Store Front NYC: Photographs of the City's Independent Shops, Past and Present

For decades, husband-and-wife photography duo James and Karla

Murray have been on a mission to document and preserve on film

the various small shops of New York City—many of which are

quickly disappearing—and a culture of authenticity that is hanging

by just a thread. Featuring glorious new reproductions of images

from their past books as well as never-before published photos, this

elegiac volume will delight the Murrays’ multitude of fans, as well

as anyone interested in the charm and history of small urban retail.

Large in format and filled with color and affectionate detail, the

book includes an introduction by the Murrays explaining the

genesis of their lifelong project and why they love to photograph

store fronts. Chapters are organized by each of the city’s five

boroughs and include descriptions and maps. Most of the store

fronts are featured in generous single-page images with captions

listing location, neighborhood, and year the photo was taken. Filled

with diversity and character, these images honor destinations lost

to rising rents and changing demographics. Together they comprise

both a guidebook and a love letter to a city that never sleeps, and

is always evolving.