Yorkville's Darling, if Un-P.C., Cabinet Shop

The Little Wolf Cabinet Shop on the First Avenue in Yorkville has been in business since 1956. It was started by John Wolf, Sr., a member of a family who has been doing cabinetry since the early 1800s, first around Munich, and now in New York.

The name partly explains the shop's name. Or all of it, if you think the "Little" refers to John Wolf's son, John Wolf, Jr., who began working alongside his son early on. It does not, however, explain the illustration of the cute, but stereotypical Native American lass on that sign.

I'm guessing that the cartoon gets equal shares of smiles and grimaces from passersby. It's less than politically correct at this point. However, when the shop was created—a time when sones like "Running Bear" were big hits on the chart—it must have seemed pretty innocent. Come to think of it, it still seems pretty innocent. And, for history's sake, I'm glad they never changed the sign.

For the record, Little Wolf was actually a rather famous Native American. But not a little girl. Little Wolf  was a chief of the Northern Cheyenne in the late 1800s.