Vanishing Store Fronts

One of my favorite things about New York City is the incredible variety of stores, restaurants and services the city contains. Nestled into nearly every block of city real estate, scattered between chain coffee shops and fast food franchises, is a little treasure to be explored. A mom & pop joint. A dive. A hole in the wall. An underdog.

But they seem to be harder and harder to find. That was the idea that inspired authors James and Karla Murray to create the brilliant photography gathered in their book Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York. The accuracy of the book’s premise is reinforced by the fact that about half of the stores depicted in the book are no longer in business.

Here are just a few of the fantastic photographs in the collection:

And last but not least is this gem – where I spent one of the funniest nights of my life:

(Via Newsweek)