Posts – The Magic of Bushwick

Bushwick is a historic part of Brooklyn New York, it’s an important area in Brooklyn because of its history and impact. Bushwick is seen as the life of the party in Brooklyn, as you experience the creativity of the community through the art, the music, and the people. According to (Outpost Club Editor 2023), “One of the most popular things to do in Bushwick is to explore the area’s street art scene. The neighborhood is known for its colorful murals and graffiti art, and many walking tours are available to explore this aspect of the neighborhood’s culture”. I want to focus on Bushwick because it’s my home and I want to go in-depth into some of the changes in the area. Throughout the years Bushwick has been the victim of major changes, especially gentrification. I want to focus on the change in the area and also how the change is being represented in the signs. The signs are showing the change as many are molding themselves after the shift in the area, but also keeping the history of the past. I want to bring attention to the color schemes, language, and the different types of signs. For example, when walking outside and seeing the new signs on buildings which highlight the constant change in society (see figure 1). All though this sign is able to share a modern design, it is a hybrid as it is keeping the nature of older signs.

Figure 1: A storefront of a Maya’s snack bar, which has been opened since 2023.

The areas and the signs have changed to fit the new times we are in and it’s going to continue. Although this is nothing new as Bushwick has always changed and often evolved, especially at its start. When looking at a map of Bushwick it’s relatively small in New York but it’s so much bigger than it seems (see figure 2). Bushwick is an area that has a rich history, and it has shifted to fight the mold of a new chapter in that history.

Figure 2: A Map of Bushwick, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

Gentrification in the Wick

It’s no secret that gentrification has been taking place throughout New York City. However, I feel like the area that has been most impacted by these changes is Bushwick. In March of 2025, the Guardian ran an article focusing on some of the major issues in Bushwick. The gentrification in Bushwick has changed effectively from 2000 to 2022. The population of white residents in 2000 were 3% and in 2022 the percentage jumped to 26%. Another interesting demographic is the population of hispanic people, which went from 68% in 200o to 43% in 2022. While the population is a great way to show the change, one of the reasons for gentrification is the cost to live in Bushwick. There are fewer low income housholds than in 2000, as the percentage of income from 100k-250k jumped from 14% to 33%. The changes due to gentrification have been unfortunate as the poverty rate in Bushwick was 19.9%, which was higher than the citywide percentage of 18.3%.

Now as I can remember I was born in East New York and later moved to Bushwick. When I first moved to Bushwick i noticed that it was a prominently black and Hispanic community. The memories of just walking by the train and seeing stores like bakeries, and dry cleaners. Over time, you I see some of these stores start to change bit by bit. The dry cleaner became a coffee shop, and the bakery became a fast-food place (see figure 3).

Figure 3: The Wingstop in the neighborhood that replaced the bakery.

Little things would happen and it would be noticeable, but it wasn’t really changing the community. Then the pandemic happened, and it started to unravel. The minute we were free to leave our homes Bushwick didn’t feel like the Bushwick I grew up in. Rob Stephenson touched on this as he began to write about the history of Bushwick and he discussed the recent gentrification. “In 2020, the DeBlasio administration proposed a rezoning plan for Bushwick that was met with significant local opposition. Community activists argued that the plan would accelerate gentrification and lead to widespread displacement, making the neighborhood unaffordable for its current residents”. DeBlasio’s administration proposing a rezoning changed my community. The locals that I had seen for years were gone and in came a bunch of new faces and places. I simply walked down Myrtle and Broadway, seeing the major changes in the area. More coffee shops, and more fast-food restaurants started to pile up on the block. I walked down near Flushing Ave, and it wasn’t like it was a year prior. Many buildings that held a bunch of my favorite places were being taken down and rebuilt to fit the change.

A major change that I noticed was my view from my window. I live in an apartment with a beautiful view of the New York skyline, or it was a beautiful view of the skyline. I would sit at my window and look at the city lights as the 4^th of July fireworks would go off. After the pandemic my view was altered. I couldn’t sleep at night without hearing the constant sounds of construction and seeing the multiple new housing buildings covering my view. Now this maybe just be a personal issue, but you can’t deny that a change is happening. How big of a change? Well, let’s find out:

Sign efficiency

Signs are a big thing in the world, especially in the city of New York. Some see signs as a way to just highlight a store or what not. However, signs are a way for people to see the uniqueness of the community and to connect within the community. Many of the signs from the stores in the area are old school vernacular, while the newer signs are a mix of old school vernacular and distinction-making signage (see figures 4, 5, and 6). Most signs are hybrids, but there are also paper signs plastered across the streets of Bushwick (see figure 7). In an article written by Trinch & Snajdr they discuss the differences between the types of signs. “When one of us jokingly complained that Brooklyn was ‘the kind of place where people cram as many words as possible on a storefront sign,”. This quote shows one of the key differences in the signs, while modern signs are more sleek and clean the old-school vernacular are crowded with words.

The hybrid signs is a great representation of both as it has a cleaner look, but it manages to add elements of what is the storefront about. These elements of the stores sharing what they are is an important contrast from modern signs as modern signs don’t share what the storefront is. I also noticed that the storefront signs often represent a business and structured building, while the paper is just letting you know of something that may be of help in the future. These are some of the things that make this area unique as every sign has an importance to at least one person.

Figure 4: A latino restaurant that opened in 2019.

Figure 5: A Hybrid storefront with a bunch of writing on it, advertising what’s being sold inside.

Figure 6: The storefront of a Deli that is a hybrid of old school vernacular and modern distinction.

Figure 7: A paper sign taped to a mailbox, showcasing the ad of speed dating.

Contrast in color

After discussing some of the signs one theme that I kept thinking about is the theme of color. I don’t think many have noticed, but the color of the storefronts kind of describes the area it’s in. I hadn’t noticed this in my own neighborhood until recently, but the colors play a unique role in identifying the community. Some of the brightest colored signs are in the areas that have been gentrified, while the broodier colored signs are in the rougher and grittier areas. Walking down Bushwick Ave and you focus in on the storefronts you see that many have bright colors such as yellow, red, orange, and hints of black (see figure 8). The signs describe the change in the community and how the areas that are in full view of the change often have a sense of calmness (see figure 9).

Figure 8: A picture of a Car Service storefront, located on Bushwick Avenue.

Figure 9: A sign for The Learning Experience academy, on a building that had been opened in 2023.

The more you focus on the signs the more you see the change in time. I noticed that the stores near the train station didn’t get much change. The stores like the Wingstop and the cafe are of hybrid distinction with their signs, but their colors match the grittiness of the trains. When you take the trains in New York you usually have this idea of dirt, rugged, and old. Viewing the sign below (see figure 10), you see the old-school vernacular style with the signs. As well as seeing the dark colored blue and how the sign is rundown a bit.

Figure 10: A storefront for a liquor store near the train station.

Language usage

One final theme of analysis that I noticed was language. Now I mentioned being in a predominately hispanic and black community, and for most of my life I spoke English and Spanish. When I look at the signs in the area I notice that the main language used is English. In many areas in New York such as Washington Heights you would notice that many signs are bilingual. Once the changes occurred in Bushwick many of the signs are more catered to those moving into the area (see figure 12). The people moving into the area were English speaking people and many signs were clearly made for them. The signs show the change and how the area was being crafted around more English speakers. However, they honor those that don’t speak English by keeping some bits of other languages on the signs. The most notable example is Sajhoma restaurant (see figure 11), Sajoma is a part of the island the Dominican Republic. While the spelling maybe different, the connection is still there as it feels like they give back to those in that area before them.

Figure 11: A Dominican restaurant opened in 2021.

Figure 12: An Indian Cuisine near the train station

Conclusion

After going through the linguistic landscape of Bushwick, I can say that I don’t mind the change. Before when it first began, I was upset because I was afraid of a new neighborhood and the change it would bring to my identity. I wanted to showcase the change in the area and how the change can be seen through signs. I wanted to bring attention to the language, the different types of signs, and color schemes. Signs are an important part of being able to takeaway the uniqueness of a community and be able to connect within a community. Bushwick will always be Bushwick even through the constant gentrification coming in and out the community. Bushwick has always been an area that experienced change and the recent changes are just the newest chapter in the change for the future.