There’s a handsome building on Lexington Avenue at 73rd Street built in the late 1890s with a ground floor now hidden behind scaffolding.
That’s bad news for the retailers trying to attract street traffic along this slender retail stretch of Lenox Hill.
But it’s good news to fans of old New York store signs, which often reemerge from behind newer signage during construction.
That’s the case with the shop on this corner, which sold handbags—or as the sign painted on the window says, “ladies hand made bags.”
“Custom made,” another painted window sign tells us, hard to see behind the building’s decorative storefront.
How far back does this long-gone bag store date to? Here it is in a 1940 tax photo from the online gallery of the New York City Municipal Archives.
It’s not the best image, but you can make out the same signage that’s at this corner store today, spotted by Ephemeral reader Robert C. Thanks for sending it in!
Tags: 1024-1030 Lexington Avenue, faded store signs New York City, Lexington Avenue Lenox Hill, old New York store signs, Upper East Side old signs
Ephemeral New York 
February 18, 2019 at 7:06 am |
I think it is so cool. Bravo New York and whoever landmarks these things! If the store were smart; they would embrace and highlight this exceptional thing!
February 18, 2019 at 8:04 am |
That’s actually a lovely old building with a lot of character, which for years has had some almost surreal Ironwork around the quirky old stores that fronted it. The entire building seems to be undergoing massive “renovation” and I really hope it’ll emerge unscathed.
February 18, 2019 at 1:42 pm |
Slove signs from the oast.
February 18, 2019 at 4:03 pm |
I do hope all that beautiful ironwork is preserved!!
February 18, 2019 at 6:06 pm |
I agree! And the ironwork in front of the building is quirky for sure. This is a building that seems to have been partly remodeled or updated at some point, a palimpsest.
February 18, 2019 at 8:10 pm |
I am certainly getting a vocabulary eduction today thanks to ENY. The today’s first entry and now this one have caused me to look up two new words: trottoir and palimpsest. Thank you ENY, you improve my education in so many ways!
February 18, 2019 at 8:23 pm |
That’s what I’m here for Ricky. Now can you use both words in one sentence? I challenge you.
February 18, 2019 at 8:51 pm |
One day as I was walking along a New York trottoir when from out of a window above me flew a sheet of paper. I picked it up to discovered was a poem with all sorts of notations, where lines and words had been crossed out and new lines and words had been added. Ah, I thought, a palimpsest.
Okay not one sentence but still…
February 19, 2019 at 2:34 am
That works for me!