1. Royal Barber Shop & Stylists

Royal Barber Shop & Stylists is very easy to miss if you ever walk past the Fulton Street subway entrance between Gold and William Streets. In fact, the store is probably one of the few barbers in the city serving customers underground since the late 1930s. “I got used to it,” said owner Dominick Abruscato, who has been working here with no direct sunlight for 35 years. Mostly dependent on regular customers, business suffered greatly when the MTA closed the subway stop for two years while they built a second entrance and exit to connect to the new Fulton Center. Now Mr. Abruscato is looking to pass off his business, but hoping to keep working there some days of the week before his full retirement.

Next, check out Photo Series “Store Front II” Documents NYC’s Endangered Small Businesses