OLD SCHOOL. More ancient or otherwise distinctive business signage.

by Kevin Walsh

above: West 4 Street near 7th, Greenwich Village

Maniacally busy schedule this weekend. Finishing a chapter for another book, helping a friend pack for a move, leading a ForgottenTour. Too much for your rapidly aging webmaster. Time to relax and put together a page of mindless drivel.

“What’s the difference from any other week?” you ask. I am used to impertinence like this.

Gun Hill Road is in the Bronx but I found this on 20th Avenue in Astoria. FA for FAIRBANKS.

Next to the porno palace Fair Theater, Jackson Heights. HI for HICKORY.

Knickerbocker Avenue, Bushwick. Not only is the sign from the Fab Forties…but the dinettes are too!

Still Knickerbocker. Italian bakery and forgotten pawnbroker. Italian Forgotten Fans: “Dolceria” means what?

Many have said it’s approximately “sweet shop”

Harold’s, Avenue U and McDonald Avenue, Gravesend.

Phone numbers, Astoria and Maspeth (TW for Twining, says Christina.) Great lettering on the Globe sign, no? Professionals.

All above: Steinway Street, Astoria

Cinderella Florist, Avenue Z and Ocean Ave., Sheepshead Bay. It’s a cheap vinyl awning but Cinderella herself seems rendered with care. An older hand-lettered shoe repair sign is nearby.

More shoe repair, Edison Avenue, Pelham Bay Park.

Racetrack ahead, Linden Blvd., South Jamaica

Bassett Deli, Avenue Y, Sheepshead Bay. Nice hand rendering, especually the top hat B.

Grocery, 3rd Avenue, Gowanus; ca, 1950s though the Coca- Cola logo comes from the “adds life!” 1970s era that introduced the swoosh.

McLean Avenue, Woodlawn-Yonkers border. Is there a Salon for Ugly anywhere?

Flatbush Avenue between Avenue P and Quentin. ES for ESPLANADE.

Jo-Lene Dolls, Sheepshead Bay Road and East 13th Street

Albini Pharmacy, Adams and 4th Street, Hoboken NJ

Grumbacher Art Supplies, Josephine Uni-Sex, 5th and Washington, Hoboken NJ.

Johnny’s Prime Meats, near 3rd Street; L. Pini, Washington Street, Hoboken NJ.

Photographed in 2005 and 2006.

erpietri@earthlink.net

©2006 Midnight Fish

3 comments

Brenda from Flatbush October 25, 2011 - 1:43 pm

I want VERY much for the pictures to pop bigger into a preview mode when I mouse over them, and when I click them I would like them to open either in a new window, or in such a way that I could readily back-browse to the page. Either that or just to be bigger to start with…the current system is cumbersome, and I am all itchy to see all the pictures more easily!

Reply
KevinJWalsh October 26, 2011 - 9:23 am

Brenda, the programmers who are moving the site over to wordpress are using the galleries to show photos. What I am doing is going into those files later and plopping the photos on the page, because people have been complaining about the galleries. I have alerted them to put the photos on the page, not in galleries, but some are still doing it. I know it is annoying but bear with it and it should be worked out in a few months. All new pages are mostly gallery free.

Reply
downtown October 26, 2011 - 7:46 am

The Fedora sign was actually replaced with a new one last year.

Reply

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