I don’t normally slow down when I pass the various bead and trimming stores in west Midtown, but this sign made me laugh. I can never resist a reference to New York City history.

I’m sure the real story is more complicated, but still — very clever.

(This post goes out to my friend Leslie—New Yorker, historian, and craftsperson extraordinaire.)

Images: photo by Tinsel Creation; detail of postcard (1909) from the Museum of the City of New York archives, reproduced here.