52 weeks of downtown lancaster:: week 3

Last Thursday, a raging fire robbed downtown Lancaster of a wonderful treasure. Zap & Co., a famous indie retail landmark, and all of its painstakingly curated stock burned in the flames. Oh, how I loved riffling through the racks there, looking for unique treasures and fashions from every decade since the Roaring Twenties.

But this picture above, that blackened building facade is the only thing, a ghostly shadow, that remains of this former downtown Lancaster icon.

And while we mourn the loss of this shop, we also mourn the suffering of the shop owner, Steve Murray, who was caught in the blaze and remains in the hospital with 3rd degree burns covering 30 percent of his body. This man was a pioneer in developing the indie business culture that exists today in this city. He set up shop in 1973 and helped bring the 300 block of North Queen Street to life.

Look closely at the picture below. That's Steve. Standing in front of his store. In the middle of a huge snow storm that dumped two feet of snow here last winter. The whole city shut down, but there was Steve, at his shop, ready for business. And right next to him is Hilda, the famous Zap & Co mannequin who donned roller skates, big sunglasses and Santa costumes. Both were fixtures along the 300 block of North Queen St., and both are terribly missed.



But where there is sadness, there is community. And there is hope.

This little city of Lancaster is certainly rallying behind Steve and his shop. Twitter and Facebook are buzzing with people's concerns, well wishes and offers to help Steve and his family. His daughter set up the The Steve Murray and Zap & Co. Foundation on Facebook earlier today and there are already over 700 fans.

So let's hope. Let's hope for a speedy recovery for Steve and, if he chooses, a return of Zap & Co. to downtown Lancaster from those dusty ashes.

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52 Weeks of Downtown Lancaster is my photo project for 2011. It's meant to keep me creative and posting about a consistent topic on a weekly basis. And it's also to get the word out that there's so much more to Lancaster, Pa. than the Amish, farms and outlet shopping. View the rest of my 52 Weeks of Downtown Lancaster pictures here.

All pictures taken by me, unless otherwise noted.