44 Comments

Found this in daily heights posted by SheJess. Makes sense to me::

March 20, 2006

Sherita is actually a misspelling for “She Rita,” for starters. Short for, “This is Rita, the brontosaur, and our faithful promotoer of heating fuel. Come on by, check out our rates!” As everyone knows, fuels, especially ‘fossil’ fuels, come from the deceased likes of our pink friend, here.

Expand full comment

Hi Anne! Any update on Sherita? I somehow never saw this billboard until recently. I posted it on Instagram and it that led me to you! My IG is vintage_imageNY to check it out. There’s also an older picture of the sign with what I would guess is the original heating oil company business occupying the building. I did a search for Sherita hashtags and it surfaced. Let’s pic up the trail and figure this out!

Expand full comment
Jan 19, 2023Liked by Anne Kadet

Thanks for the Sherita deep dive! Just came across your article after pointing her out to a friend in Prospect Heights who had surprisingly never noticed her watchful eyes until then. I've found her a fascinating character throughout the 20ish years here in Brooklyn, and always wondered about her origin story. Having recently moved around the corner from that intersection, it brings me a certain comfort to now claim her as a neighborhood protectorate.

Here's a pic I took of her back in January of 2007: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3gh65vuc2rnd8ut/IMG_0039.JPG?dl=0

Pre-graffiti with more clarity than the 2015 pic, but still fairly weathered. The corner storefront is still that of the Home Heating Oil company, before the flat fix shop took over the entire building.

Also curious: the top left panel was missing in the 2015 pic, but had been replaced by the time the graffiti pic was taken. Wonder if whoever made the fix could fill in some details.

Expand full comment
author

That is a great photo of our Sherita in better days. And its also cool to see the Home Heating Oil shop. I love that it was actually called "Home Heating Oil." Thank you David!

Any thoughts on how I could track down who repaired the sign?

Expand full comment
Jan 23, 2023Liked by Anne Kadet

Good question... can't say I have any great ideas beyond the work you did already, especially if nothing really came of talking with people connected with Home Heating Oil. I'll try to ask some of the folks on the block who have been here forever, see if anyone has any good insights!

Expand full comment
author

Oh thank you for stepping up to be a correspondent! It'd be SO GREAT if we could finally crack this case!

Expand full comment
Oct 6, 2022Liked by Anne Kadet

Thank you for attempting to solve this mystery! I've been so curious about Sherita for so long. The only information I can add to your investigation is that I checked the 1940 and 1980 tax photos of the address and she did not yet exist in either. She must have been born sometime after 1980.

https://1940s.nyc/map/photo/dof_3_02020_0001

Expand full comment
author

Interesting! Thank you LIza! We'll crack this mystery yet!

Expand full comment
Jul 11, 2022Liked by Anne Kadet

I love the "before and afters" in the HHO ad. All of my other thoughts and prayers have been shared by others.

Expand full comment
Jun 9, 2022Liked by Anne Kadet

Anne I can’t thank you enough for researching Sherita I knew you were the right person for the job! I had no idea she was a dinosaur or what the whole sign used to look like so that’s part of the mystery uncovered at least, and I look forward to any more details you unearth!

Expand full comment
author

Thanks William! I have another little tidbit coming up in next Monday's issue!

Expand full comment

What?!!!! I can’t wait!!!

Expand full comment
May 28, 2022Liked by Anne Kadet

I wish the Mayor of New York was the governor of Florida. Sigh. And I will spend the rest of the day wondering why Cars Vs. Giant Bulge made me laugh so hard.

Expand full comment
author

Amy! Same here with the wondering! I literally laughed so hard that I cried and my stomach hurt. Which made no sense. I think maybe it was the idea of whoever made it putting so much effort into it, and for what? To what end? So bonkers.

Expand full comment

Fun as usual. My favorite part of the Sherita investigation is the stock photos of people smiling quitel earenestly, apparently because there is a great fuel oil opportunity. I imagine the child is asking, "Father, where does snow come from?" -- as for your Mayor, I posit that he is modelling Vegas boxing promoters, ala Don King with that tuxedo.

Expand full comment
author

I'm glad you enjoyed the stock photos as much as I did Mark!

Expand full comment
May 18, 2022Liked by Anne Kadet

Incredible, how that silly picture uncovered such a story of survival.

There are amazing people all around us. It’s unfortunate that our focus is usually on negative stories instead of stories like this one

Expand full comment
author

That never occurred to me Peter—that the silly search turned up an inspiring tale. Still hoping to find out more...

Expand full comment
May 17, 2022Liked by Anne Kadet

I agree with Giuliani!

Expand full comment
author

I suspect most New Yorkers do. I just want someone to invite ME to the Met Ball!

Expand full comment

THIS IS THE FUCKING STUFF (sic)

Expand full comment
author

So much potty mouth from my financial advisor!

Expand full comment

As soon as I saw "Sherita" she reminded me of the art of Florine Stettheimer: https://www.artnews.com/gallery/art-in-america/aia-photos/florine-stettheimer/2-12806/

Tell me what you think?

Expand full comment
author

I see what you mean! Also these painting are wonderful!

Expand full comment

Well a collection is in the Brooklyn Museum! Saunter over sometime.

Expand full comment

The Sherita mystery is incredible! I know we don't have an answer yet, but I'm loving the journey. You're working local sources (shout out to Nut Truck!), online searches, and most of all doing the legwork. This is really good stuff! I don't know if this helps, but if the sign has been there "forever," maybe there's a Brooklyn historian who can shed some light on this mystery. Alternatively, you might consider tweeting this mystery to Eric Adams. He's a cop and weirdo, so this case seems right up his alley.

Expand full comment
author

OMG your Eric Adams suggestion. So great!

Expand full comment
May 16, 2022Liked by Anne Kadet

My two cents: Maybe write a snail mail letter to Mr Thomas at his home address. He must be old (like me) and would take a hand-written letter more seriously than a phone call or email. Include the picture of the sign too. That will also show you are serious.

Expand full comment
author

David, this is such an excellent idea and makes a lot of sense. I am going to give it a try. Thank you.

Expand full comment
May 16, 2022Liked by Anne Kadet

wow. amazing. also: https://ourtimepress.com/an-atlantic-avenue-story/ –– Sherita has been in the press before....

Expand full comment
author
May 16, 2022·edited May 16, 2022Author

She means so many things to so many people it seems...

Expand full comment