3353 Third Avenue, ca. 1916. A James Butler grocery store, one of hundreds that dotted the five boroughs in the early decades of the 20th century.

If you took a stroll around New York in the early 20th century, eventually you were bound to come upon a store with a green and gold exterior. If you were to go inside, each would be managed in the same way, selling the same groceries and goods. These were the James Butler Stores a name as ubiquitous as Trader Joes at the time.