They were in search of graffiti art but fell in love with documenting something else—New York City’s mom-and-pop storefronts. As New York architectural and interior photographers James and Karla Murray explored Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx in the late 1990s photographing wall murals and interviewing artists, they also made photographs of the burroughs’ quaint storefronts, marveling at the neon signs and curlicue lettering, and chatting—sometimes for hours—with the stores’ longtime owners.
The images were “a labor of love for ourselves,” they say, with no intended publication. But when their book editor visited their home and noticed a storefront image on their wall, he had other ideas: This should be a book, he told them, asking if they had more photos. They had shoeboxes full, they replied, as well as micro cassette tapes of their conversations with the shop owners. They published a first book featuring 10 years’ worth of selected images and recently a follow-up with additional storefronts and some updated images of formerly photographed stores, “Store Front NYC: Photographs of the City’s Independent Shops, Past and Present” (Prestel).
Even though they describe their process as spontaneous and exploratory, they did set some ground rules from the beginning that would ensure stylistic continuity. For the most part, the photos would not contain people; the store’s front was the hero and a person would distract the viewer.
Plus, a person’s clothing would inevitably date the photograph. They avoided photographing parking meters and vehicles. If cars or trucks were an impediment, they took note of the area’s parking rules to determine a time when fewer cars might be present. All photos, whether film or digital, were made with a 35mm lens.
“We pretty much can say we’ve walked almost every street in New York City,” says Karla, documenting historic family businesses over 30 years that they fear may one day disappear. “It started out as a labor of love, but it continued, as the joy of finding these stores and speaking to the owners was very rewarding for us.”
Amanda Arnold is a senior editor.
