Got twine?

[4701 New Utrecht Avenue, Boro Park, Brooklyn, c. 1939–1941. From the NYC Municipal Archives Collections. Click either image for a much larger view.]

I continue to wander the streets of a lost city. Just call me the Ghost of Brooklyn Past.

Here, under the El tracks, is the Culver Paper Co., named perhaps after the Culver Line? I was drawn to this storefront by the attention its signage gives to the most humble goods. To the left: PAPER TWINE. To the right: PAPER BAGS TWINE SUNDRIES. TOYS and HOUSE FURNISHING (also to the right) take us into pricier territory. I would guess that PARTY GOODS (above the door) would cost somewhere between bags and furnishing.

Back in a certain day, twine was everywhere, securing packages and furnishing little loops by which to hang up, say, a dustpan or flyswatter on a kitchen door. But when did you last see a store announce itself as a purveryor of twine? Or, for that matter, of sundries? O dowdy world, that had such storefronts in’t.

Today 4701 houses a silver repair service. I doubt that anyone would leave a carriage outside while dropping off the silver, though the carriage in the photograph looks as if it might be holding merchandise, not a waiting baby.

The long-gone candy store in the second photograph is a bonus. We can head there now for imaginary ice cream.

Related reading
More OCA posts with photographs from the NYC Municipal Archives