Thursday, May 23, 2019

A new sign for Casey Rubber Stamps


[Photo via]

Casey Rubber Stamps, one of the neighborhood's (or city's) great shops, has a new sign.

Gone are the charmingly hand-drawn block letters (above) marking the entrance here at 332 E. 11th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

And now, there's equally charming new signage that fits the cluttered quaintness of Casey Rubber Stamps...


[Image via Instagram]

Earlier this week, Fodor's Travel Guide included Casey in a listicle titled "Don't Overlook These 11 Tiny NYC Sights."

Per the feature:

John Casey, an Irishman with a thick brogue who’s been making rubber stamps since the Carter administration, thinks the problem with the world today is that people don’t get their hands dirty anymore. His remedy? Stamps.

"Stamps are different to images on a screen. They’re tactile," Casey explains. "You can sit in front of the computer all day but you never get your fingers wet. Your hands don’t get covered in ink. With stamps, you can make a mess and get it all over the place."

People from all walks of life meander into his cramped East Village store to peruse the little eccentric stamps. Using red rubber, a Vulcanizer and wooden blocks, Casey’s is one of the only places left that makes novelty stamps the old-fashioned way.

"What do people do with these stamps?" Casey asks. "How the hell do I know? That’s exactly the point. People come in and say, 'What can I do with this?' It doesn’t matter. Buy it because you like it. You’ll figure it out later."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this store and Mr. Casey - it's got that quirky eccentricity that makes it a REAL New York store!

Anonymous said...

Amazing, classic NYC. This store needs to stay forever.