The Stationery Sign on Broadway
Note: I think this is now gone.
You’ve probably seen this sign a million times. It’s on Broadway, just north of Canal Street, and I always assumed there was a stationery store keeping it around for nostalgia value. Except…there is no stationery store.
I looked a little closer when I took this picture though, and couldn’t find anything it would apply to. So what gives? Is this a left over from a store that’s no longer there? Is the building keeping it around to make it a bit more interesting (which SNY fully approves of)? Anyone know?
Michael Minn identifies this on his awesome site as a ghost sign, a sign for an establishment that no longer exists. I think we’re going to start using that term.
-SCOUT
PS – Yes, this picture was taken back in the days when snow was a threat, and is posted as a reminder to enjoy the 55° we’re supposed to hit today.
I love those old signs. That font, the neon lights that aren’t fully there. If I had gobs of cash, I would go about restoring them and lighting them up at night.
I used to work right down the block. Under that sign is an old-school elevator that still requires an elevator operator. The little guy just sits there in a folding chair all day waiting for someone to go up to the tattoo parlor, or other questionable businesses in the building.
I live in Dallas Tx and work in Arlington Tx and here, if there is a sign up already, it is legally grandfathered for zoning purposes. You can change the lettering. But if it is ever taken down, you will need permission from the zoning board for a new one. Permission is hard, if not impossible to get. So you see all these signs, often where there is no building.
OOPS, forgot to say, Love your site.