Please join The Lower East Side History Project for a special walking tour with James & Karla Murray, the photographers and authors of STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face of New York, as we visit some of the East  Village and Lower East Side storefronts documented in their book, and remember those which have disappeared.

STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face of New York provides an irreplaceable window to the rich cultural experience of New York City as seen through its neighborhood shops. The book is a visual guide to New York City’s timeworn storefronts, comprised of hundreds of powerful images of unique 19th and 20th century retail graphics and neon signs of local independent merchants, which capture the neighborhood spirit, familiarity, comfort and warmth that these shops once embodied.

Almost all of these businesses are a reflection of New York’s early immigrant population -- revisited are a diverse mix of Irish, German, Jewish, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian, Chinese and Hispanic mom and pop storefronts -- some long gone, others facing a similar fate under the crushing weight of 21st century gentrification.

The influx of big box retailers and chain stores pose a serious threat to these humble institutions, and neighborhood modernization and the anonymity it brings are replacing the unique appearance and character of what were once incredibly colorful streets.

Sunday, October 16, 12:00pm
RSVP required, space is limited!
Meeting location provided upon reservation.
$20pp or $35 with signed copy of STORE FRONT (mini): The Disappearing Face of New York (mini) which retails for $25 -- that's a $10 savings!

(Store Front (mini) is a new, more compact and easily portable version of the original best-selling coffee table-size book.)

TO RSVP:  Use this contact form, e-mail "andrea(at)leshp.org" or call 347-465-7767
* if you intend to purchase the Store Front book, please specify your request no later than Oct 4th, 2011
*Books will be distributed on the day of the tour
*Payment for the tour and the book will be accepted in the form of cash on the day of the tour

James and Karla Murray are professional photographers, specializing in urban and low-light photography, and authors of the bestselling and critically acclaimed book, STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face of New York.

They have lectured extensively on the subject of the plight of New York City’s mom and pop stores at venues including The New York Public Library, The Brooklyn Historical Society, The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

Their work has been the subject of exhibitions at the New-York Historical Society and the Brooklyn Historical Society, and is part of the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Historical Society.

They are represented by CLIC Gallery in NYC, East Hampton, NY and St. Barthelemy, FWI. James and Karla live in New York City and Miami with their dog Tabasco.