I moved to the neighborhood when I was just six years old, and since then I have grown very comfortable with my surroundings and will always remember this place to be home. Living in Woodside for almost 15 years, I remember the endless nights I spent outside of my house playing pickup basketball with the other kids in my neighborhood really, creating great relationships with these people who are still my friends today, the local deli which was not only somewhere that I went to buy lunch and snacks, but also just a place to hang out and talk to good people. Throughout the years I have seen different signs across the neighborhood, all that have their own story behind it, and all being unique to the culture and diversity that is ever so present in Woodside today.
Around Woodside, you can find a variety of different restaurants such as Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Indian, and many Irish pubs as well. The people of the neighborhood are very ethnically diverse, however, the two most common ethnicities tend to be Asian and White. Founded in 1869, Woodside mainly consisted of Irish Americans, and 80% of their population was of Irish descent, however as the 1990s rolled around many Asian Americans began to settle here with, Chinese, Filipino, and Korean. Not long after, South Asians began to settle here as well, and the Hispanic Immigrants did the same, really changing the ethnic landscape of the neighborhood.(The Food Communities of NYC, 2011)
Donovan’s Pub, which is located on the corner of 58th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, was founded in 1966 and has become a major staple in the Woodside community among Irish families, and other groups as well. The Irish lettering used in the signage is there to gives customers an idea of the kind of place they are walking into, which is an Irish owned pub and restaurant. They then add to their sign, “Family Restaraunt”, to show parents that it is not only a pub but a kid-friendly place that they can their children too as well for a night out. To top it off, the signage is filled with a green background, which is there in homage to their country of Ireland, as the color is known as their national color. This signage will bring in many Irish customers, as it will provide them with a great sense of familiarity with their home country that they are currently away from. Donovans Pub has a great history inside of it as their walls are tributed to the cops and firefighters who lost their lives during the tragedies of 9/11, as messages from those in the community are present in letters to those who are no longer with us(Donovans Pub, 2016). This restaurant continues to be considered as a great staple for the neighborhood of Woodside.
An example of the ethnically diverse community that is Woodside, would be this Thai food restaurant by the name of “SriPraPhai”. The sign here is the name of the creator of the restaurant, SriPraPhai Tipmanee, who has been running the place since it was first introduced in the 1990s. By putting her Thai name up on the signage, customers will first notice the aesthetics of this language they may be unfamiliar with and will be curious about what the restaurant has to offer, through her ethnically cultured background. Many people of the community who are Thai will be driven to the restaurant as they see its sign, and will familiarize themselves with the writing. They may notice the name as well and be interested to see the kind of establishment this girl from Thailand has created here in the states. Once again we see the color to be an important part of an establishments signage, as it is has a deeper meaning to it, as we see the red and white lettering. For the country, “the red color symbolizes the blood spilled by Thais to maintain their nation’s independence, while the white color represents purity and Buddhism”.(Hulme,2o18).
The Himalayan Yak Restaurant is located on Roosevelt Avenue and is well known to have some of the best Nepali, Tibetan, and Indian cuisine in NYC. The signage shows a symbol of a Buddhist Stupa which is a hemispherical structure used as a place of meditation, stupas are also considered to be the presence of Buddha and his living energy (LionsRoar, 2o17). Its architectural style is very unique as well, as the doors to enter the place display distinct signage of the different kinds of gods in the Buddhist religion.
Looking at colors once more, we see white, red, and yellow which are all chosen specifically. These colors are all present in the flags of Nepal and Tibet. The establishment is located near the heart of Jackson Heights, which is filled with people of South Asian descent who are well aware of these colors and what they imply in terms of cultural emphasis. The sign brings in many customers who are familiar with the Stupa presented above, such as people of Indian, Tibetan, and Nepali descent. However, the place has also become a tourist attraction really bringing in customers who’d like to get to know this culture, and people through the cuisines and live music delivered here at the Yak Restaurant.
As you travel along Woodside, these are the kind of businesses you see. Small stores stocked up next to each other, however, if you look closely at each store’s signage, you can really see just how disparate they are individual. Here we can see Columbia Bakery, which from the title of the place, pretty much gives it away. A common them of color and culture is continually present in many stores across the neighborhood and here we see it again with this bakery, as its letters are in the colors of the nation’s flag. The owners and creators of these places seem to make the effort with the colors on their signs, to not only stand out but to push the fact that they are proud of their ethnic backgrounds, and encourage those apart of the community to join them and celebrate the foods and delicacies of their rich culture.
These places around my neighborhood give its customers a different experience of their own when they view the signage presented to welcome the people inside. Each locations signage provides the community members and just anybody with a sense of familiarity or curiosity which really makes Woodside the place it is today. It was once only a place inhabited by the Irish community by itself, but now is rich in diversity and all the cultural influences brought along by its people.