New ghost signs keep appearing in Over-the-Rhine — a month ago, it was the New Stage Collective on Main St.. Now, with the closing of Bang’s Mkt., we’ve got this signage to add to the Cincinnati ghost sign archive.
Bang’s never looked all that open when it was, so this wall is essentially unchanged:
It’s sort of funny that Bang’s still shows up on my Walk Score, along with several area businesses that are essentially useless to me. During my time in Cincinnati, Bang’s no longer offered “groceries” or “meats,” although it was great to have a corner store essentially right on the corner.
That’s one thing about Cincinnati — so many banal amenities are just a bit less convenient than they should be for what they are. A crappy corner market is great when it’s right on the corner but, if you have to walk a few blocks, you realize just how crappy and overpriced it is. Bad pizza? Whatever, as long as it’s right there. If it’s halfway across town, the quality becomes unbearable.
But, back to Bang’s. How many of the white people who descended on OTR last weekend for the condo tour realized or cared that Bang’s is closed? Did they look up from the hot pink arrows on the sidewalk long enough to notice? A neighborhood like this needs corner stores. I know they’re not hip or brag-worthy, but I’ve always believed that corner stores are an urban birthright. Cincinnati, please don’t prove me wrong.
Department of Everyday Visualingual 
Ah, the urban corner store….no matter the breadth or quality of the inventory, they do serve a purpose. When I lived in DC, el Gavilan was a quick sprint out the back gate on Columbia Road. I didnt much care for the barrels of dried fish and whatnot, but if I had the correct change in my hand, I could run there and back and purchase a Foster’s oil can in 1 minute 22 seconds (when the stars aligned). Also a good source for decent coffee.
I’ve always thought that the key to a corner market is being able to get there and back in the span of a commercial break. Obviously, such standards don’t apply here, but Bang’s was pretty close for me.
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