Preserving Mom-and-Pop Shops in NYC | Tracy's New York Life

James and Karla Murray document the vanishing mom-and-pop shops of New York City in their book, Store Front II: A History Preserved, the Disappearing Face of New York.

As New York City continues to evolve and become a cleaner, safer place to live, we’re forced to say goodbye to some aspects that made us fall in love with the city in the first place. I’m referring to NYC’s concentration of independent stores, restaurants, and watering holes. There’s no denying that mom-and-pop shops have always been an integral part of New York’s fabric and character.

NYC has long been a destination for immigrants who leave their homelands for new beginnings. Many arrive in New York and eventually open and operate bodegas, dry-cleaning businesses, pubs, pizzerias, coffee shops and diners, delis, and so on. I believe mom-and-pop shops are the lifeblood of this town and an essential chapter in its history. Although few remain today, those that do keep a bit of Old New York’s heart still beating.

Let’s take a look at a handful of these local shops through the brilliant photography of James and Karla Murray, authors of the books New York Nights, Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York, Store Front II: A History Preserved, the Disappearing Face of New York, and several other titles.

During our chat by email, the couple explained how they began photographing New York’s storefronts. Also, they’re sharing some of the conversations they’ve had with the mom-and-pop shop owners.

James and Karla Murray with their pup Hudson. {Photo by Godlis}

“During the mid-1990s, we combed the streets of New York City searching out and documenting its graffiti art scene for a book we were making that also involved large-scale photography. In the process of publishing two books and several articles documenting graffiti art, we got to travel and discover many distant neighborhoods of the city. We would often return to the very same locations and see new artwork there. Despite the short time frame between visits, however, we noticed that some blocks looked drastically different.”

“Many neighborhood stores had closed, or we would come across ‘old’ stores, still in business, but somehow different. They were either refaced, remodeled, or original signage had been substituted with new, bright and shiny plastic awnings. The whole look and feel of the neighborhood had changed and much of its individuality and charm had gone.”

FAICCO’S PORK STORE, GREENWICH VILLAGE, 2010

“Faicco’s Pork Store in Greenwich Village has been in business since 1900. When we spoke with the fourth-generation co-owner Louis Faicco and asked him how his family got started in the pork business, we thought he would certainly say that his family had always been in the pork business back in Italy.

“My great grandfather emigrated here from Naples, Italy. And one day went to a sausage shop on the Lower East Side and bought some Italian sausage. When he got home, he found a splinter in one of the links and went back to complain to the shop. He yelled at the owner and accused him of not knowing anything about how to make sausages and that he planned to open his own sausage shop and force him out of business. And that is exactly what he did!”– Louis Faicco

“We were witnessing first hand the alarming rate at which the shops were disappearing, and decided to preserve what we could. After speaking with only a handful of the storeowners, the scope of the project became larger as we discovered that many of the shop owners had fascinating stories to share about the joys and struggles of surviving as a family business in New York City.”

“Each store we documented turned out to be as unique as the customers, run by owners with a commitment to tradition and special service. The neighborhood store has always been a foothold for new immigrants and a comfortable place where familiar languages are spoken, where ethnic foods and culture are present. These shops are lifelines for their communities.”

MANSOURA PASTRIES, MIDWOOD, BROOKLYN, 2009

“We absolutely loved its original 1960s signage with the script lettering of ‘Mansoura’s’ and ‘Oriental Pastry’ heading. They are the only place in New York that specializes in pistachio baklava. When we interviewed the second-generation owner, Josiane Mansoura, she told us that the family’s baking legacy goes back to 1780 in Aleppo, Syria.

“The shop’s old sign refers to the Middle Eastern area where my family originated. “Americans think of the word Oriental as referring to Chinese, but really the word Orient refers to land in the Near East, the Far East and the Middle East.” —Josiane Mansoura

“We noticed very early on in the project, that if the owner did not own the entire building, their business was already in jeopardy of closing. The owners were at the mercy of their landlords and the ever-increasing rents they charged.”

“After the business had closed, it was often replaced by a chain-type store or banking institution, which could afford the higher rent, or the whole building was converted into a luxury condo. If the location was too small a footprint or the locale was deemed undesirable by a chain-type store, the space often remained vacant, sometimes for years.”

“Sadly, two-thirds of the stores we had photographed for our first book, Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York, published in 2008, have already disappeared. Although 20 percent of the stores which appear in our latest publication, Store Front II: A History Preserved, have closed, we definitely want to stress that many of the small mom-and-pop businesses we photographed are thriving, including Morscher’s Pork Store in Ridgewood, Queens and House of Oldies in Greenwich Village.”

MORSCHER’S PORK STORE, RIDGEWOOD, QUEENS, 2009

“We have upgraded our kitchen throughout the years to keep up with the times. This is very important to our family, to maintain the old standards, but to able to function in the 21st century….”–Herbert Morscher

HOUSE OF OLDIES, GREENWICH VILLAGE, 2010

“Business has increased for me because kids are buying vinyl. Vinyl is back!”– Bob Abramson

“While finishing our first Store Front book in 2008, we chose the front and back cover photos expressly because those businesses had been forced to close despite the owners wanting to keep them open.”

RALPH’S DISCOUNT CITY, TRIBECA

“Ralph’s Discount City in TriBeCa was forced to close in 2007 when the building began plans for conversion into a luxury condo.”

KATY’S CANDY STORE, BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, 2004

“Katy’s Candy Store opened in 1969 and was one of the last penny candy stores in NYC. Unfortunately, she was forced to close in 2007 when the landlord tripled her rent and the store has remained empty to this day.”

“I speak three languages, English, Spanish, and Mother******. You’ve got to be tough to survive in this neighborhood.”–Katy Keyzer

MCSORLEY’S OLD ALE HOUSE, EAST VILLAGE

“McSorley’s Old Ale House has been in the East Village since 1854. Originally, McSorley’s was an all-male establishment known by its slogan ‘good ale, raw onions, and no ladies.’ Female customers were admitted to most bars by about 1960, but McSorley’s was the last bar in New York City to admit only men. Matthew Maher, a former bartender, took ownership of the bar from the fifth-generation McSorley in 1970, after the family decided to sell the bar once they lost the sex discrimination lawsuit brought against them. ”

“If it weren’t for the controversy over the women, I’d never have owned the place. The McSorley family was very upset about the discrimination decision.. and got a kind of resentment towards the bar and decided to sell it. For me, the women paid the bills, you better believe it!”–Matthew Maher

GLASER’S BAKE SHOP, YORKVILLE, 2004

“Glaser’s Bake Shop has been a Yorkville business since 1902. John and Justine Glaser established the family bakery after they emigrated from Bavaria.” Unfortunately, Glaser’s closed in 2018.

“The original black and white cookie is a favorite at the bakery. Our recipe is derived from the German drop cake, which basically has the same ingredients.” –Herbert Glaser Jr.

“We know that New York is always changing and evolving but we’re alarmed at the rate of change in the small retail establishments we were seeing throughout the many distinct neighborhoods in all five boroughs. We hope that our project acts an artistic intervention to help draw attention to and preserve the small shops whose existence is essential to the unique and colorful atmosphere of the city’s streets.”

James and Karla Murray are longtime New Yorkers. They live in the East Village with their dog, Hudson. For more about their work, visit their website and blog. Connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.