Gristede Brothers, ca. 1921.

Founded by two teenage brothers, Diedrich (Dick) and Charles Gristede, in 1888, Gristede's would become a city mainstay over the next half century. The original small grocery store, located at 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue, prospered and within 50 years the grocery store had become a successful chain with more than 150 stores in the city, Westchester, Long Island and Connecticut. This 128th Street location opened in a new purpose-built structure in 1920. Today the building still stands, sans the 'Gristede Brothers 1920' lettering that once graced the triangular pediment at the top.