Enjoy the Troylet?!
Troylet Sign on bathroom door, shared by Lucas Confectionery & Wine Bar (12 Second St. Troy, NY) and The Grocery (211 Broadway, Troy, NY).
One of the top selling products of The Enjoy Troy Co. has an ironic twist: handmade wooden “Troylet” bathroom plaques.
Starting in the 1960s, the expression “Troylet” (a combination of the words “Troy” and “toilet”) was a common put down for the city and people who lived there.
But during the past two decades, as the downtown Troy resurgence is becoming a role model for urban revitalization, many residents repeat the pejorative today with tongue in cheek, and chuckle at those who didn’t see the charm that was there all along.
Yankee Doodle Troylet?
Did you know… Rensselaer County (where Troy is located) has a history of well-timed, tongue-in-cheek retorts to those who put the place and its people down. The song “Yankee Doodle” is said to have been written by a British surgeon at Fort Crailo in the City of Rensselaer — it was meant to mock the so-called rag tag local militia stationed there during the Colonial times.
A few years later, the Americans defeated the British forces at The Battle of Saratoga (“the turning point of the Revolutionary War”), and as they marched those unhappy “Redcoats” off the battlefield they played a special tune: Yankee Doodle.
That’s pretty much what’s happening when folks display the Troylet signs these days in Troy.
Around Town
Have you seen any “Troylet” signs around town? They’re hanging on the bathroom doors at Lucas Confectionery Wine Bar & The Grocery, as well as at Bootlegger’s on Broadway.
Where to Buy
You can order a “Troylet” sign online at the Enjoy Troy Co. website, or you can pick one up at Artcentric, 266 River St. in downtown Troy, N.Y. The crafts department of The Enjoy Troy Co. is always busy at work making more!
Troylet signs on display at Artcentric, 266 River St., Troy