Finding and documenting ghost signs is a very cool niche hobby for some folks. Ghost signs are those faded advertisements that you see on the side of old city buildings, barns and other structures. On Wendyvee's Roadside Wonders, you can view one good example of a ghost sign. Wendyvee has also documented a nifty "resurrected" ghost sign. And if you really want to get your fill, there's a @ghostsigns Twitter account you can check out.
But what about ghost signs in books? I found one! Pictured above is a huge black stamp that's been applied to the inside front cover of The Killer Thing, a paperback by Kate Wilhelm that was published by Dell in 1969.
A lot of expense (and ink) must have been taken to say the following about the inventory at this bookstore:
BUY - SELL - TRADE
New and Used Paperback Books
Park City - Lancaster, PA 17603 - 397-2024
-- THANK YOU --
I can't find much, though, about Greg's Book Mart, so if any readers in Lancaster County have any memories or information about this place, it would be great if you could share them in the comments or email me at chrisottopa (at) gmail.com. The bookstore's "ghost sign" is still around, so Greg and the store shouldn't be forgotten. The only clue I found is that the business might have once been located at Meadowbrook Farmers Market in Leola, which is also in Lancaster County. I don't know if that was before or after Greg's Book Mart was at Park City.
It's a history mystery waiting to be solved!
I checked the most recent Lancaster microfiche which the Company still makes available to me (1989, two decades after the date shown in the book).
ReplyDeleteBy that time, Greg's Book Mart had moved to 1831 Columbia Avenue. See: http://GregsBookMart.blogspot.com
Around 1998, that location had become Sloppy Janes, which closed earlier this year, due to Jane's passing. See: http://sloppyjanes.com
I tried calling the phone number at the Leola location -- disconnected. See: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gregs-book-mart-leola
The plot thickens.
-- M.F.
Wait. Did you actually CREATE a blogspot site for Greg's Book Mart to share your findings?? Now it will become both a One Post Wonder -- http://1post1der.blogspot.com/ -- and a Lost Corner of the Internet. Future cybersleuths will be SO confused. I love it.
Delete"What I know, you'll have to find out on your own."
ReplyDelete-- Hal Holbrook as Mark Felt in All the President's Men
-- M.F.