advertising — Articles — Flatbush History

Was the Credit Card Really Invented in Flatbush?

How Flatbush Ave became the first place in the US someone walked into a store and used a credit card.

Stuff You Should KnowJennifer BoudinotNovember 13, 2023Flatbush people, the 1940s, advertisingComment

The Ghost Signs of Flatbush

“Ghost signs” is the cool-sounding name for advertising for businesses that are no longer around. Here’s a collection of the many ghost signs I’ve spotted in the neighborhood.

A RetrospectiveJennifer BoudinotJanuary 20, 2020Flatbushadvertising, old businesses, Flatbush things Comment

Then and Now: Flatbush Ave Billboards

The frames for these billboards still stand on Flatbush Ave across from Erasmus Hall.

A RetrospectiveJennifer BoudinotJanuary 20, 2020Flatbushadvertising, the 1940s, Flatbush things, then and now photos, flatbush ave Comment

When Vanderveer Park Changed Everything

A look back at the beginning of Victorian Flatbush as we know it, when the Vanderveer family sold their farmland to developers.

Flatbush as SuburbsJennifer BoudinotJanuary 20, 2020MidwoodFlatbush places, the 1890s, victorian flatbush, the vanderveer family, advertisingComment

1300 Flatbush Ave: The Oil-Burner Building

This Flatiron-y building near Flatbush and Bedford will always be “the Oil-Burner Building” in my head after seeing a 1940s photos of it as a furnace store.

Then and NowJennifer BoudinotJanuary 20, 2020FlatbushFlatbush things, old businesses, the 1940s, then and now photos, advertising, flatbush aveComment