The Iconography of the Candy Store

This is how the New York Candy Store lives in the collective subconscious of the populace, in the imaginations of Edward Hopper, Berenice Abbott and Richard Estes. Bold black letters on a white background: "Candy Store Films - Toys." A Coca-Cola sign. An sunburnt awning. A rusted roller-shutter. A parking meter. Angular shadows.

Pure American iconography. Sitting there, actually existing, on 187th Street in The Bronx. If we saw this image in a museum, we'd gaze on in on profound contemplation and appreciation. If we see if actually standing on a working sidewalk, we want to tear it down.

This, in essence, is what's wrong with the times we are living in.