The last obvious trace is just inside the front door.
Patchily repaired tilework, and a diagonal band that may have been laid down when the door was repositioned, testify that Bader's is long gone. Today the building, which dates to 1901, houses one location of the apparel retailer Earnest Sewn, whose business card reads: "Tradition noted. History referenced. Homage paid." Even if Earnest Sewn staffers know nothing more about Bader's Cafe — to be sure, I've found no one who does — the old signage adds resonance to the goods inside the shop. (Not enough resonance, evidently; as of January 2014 the denim shop has shuttered.
Also shown below, and kept in place by the current tenant: layered, partially peeled post-War posters for Hersh's sacramental Malaga wine, the Israel Orphan Asylum, and many office-seekers. Harry Uviller, whose name appears in the tightest closeup, was the unsuccessful, Republican candidate for New York City Comptroller in 1949. His successor in that effort, also defeated, was Paul A. Fino.
Bader's Cafe
Surviving signage at 90 Orchard St. (at Broome St.), Manhattan
212-979-5120
