The Ghost Signs of Lower Manhattan

The sign for the old Craig's Shoes at 114 Chambers St., which Untapped New York points out opened in 1949 and remained until it moved down the block in 1981. The more recent store was demolished in 2006 to make way for what then was the Smyth Hotel (now aka.). Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

Ghost signs. They are the weathered last vestiges of business that vanished long ago. Untapped Cities has the stories behind some in Lower Manhattan. Among those featured is the original Craig’s Shoes on Chambers Street, the first Barthman’s Jewelers at 174 Broadway and the former Loft’s Candies at 86 1/2 Nassau St. Untapped Cities points out that some signs have only recently been revealed as the result of recent store closures. All recall a Downtown lost to time.