Little did I know that when I took this photograph of the Hub Cigar Store with Steve ( Steevil ) Tsangs classic 1930 Ford Model A parked in front that six months later the landmark building would cease to exist. It's interesting that when Steve's Ford Model A rolled off the assembly line that the Hub Cigar Store had already been in business for twenty years having started in 1910 in a building that was built in 1894. I took the photograph in October 2004 and in April 2005 a devastating fire ended the life of the building that had stood for over 100 years and predated two world wars.
I am not a cigar smoker but I used to love going into the store to look for the latest photography magazines, there was something intangible about the atmosphere in the store. Perhaps a sense of history, whatever it was I just know I really enjoyed the ambiance of the place.
The good news is that the fire only marked the end of the building and not the end of the Hub Cigar Store, within ten days they had reopened less than a block away in a new location. I still love to stop and check out the latest photography magazines and most days Steve's 1930 Ford Model A " The Green Grenade " is still parked outside, it's nice to see some things don't change.
I really appreciate the photograph and the memories that it brings back.