Storefront signage is a ubiquitous feature on New York City streets. Today, signs can barely seem worth noticing, the well-known fonts and logos blending into the scenery. But when the streets of New York were lined with mom and pop shops, the design of signs (through fonts, images, and use of space) often allowed these individual stores to stand out. The diversity of signage is especially eye-catching in historical photographs.

Rex Cole appliance showroom, Fourth Avenue and Pacific Street. January 2, 1934. Cole, a Michigan-born lighting designer, became a leading name in appliance retail thanks to his distinctive General Electric-affiliated showrooms, designed by architect Raymond Hood. Cole’s innovative showrooms included model kitchens featuring signature GE products, making it easy for customers to envision their own homes with gleaming new appliances. By the early 1930s, Cole had over 15 showrooms in the five boroughs, but his success was to be short-lived: he was forced to close several showrooms after a 1935 bankruptcy filing.