This ghost sign for Michaels Bros. was located at the corner of Flatbush and Caton Avenues in Flatbush, Brooklyn. I took this photo in November 2020. I knew I’d better act fast as construction was happening and that this sign would not be around for long. A quick look on google maps shows that I was right! I have tried on and off to figure out what this sign was but had no luck. The other day I was trying to solve another ghost sign mystery, also on Flatbush Avenue, but further north in Prospect Heights. I figured I would try both Forgotten NY and Frank Jump’s search function on their sites for the word “Flatbush”. After scrolling through Frank Jump’s Fading Ad blog I saw a ghost sign that looked familiar and it was this one. His photo is from 2007 and here you can see it is for Michael’s Bros.

Michaels Bros, later Michaels & Co., had their flagship on 5th Avenue between 12th & 13th Streets in Park Slope. They also had an earlier location on the corner of Smith and State Street and later on Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn as well as on Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint.

I have found numerous ads in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle—the earliest is from 1912.

Other ads date from the 1920s-1930s.

I found a couple of photos of the 5th Ave location dating from the 1930s-1940s.

In researching online I found a section from an autobiography called Turning the Corner on Life by Arnold Silveri. In it he recalls passing the store on the bus going down 5th Avenue.

A fantastic photo I came across came from the Brooklyn Public Library/Center for Brooklyn History. It shows the corner of Sands and Navy Streets in 1908. Here you’ll see a large ad for Michaels Bros above Elliott’s Curio Tavern.

I do not know how long Michaels & Co. were in business. The above photo from 1908 is the earliest mention I came across of Michaels Bros. The latest date is from 1946.

The location of the ad was surely to take advantage of the eyes of the passengers on the Flatbush Ave streetcar.