How Three Harlem Entrepreneurs Are Fighting Gentrification
Harlem’s main drag, 125th Street, is dotted with signs of the neighborhood’s history as a mecca for black culture.
There is the Apollo Theater and the National Black Theater, with a banner that reads: “Keep Soul Alive. Your Culture Counts.” Vendors line the streets, scents of incense wafting from their tables.
These local staples, however, are under threat. A Banana Republic next to the Apollo features a window display that reads, “New Show in Town.” Around the corner, the famed Lenox Lounge has been demolished to make way for a Sephora. “R.I.P. Lenox Lounge,” graffiti on a neighboring building reads.
In 2005, the average commercial rent in Harlem was $65 per square foot. Today, the going rate is $124 per square foot, a 91 percent increase, according to an annual study by the Real Estate Board of New York. The rent increases have forced business owners to relocate or shut their doors for good.
Several local business owners, new and old, discussed how they were addressing the changes.
Harlem Shake
Respecting the Community
Jelena Pasic, 42, owner of the restaurant Harlem Shake
Ms. Pasic is not from Harlem, but she quickly fell in love with the neighborhood.
The love affair started during her regular workouts at the New York Sports Club on 125th Street.
“I would come three times a week and would always venture out a little bit,” she said. “I started realizing that Harlem has this amazing culture, amazing architecture and amazing work from the people.”
She eventually decided to invest in the community, and in 2013 she opened Harlem Shake, a fast-casual burger joint with a name inspired by the 1980s dance craze.
Jelena Pasic, right, the founder of Harlem Shake, speaks with members of Trinity Church in Harlem, where she regularly attends services.Tyler Blint-Welsh/NYT Institute
As a business owner, she said, she sees it as her responsibility to contribute to Harlem’s culture. Most of her staff and managers live in the community, and Ms. Pasic, a native of Rab, Croatia, lived around the corner from the restaurant before a rent hike forced her to move to New Jersey.
“I really try to live with the community that feeds me,” said Ms. Pasic, who co-owns the restaurant with her business partner, Dardra Coaxum. “I have that respect just because I think it’s the right thing to do.”
The front window features an image of Malcolm X with “Respect” written beneath it. Inside, the restaurant is decorated with vintage Jet Magazine covers, Luke Cage comic books and signed pictures of dozens of black celebrities who have eaten there.
When Ms. Pasic opened the restaurant, she launched the Miss Harlem Shake competition, a personality pageant only open to neighborhood residents. Customers vote on the winner, who is awarded $500 for personal use, $1,000 to donate to one of 10 Harlem-based nonprofits, and a featured spot on Harlem Shake’s African-American Day parade float.
“We as business owners have a big responsibility for cultural preservation,” Ms. Pasic said.
Schoolchildren cross the street in front of Harlem Shake at West 124th Street and Lenox Avenue. Tyler Blint-Welsh/NYT Institute
See the full list in this article: https://nyc17.nytimes-institute.com/2017/06/01/gentrification-harlem-entrepreneurs/