Category Archives: Neighborhoods
Lucy Dawind
Midtown West is a region representative of New York’s Fashion Capital, and is referred to by many by its sobriquet, the “Garment District”. With world-class fashion schools like Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology just a 15 minutes subway ride away, the ubiquity of buttons, ribbons, and fashion stores come as no surprise. As a district that houses such artistic potential, Midtown West is a virtual battleground of fabric stores. A quick Yelp search reveals over 1600 stores in the area. Amongst them, the second Yelp hit, Paron Fabric, is open seven days a week despite what seems to be a wide-spread practice to close on the weekends. The ratings reveal popular support for this store with four and a half stars out of a possible five.
Upon reading the Yelp reviews, the name of a single individual who diligently works at this fabric store popped up; Lucy Dawind. An enthusiastic yelp reviewer discribes her uncanny ability to reply comprehensively to all 100 of their questions pertaining to silk. Harboring mixed feelings between the desire to meet this knowledgeable, presumably amiable individual, and doubts about such an inordinately positive Yelp review, I headed to Paron Fabric. There, I found Dawind sitting in a cozy box on the right-hand side of the entrance door.
Dawind is a sweet 65 year-old woman from Poland, who immigrated to the United States when she was 20. Dawind claims that, while she did not have a say in the matter of her immigration, she had always aspired to move to the states. Perhaps the vision of pursuing the American Dream then and now remains unchanged. Dawind emphasizes her family’s immigration through a permanent visa with a flicker of pride. She adds that everything was better back then; there was less crime, and finding employment was not at all arduous, and purchasing items of value was not as difficult as it is today.
According to Dawind, her career in a fabric store was only an accident; she had neither been studying fashion, nor did she particularly have a strong interest in it. Dawind’s original Fabric store, one that she had devoted 20 years to since 1971, had closed as a result of massive urban development. ”They used to be 40 streets full of fabric, but now it’s only restaurants and hotels. NYC is catering to tours not to fabric”, she says. At the first fabric store, she studied the intricacies of the various fabrics. This required mind-numbing amounts of time devoted to memorizing fabric types, but her persistence paid off. She started working at Paron Fabric, where she has now spent 25 years; “I like working in the Fashion Capital of New York, that’s why I’m here so many years. But I don’t know if it still is.”
Dawind claims that her “Fashion Capital New York” is gradually disappearing. Numerous factories and fabric stores have been decimated, and many have been forced to shut down. “Made in the USA” has become a rarified, expensive logo, and the cloth manufacturing industry has shifted to China and its South East Asian neighbors. Designers began preferring cheaper fabric, and mass manufacturing of fabrics became a cultural norm; something Dawind cannot agree with. “I wish things are what they used to be, but I think that’s impossible.”
With rents rising exponentially, the survival of small stores such as these may be difficult. Even a veteran of the city such as Dawind is forced to face the harsh realities that accompany living in New York; every day, she must rely on public transport to commute from New Jersey.
Dawind says the city of New York is rife with change, and living here is like living in the world of a television drama. She was attracted to surprise, happiness as well as fear and disappointment in this city. Dawind’ favorite fabric is a natural, cool, yet diaphanous cotton, which resembles her very own personality: with its softness. This softness seems to be missing from the city that currently reaps satisfaction from its immersion in business.
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Sweet Life Pastry Shop: The New Bakery for A Gentrified Washington Heights
She fills the pastry case with Mexican “conchas,” a sweet yeast roll topped with a sugar shell, as she takes the next person’s order, while handing the last customer his cappuccino. Located on Broadway in between 162nd and 163rd street, Sweet Life Pastry Shop is at its peak rush hour, with a constant stream of customers creating a never-ending line at the small shop.
This family-run bakery led by Ignacia Hernandez offers more than just pastries. Inside, there are signs advertising their authentic Mexican food, espresso lattes and even green juices for the health conscious customer. The main display case shows a wide array of sweets; from cake slices, to breakfast scones, to the famous “flan,” the ever so popular custard treat in the Washington Heights area. Many menu items are completely customizable, and Ignacia and the Hernandez family pride themselves in offering such a wide variety. While her husband runs the meal kitchen, her sister is baking cakes, her daughter runs the counter, and her husband’s uncle delivers the latest online order that was just completed.
Behind the counter, Ignacia offers free samples of her “pastry of the day.” Customers gladly accept a treat along with their coffee, as Ignacia beams with pride and asks them what they think about the pastry. Her personalized approach to customer service sets this pastry shop apart from the competition in the area. “We pride ourselves in using the freshest ingredients, and it makes me happy to give someone a treat and hear what they think. This improves my baking.” Having worked in the bakery business for years before starting Sweet Life Pastry Shop, Ignacia transitioned from working for someone else, to achieving her American Dream and owning a business.
Sweet Life Pastry Shop has quickly become the bakery hub for the gentrified demographic in Washington Heights. As opposed to the Dominican bakery which caters to the Caribbean population down the block and the Dunkin’ Donuts on the other end of the street, those who enter the bakery walk out with an espresso latte for a fraction of the price. Currently, the drinks at Sweet Life Pastry are about 1/3 the price for a latte at the local chain coffee shop, charging $1.75 for a Mocha latte as opposed to the $5 price tag at the local Starbucks.
Ignacia notes that the neighborhood’s changing demographics have greatly influenced the customers that currently eat at her bakery. “We have to keep the prices low for this area because we are small…right now we do well selling our pastries and Mexican food- we find that the Americans buy more food, and the Hispanics more cake.”
According to the District 12 census of 2010, there has been an increase in the white non-Hispanic population by 18.4 percent. As a result of this, incomes have increased from about $30,00 to $47,838. Ignacia says this has influenced her clientele, and the bakery has adjusted by offering different services such as online ordering for deliveries, free wireless internet access on their premises, and a greater array of pastries in order to appeal to the newer markets and survive in the area.
Meanwhile, Jose Rodriguez- owner of Estrellita Bakery located on 161st and Broadway faces a different challenge. Although he caters to the Dominican population of Washington Heights and has remained a “niche” pastry shop in the neighborhood, Washington Heights is changing rapidly with an influx of more ethnicities in the neighborhood. “Dominican pastries have kept this business running very well for many years. We are lucky that there is still a strong Caribbean population here, but things are very different now, and we’re hoping our traditional pastries are enough to thrive in this area.”
Many new and established businesses are now forced to diversify their business to adapt and cater to a greater number of customers. Ignacia recounts a specific instance where this was evident: “I had a customer come in and not want to pay taxes on her food because the other bakeries in this area don’t charge it. I don’t think customers understand that these taxes are not for me; they are to pay the government. It took us about a year to make ends meet, and now we are seeing positive changes and can only hope that continues.” In a neighborhood where new businesses face tough competition and hundreds of businesses close each year, Sweet Life Pastry Shop has held their own.
Sweet Life Pastry Shop is a new business trying to find its target demographic and consumer. They are trying to cater to any need a customer may have, and this strategy is successfully placing them on the map as a leading bakery in Washington Heights. 
Their online reviews rave about the customer service and family oriented environment. In an area full of bakeries- both local and chain- Ignacia takes the time to greet and get to know every person that enters her bakery. She talks about a certain customer that always leads to free pastries: “little children steal my heart, I have a boy who comes here and I have to give him a free muffin, I try and make everyone’s experience memorable so that they will want to come back.” With the increase in customers in the past year, one thing for Sweet Life Pastry Shop is for sure- they’re certainly on their way to becoming a local favorite in Washington Heights.
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Protected: Sweet Life Pastry Shop Profile- Washington Heights
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Valdez Enterprises: Serving the Washington Heights Community For Over 20 Years
Latin music blares from the local bodegas and taxis that surround Valdez Enterprises, Inc. on 161st Street and Broadway in Washington Heights. Inside, Jose Valdez greets those who enter with a smile and inviting hug, never forgetting to ask them how they’re doing since he last saw them. As someone who immigrated to this country from the Dominican Republic, Mr. Valdez knows what it’s like to build a business from the ground up and work endlessly in order to reach that “American Dream.”
Jose Valdez traveled from the Dominican Republic to Washington Heights in 1985, a neighborhood that offered low rents for businesses and apartments, as well as a predominantly Hispanic culture. He recalls meeting friends on Broadway, often referred to as “la Calle Duarte,” a central street in the Dominican Republic where you could find everything from discount clothing, to food and electrical supplies. “Washington Heights helped me transition to America, it felt like home,” he said. In this neighborhood, Mr. Valdez interacted with people who spoke in his same accent, came from the Dominican Republic, and shared the same culture.
Three years later, 1988, Jose Valdez launched Valdez Enterprises, Inc. as a multiservice agency, offering accounting, immigration, travel and personal/business tax services. Since its founding, Valdez has seen the drastic changes to the area and has had to adapt his business to the “new” Washington Heights.
Valdez Enterprises, Inc. in Washington Heights
There is now a more diverse Hispanic-American community including Central and Southern Americans, as well as a rise in the American population, running from West 155th Street to West 204th Street. What was once a cultural hub for Dominicans and other Hispanics immigrating to this country has decreased by 12.6% in the last ten years, while the American Non-Hispanic population has increased by 18.4%. According to the last District 12 census conducted in 2010, the Hispanic population in Washington Heights has decreased by approximately 19,438 people, as opposed to the Non-Hispanic population, which has increased by more than 5,200 people. This has led to rent hikes for both local businesses and apartments since there are now residents with a greater income residing in the neighborhood. Mr. Valdez is no stranger to these changes, as he has seen them right before his eyes. “I believe the reason why so many of us Hispanics have left Washington Heights is because there is simply not enough income coming into these small businesses, yet the rents continue to increase. This area used to be very affordable to all the minorities that resided here. Now, you have someone making $350 to $500 dollars a week in salary, yet they have to pay rent for a $1500 dollar apartment that is only worth about $600 rent at the end of the month, it’s simply not fair.”
What was once overlooked as a part of New York City is being completely affected by the looming threat of gentrification. As a more American population moves to Washington Heights, the Hispanic population is leaving. According to City-Data statistics, the median income in 2013 was $39,310. In this neighborhood, 27.6% of the population lives below poverty level, yet rents continue to increase in the area. Local business owners are no longer catering to the same customers; new cultures along with new services are needed.
Valdez Enterprises has had to adapt to these service changes occurring in the neighborhood. “Services that we offered before don’t exist anymore: airline tickets, long distance telephone services, my car insurance provider license which I returned to the State, fields that are very much technology based now…I have tried to change my business and use the highest technology out there to offer the best services to my clients that I can.” As a local business owner, Mr. Valdez recounts many instances when business took an unexpected turn, such as the economic crisis around 2008, which resulted in many local businesses shutting down.
Once thing that Mr. Valdez knows will always be needed – accounting services. “I believe that is what has held my agency open for so many years, the fact that local businesses need someone to keep their finances in order and guide them in opening their new establishment…but if rents continue to rise and local businesses keep shutting down, we will be at a loss here. I don’t provide services for chain businesses, we provide the small businesses with that.”
Mr. Jose Valdez, at work in his office at Valdez Enterprises, Inc.
Mr. Valdez believes the key to helping regulate this drastic change in demographics lies in commercial rent control. He recounts a recent experience with a client who closed their corporation at his agency the previous week: “The landlord told them- your lease is up today, I want you out next week. Rent regulation would not allow these things to happen.” Mr. Valdez points out that he can no longer identify the businesses surrounding his agency; they come and go every couple of years. “Dominican restaurants are now being replaced with upscale barber shops and juice bars… the new generation will never get the chance to experience this neighborhood as it once was.”
However, Mr. Valdez remains hopeful that Valdez Enterprises, Inc. will live on for another twenty years. “I have been preparing my personnel for the day when I retire, and I believe we have the skill set to continue and live on through multiple generations.” Rosy Alas, a senior accountant and insurance broker at the agency states that Valdez Enterprises “will continue providing key services to the local businesses in the area, maintaining customer service and adapting to technological changes.” One thing is for sure, Mr. Valdez is determined to remain a one-stop place for local businesses, and he has no plans to take a break anytime soon.
Neighborhood Pitch – Business
I want to do my neighborhood business on an establishment called “Bistango,” located on the corner of 29th Street and 3rd Avenue. The reason why I chose this particular establishment is because this is one of the very few semi-expensive (Italian) restaurants that have been around even before gentrification.
The establishment was brought up around the late 1970s, so I’m very curious as to how the neighborhood and how the customers have changed over time. Also, I’m sure they have a lot of interesting stories about the interaction between the neighborhood and the establishment. Surrounding the restaurant now, there is a sports bar named Tonic, which has loud events every evening, and especially during the weekends (Thursdays including, because Thursday is bar night).
I’ve been friends with the manager for quite some time now, so I believe it would be a good interaction between me and him, in terms of the interview. Also, in terms of surrounding environments, there’s a lot of Indian and Asian restaurants, so I’m very curious as to how this Italian restaurant held it’s weight.
This is not to say that this is the only Italian restaurant around. A restaurant named Banc Cafe, located on 30th Street and 3rd Avenue, is also an Italian restaurant. However, it is in a much grander scale, in terms of real estate. I wonder if these two businesses ever have friendly or non-friendly competition, or maybe they have market power over the Kips Bay Italian restaurant industry.