Look at this Midwood department store. Would you believe this no-frills, local department store was part of a thriving New York chain that has outlets in Manhattan, Long Island and Westchester?
It is. Lester's was founded in 1948 and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this store, which owns the corner of Avenue U and Coney Island Blvd., was the first. The signs are just too damn old. The look is so mid-20th-century-non-chain-local-department-store. (Which is a thing, believe me. I can recognize it a mile away.) Lester and Lillian Kronfeld were the founders and the chain is still family owned.
Lester's dominates several buildings at this corner. There's a shoe section, there's a men's and boy's section, there's a lot of sections. There's no getting away from it. Which make explain it's success.
Lester's is an institution. Man, I bought (or had bought for me) all sorts of stuff there in the 70's. Good to see it's thriving.
ReplyDeleteLove the lettering and the name. You can't go wrong with Lester. Especially as it is so uncool by today's standards.
ReplyDeleteSo uncool. And, thus, cool.
ReplyDeleteIt's Coney Island Avenue.
ReplyDeleteIt's in the neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay that is located in Gravesend which was one of the original towns that made up the borough of Brooklyn.
You kids sure do get confused in the south end of Kings County.
Gravesend is one of the original town of Brooklyn, but it is also a contemporary neighborhood. This intersection is very near Gravesend. I've seen Lester's listed as being in Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay and Midtown. I'm going with Gravesend.
ReplyDeleteI got my dress for First Communion from that very Lester's in 1969!
ReplyDeletei meant the name is so uncool. Had a fever when I wrote that!
ReplyDeleteThe New York Times has it as Sheepshead Bay: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/05/20/realestate/liv-map.html?ref=realestate
ReplyDeletebut what do they know...