Lady Day.
As with Dare Books, I’ve walked past the storefront at 763 Fulton (btw S. Portland and S. Oxford sts.) more times than I can count, but I haven’t often seen it open. Today was my lucky day, and I popped my head in to get the scoop on the tidy window display of black Americana.
I was greeted by David Day, who told me that his 10-year-old storefront was known as Lady Day at Demu Gallery (”The ‘lady’ is gone now,” he noted). It’s apparently a storage space for Demu Services, and David sells art, secondhand furniture, and the proudly displayed black Americana from the very front of the store. The segregation-era signs (”No dogs, no Negroes, no Mexicans”; “Help wanted - No Irish need apply”; “Coloreds served - Carry out only”) sell for $10, or $20 framed. I’m admittedly a little conflicted about this particular niche of black memorabilia, but it is compelling to see. David collects his items from all over the United States; he gestured to a nearby van that, he says, has clocked over 400,000 miles.
And what’s up with his hours? “When you see me here, I’m open. When you don’t see me here, I’m open,” David riffed. “If you call me at 3:30 in the morning because you see something you need — or, y’know, bad things will happen — I’m open,” handing me his number (718/596-8484). Now that’s what I call customer service.