful and moving. Participants will also gain valuable knowledge in creating and maintaining their own social media account.

Space is limited to 35 participants per 2-session workshop (70 participants total). The workshops are free but advance registration is required. Registration includes admission to both sessions of each workshop, which are spaced 6 weeks apart.

Please register for ONLY one workshop on either: Monday, April 29th or Monday, May 6th. When you register for either date, you will be automatically registered to attend the second corresponding session 6 weeks later: When registering for Workshop 1A on Monday April 29th you will be automatically registered for Workshop 1B on Monday June 10th. When registering for Workshop 2A on Monday May 6th you will be automatically registered for Workshop 2B on Monday June 17th)

Capturing the Faces and Voices of Mom-and-Pop Storefronts is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

Done in partnership with the East Village Community Coalition.

To register for Workshop 1A on Monday, April 29th and its corresponding Workshop 1B on Monday, June 10th visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/capturing-the-faces-voices-of-mom-and-pop-storefronts-tickets-59789862087

Photography from our visit to CentraRuddy for 6sqft​...

Full article: https://www.6sqft.com/where-i-work-architecture-and-interiors-firm-cetraruddy-shows-off-their-self-designed-offices/

"Husband-and-wife team Nancy Ruddy and John Cetra started architecture/design firm CetraRuddy in 1987, and after working from an office in Soho for 25 years, the firm moved to One Battery Park Plaza a year-and-a-half ago. Now with 100 employees, they had outgrown the space and wanted to use the move as an opportunity to revamp and improve the things that didn’t work. They were first attracted to the space’s light and views, but the firm was also able to occupy the entire floor, meaning they could design the entire office space, as well as the corridors."

Hudson. Trying to pick out a book over at Aeon Bookstore on East Broadway in the Lower East Side.

This lovely new bookstore sells both new and used books 📚 as well as records. We discovered @aeonbooks over the weekend after checking in our near life-size #storefront art installation @momandpopsles inside Seward Park (located just down the street from the bookstore). We went inside with our rescue dog @hudsonpittienyc and met the owner, Josiah Wolfson, who told us that he opened the shop in September and carefully curates the selection of books the shop carries using his well-honed intuition. We are so happy to see a new #bookstore open in the neighborhood and will definitely be stopping in again!