Thank you Neighborhood Preservation Center for featuring our workshop and show "Capturing the Faces and Voices of the Lower East Side’s Disappearing Mom-and-Pop Storefronts" at The Theater for The New City Gallery in their year end Newsletter and for all their continued support.

See the complete newsletter here: http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/sites/default/files/NPC_Newsletter_FINAL%20for%20online.pdf 

Happy New Year to all our friends & followers!

As 2017 winds down, what better way to countdown to 2018 than with an #analog clock. We love this liquor store's double channel #neon WINES 🍷#signage and its stainless clock.

Since it is terribly cold outside in NYC (currently 19 degrees F), we thought that some great #typography might help everyone warm up

Ralph's Deli & Grocery in the Bronx. We absolutely love its #handpainted sign, especially the #letter "R" in Ralph's. Our love of #typography and #signage is actually what prompted us to start documenting beautiful #momandpop stores like this one. #bronx

The "MINI" edition of James & Karla Murray's classic Store Front II - A History Preserved is in stores now

Tune in to the Leonard Lopate show on WNYC on Wednesday January 3rd between 12:40 - 1pm to hear guest host Arun Venugopal discuss the comings and goings of "Mom & Pop" shops in New York.

Grassroots Tavern has been in business for 42 years on St. Mark’s Place in the East Village, NYC

Sadly, this #divebar will close on December 31st because according to the manager the rent had become too high for them and “We basically decided to throw in the towel.” We will miss their #neon sign glowing in the window as well as it’s tin ceiling and tap beers 🍺 served in large glass mugs 🍻.

Carey Hilliard's Restaurant Barbecue, Savannah, GA

New York City is in the deep freeze with temperatures all this week in the 20s and dropping into the single digits at night so we thought what better #storefront to highlight than THE LEMON ICE KING OF CORONA.

The Lemon 🍋 Ice King was founded in 1944 by Peter Benfaremo. He opened @lemonicekingofcorona in Corona, Queens after returning home from World War II and taking over his father, Nicola’s small ice stand. The #Italian ice was originally hand-cranked in tubs and sold only during the summer, but is now made electrically year-round using the same three basic ingredients, sugar, water and flavoring. Cases of lemons 🍋 and oranges 🍊 are used to get the true taste in production, and all flavors have real fruit or nut pieces in them. The Lemon 🍋 flavor is the most popular. Peter Benfaramo passed away in 2008, but his relative, Vinnie Barbaccia and his business partner, Michael Zampino, are still running the business. Blending flavors of ice is still forbidden and the secret recipes for all 40 flavors have remained largely untouched, all being made on the premises, including four sugar-free varieties.

Complete photo from 2004 and interview with Peter appear in our book, "New York Nights".