Photographer Gail Victoria Braddock Quagliata walked every block in Manhattan in search of every last bodega, hoping to snap each one before they’re replaced by 7-11s and luxury condos. According to Hyperallergic, Quagliata began the project while searching for the iconic and elusive Anthora coffee cup. She got acquainted with different bodegas in different neighborhoods and became fascinated with the quirks of each one. So between December 2012 and August 2013, she photographed all 1,900 or so. Even in that short time, she saw many close up. So Quagliata’s project became a tribute to a vital and vanishing part of Manhattan street life. “Losing this anchor, replacing it with something safely homogeneous and starkly corporate, steals an integral piece of the character that makes your neighborhood unique,” she writes on her website, where many more photos can be found. Keep scrolling for some of the most interesting bodegas.
(Photos: Gail Victoria Braddock Quagliata)
