Disappearing NYC: Star Struck

How Mom and Pops Stay Open in NYC... You need more than your fingers and toes to count the number independent stores and establishments that closed in 2018 in New York City.

I asked Joe Markus, the owner, how he managed to stay put in one place and thrive for so many decades. His answer was simple. His landlord was a decent man. So you either have to own your building or have the incredible luck of having a landlord with a heart to operate a long-standing store in NYC .

Take a last look at Star Struck.

A Film By Christopher Ming Ryan
Photography By Evan Fairbanks
Music By ArtList
Special Thanks: Wheelhouse Communications

Stephen Harmon: An Appreciation

In the 1960's when Stephen Harmon saw Walker Evan's 1931 photograph of Saratoga Springs' Main Street he said to himself, "Nothing will ever look like this again and thank God that guy took that photo and I'm going to be that guy who takes those photos."

It required moving to the Upper West Side in 1978 for Harmon to find a neighborhood on the cusp of change to gather the motivation. Thank God he took these photographs of Mom and Pop stores gone by and of the people of the Upper West Side that according to Steve, "walked around like they owned the place."

Originally published in the West Side Rag and Viewing.nyc