Lucky Cheng's

Lucky Cheng's, the East Village nightlife institution opened in 1993. Prior to that it was called Club Baths, the first openly gay-owned bathhouse which operated from 1971-1983 and then Cave Canem , from 1986-1993. Lucky Cheng's became hugely popular in the mid 1990s, complete with drag queen waitresses and was even used in an episode of Sex & the City for a bachelorette party scene. We particularly liked its sign shaped like a Chinese food takeout box! 🍜 In July 2014, Lucky Cheng's closed primarily due to a huge rent increase. Lucky Cheng's Drag Cabaret is now located in a subterranean speakeasy, The Secret Room near Times Square.

#storefront #storefrontcollective #jamesandkarla #luckychengs #disappearingfaceofnewyork #dragqueen #dragqueensofinstagram #dragqueenshow #dragqueendivas #dragshow #dragqueens #dragmakeup #dragartist #eastvillagenyc #sexandcity #sexandthecitystyle #sexandthecity

Leon’s Burger Hut

Leon’s Burger Hut was an amazing “home-in-the-wall” burger spot on Bedford Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We discovered this small mom-and-pop restaurant in the early 2000s and took this 35mm film photo before the neighborhood became gentrified. We loved its original signage and the basic menu inside which basically was a giant board with the offerings written in marker. It was open in the morning until the early afternoon as it catered to the workers in the many nearby factories and warehouses which once lined the waterfront.

DeRobertis Pasticceria

DeRobertis Pasticceria was established by Paolo DeRobertis in 1904 on First Avenue in the East Village. It closed in December 2014 after 110 years in business due to the poor economy and the decision of the 3rd-generation DeRobertis family members to retire and sell the entire building (it sold for 9.9 million). We not only loved the facade of this bakery but also the original interior with its penny-tiled floor and original glass & wood showcases (swipe left for 2nd photo of the interior). Thankfully some of the interior including the tin ceiling and wall tiles along with the penny floor tiles which are no longer made were preserved by Black Seed Bagels after they moved into the space. For a while, the new building owners also kept the fabulous neon sign intact on the facade but that sadly disappeared in 2018 when the building was again sold for 12.1 million. We are not sure what happened to this gorgeous neon sign but hope it somehow found its way back to the DeRobertis family as they reopened their family pastry shop in New Jersey. Our photo of DeRobertis appears on our book “New York Nights” along with an interview with the third generation owner, Annie.

#storefront #jamesandkarla #disappearingfaceofnewyork #neon #neonsignage #italianamerican #italianamericanfood #pastry #pastryshop #italianpastry #italianpastries #italianfood #cannoli #cannolosiciliano #cannolis #sfogliatella #sfogliatelle #neonsigns

Ideal Dinettes

Ideal Dinettes on Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn was founded in 1953 when the neighborhood was still had a huge Italian population with many large extended families living in the same household. As Bushwick underwent gentrification in the 2000s, business declined as families moved out of the area and there was less of a need for large “dinette” sets, coupled with the fact that the second-generation owners were getting older and they decided to close their shop in 2008. The saddest part of this story is that the owners knew that we were huge fans of the gorgeous neon sign and before they closed the shop, asked if we wanted to keep it. We live in a small studio in the East Village and could not possibly fit the large sign inside our apartment, let alone carry it up the necessary stairs to our floor so we had to decline their offer. This was before we were active on social media (we didn’t start our Instagram account until 2014) and did not have the large network of friends and followers that we now have and surely now would easily be able to find a great home for this neon sign and the signage ended up being heaped into a dumpster. Our film photo from 2004 and interview with the 2nd-generation owners of Ideal Dinettes appears in our book “Store Front II- A History Preserved”.

#storefront #jamesandkarla #disappearingfaceofnewyork #neon #neonsigns #neonsignage #bushwickbrooklyn #bushwick #dinette #kitchendecor #kitchendesign #midcenturystyle #midcenturydesign #midcenturyhome #midcenturyfurniture

Yaffa Cafe

Yaffa Cafe in the East Village was in business for 32 years before it was forced to close in 2014 after the owners were told by the City that its beloved backyard patio with seating was illegal. We have so many fond memories of eating at the cafe with its famous salads served with carrot dressing. It was one of the few places which was open around the clock in the neighborhood. Photo from 2011 appears in our book “New York Nights”.

#storefront #jamesandkarla #disappearingfaceofnewyork #cafe #café #cafes #yaffa #eastvillagenyc #momandpopshop #momandpops #momandpopshops #vegan #momandpopshops #veganfriendly #veganfriends #vegetarian

Coffee Shop

The iconic Coffee Shop located on Union Square West at 16th Street holds many memories for us as it was the one of the first places we visited after going clubbing together in the early 1990s (we were just dating then and got married in 1994 ). This upscale diner opened in 1990 and became popular in part because many of the waitresses were aspiring models as the co-owners including Caroline Benitez (wife of legendary DJ/music producer John “Jellybean” Benitez ) were former Wilhelmina models. Sadly, Coffee Shop closed in 2018 due to rising rent prices and the space became a Chase bank branch with an adjoining coffee shop and it’s iconic neon sign was covered with “Chase” branding.

#storefront #coffeeshop #disapoearingfaceofnewyork #jamesandkarla #coffeeshops #neon #neonsigns #neonsignage #unionsquare #unionsquarepark #unionsquareny #diner #dinersdriveinsanddives #wilheminamodels

Patsy’s Italian Restaurant

Patsy’s Italian Restaurant in the Theater District of NYC has been in business since 1944 and is owned and operated by the 3rd generation of the Scognamillo family. This iconic red sauce spot was Frank Sinatra’s favorite restaurant and he often dined there after recording at his nearby studio. We love this family-owned restaurant and included our photo of it along with an interview with the family in our book “Store Front II- A History Preserved.”

#storefront #jamesandkarla #italian #italianfood #redsauce #pasta #pastalover #patsys #pastapasta #pastaamericana #momandpopshop #momandpopshops #italianamerican #italianamericans #italianfoodlover #italianfoodlovers #redsaucepasta

Three Lives & Company Booksellers

Yesterday was National Booklovers Day and our thoughts immediately went to the historic Three Lives & Company Booksellers, a small independent bookstore in Greenwich Village that was founded in 1978. Despite the building being sold a few years ago to new owners, and the building undergoing renovation causing the storefront to be covered in scaffolding, this lovely bookstore is still going strong.

This photo from 2011 and full interview with owner, Toby appear in our book "Store Front II-A History Preserved”.

#storefront #jamesandkarla #bookstore #independentbookstore #bookloversday #booklovers #bookloversofinstagram #bookloversunite #books #booklover #nationalbookloversday #westvillagenyc #greenwichvillagenyc #westvillage #westvillagelife #nationalbookday