Blaine spotted this watercolor illustration, titled The Investigators, that shows some sailors in a jeep ogling two women standing next to the Greenpernt Grocery. The watercolor sold for $287 at auction in April of 2019. It’s larger than I initially thought at almost 3 feet wide (35.75 inches) and 28.75 inches tall. I could find nothing about an artist named “Sweet”.
The name “Greenpernt” might be a reference Greenpoint in Brooklyn, New York. Apparently, Greenpernt was how Brooklyners referred to the area at one time. As one person wrote on a remembrances page, “My Brooklyn was High School days riding the GG train to Brooklyn Automotive in Greenpoint (Greenpernt to my dad)”.
There’s also a corner of Noble St and West St (note the signs in the illustration) in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, that suggest this corner might have inspired the artist.