Customer Reviews

Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Well, it was open last week, I went in and bought something" A familiar thought if you live in a city, large or small, across the Nation and discover that the store that had been there for decades is now closed: probably for good. James and Karla Murray have done us all a favor by capturing, for ever, the changing store front scene in New York. Amazingly, as mentioned in their introduction, almost a third of the stores in the book have closed!

The 220 photos (with some repeated in four huge fold-outs) cover the five boroughs with each getting a simplified street map and the relevant neighborhood indicated, some copy provides background to the name and how the area originated. What gives the book a lift though is the frequent addition of interviews with the storeowners who provide insights about the history of their premises and the products they sell.

All the photos are straight on shots of the store fronts but don't think for a minute that this might be sort of boring because these stores are a kaleidoscope of colorful window displays with products, notices and neon signs, awnings, and an amazing selection of lettering for their names, plus many of them desperately need some renovation and this adds texture to the surrounding building. Photos that are this content rich just don't need any gimmicks or trendy angle shots. The book's large size also adds to their impact (check out the Product Details).

This is a large, chunky, beautifully produced coffee table book (though a shame it wasn't printed with a finer screen than the 175 used). I wouldn't have thought that photos of store fronts would have yielded such a fascinating collection of stunning photos but here they are. A visual treat!

***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

Amazing, enormous book filled with page after page of panorama photos and single mom-and-pop stores. I especially loved the huge fold-outs and reading all the interviews. What else can I say, the book is outstanding and I'll treasure it forever. I've told everyone I know to buy it.

After looking through Store Front, I felt like I was right back in NYC when I lived there over 40 years ago. The hundreds of gorgeous photos of these old mom-and-pop stores brought back memories of my own neighborhood and shopping trips downtown from The Bronx and summer outings to Coney Island. I also enjoyed reading all the interviews with store owners and finding out the "secret" to their survival. I have this massive book on my table and everyone who comes over spends time flipping through it and want to take it home with them. I plan on visiting many of the stores that were highlighted because the photographers kindly gave the exact address of each store in every borough. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever lived in New York, visited New York or just interested in seeing the stores that make NYC the special place that it is.

During a vacation I saw this book in a shop close to Central Park. Then back in Germany I decided to purchase it. With great interest I read all descriptions about New York and the stores to which the storefronts belong to. With this book I learn more about NY's history than with any other source. This book enriches my personal library

A beatifully produced walk through the DNA of important New York city commercial businesses, I can't thank the books creators enough. I there enough material for a volume II?

Fine shots of real life storefronts. These are not high-end "history of 20th century" storefronts that show the designer's original intents. These are photos of lived-in buildings. The paper and picture quality is very good.

This book shows my New York as it was. Pre Disneyfing of Times Square and the destruction of neighborhoods by the national chains with their steel and glass fronts. A must have book for old school New Yorkers and preservationists. Beautifully printed on poster stock paper. I wish I had the photographic eye of these photographers.
HGF, NYC

This book is simply superb, unparalleled in it's documentation, it has had me soaking up your New York landscapes, wishing I could go.

It's gone, baby. Gone. So, stop and smell the roses. Take a good look around you. Nothing lasts forever, not even across the street.

I bought this book as a gift for friends and they loved it.

If you want to see more of the book, have a look at some of the authors shots posted on Flickr - [...]