It was reported last year that actor Dwight Henry would open up a version of his Buttermilk Drop Bakery in Harlem and it turns out that the location will be next to the former Lenox Lounge space. New York magazine reports that the restauranteur who took over the retail lease of the building will be backing up the New Orleans style bakery cafe which will most likely be called Mr. Henry's. Currently a shuttered takeout joint resides at the shop in question so that makes even more new openings for Lower Lenox this coming Spring. More details in New York magazine:
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thank god thtat something black owned is coming to Harlem, beside the other establishments.
ReplyDeleteTo say you prefer a person of this race over that race, is in fact racist, period.
DeleteI agree w/Anon. May not be politically correct but I, too, would like to see more black owned businesses in the neighbourhood.
DeleteI find so many of the newly arrived white residents to be entirely clueless to the history and culture of the area. They make no effort to adjust to their surroundings but want the surroundings to adapt to them.
I agree w/ Anonymous & Sanou. What you raise is a prickly & delicate issue for some, but not for me. I am a lifelong resident and I, too, often am disgusted by the utter disregard or lack of caring about history or iconic businesses as indicated by some of the comments on here.
DeleteThis is what Richie Notar is bringing to the space next door, the lease is his - he also has Mr. Henry doing the deserts for the Lenox Lounge. Maybe Notar does know what he's doing.
ReplyDeletePlease don't inject racial venom in these good news stories. This will be a great addition period.
ReplyDeleteHow is someone's comment celebrating a new black-owned business "racial venom"? Not every mention of race has be something pejorative. Given the history of the neighborhood and the changes over the last decade, i think it's important to have business owners who reflect the diverse makeup of the community. I think the commenter is recognizing that for many of the new business opening ownership is not reflective of the demographic makeup of Harlem. There's anything wrong with acknowledging that.
ReplyDeleteabsolutely agree
DeleteWow, great news!
ReplyDeleteShould be a boon to the area.
*There's NOthing wrong with acknowledging that.
ReplyDeleteGood news for lower Lenox, regardless of the race of the owner.
ReplyDeleteThis will be a great pair of additions to the neighborhood but if both spaces are now vacant, I cannot understand why the owner isn't building up that underutilized space first. These are side-by-side 2 story buildings, and the only architectural significance seemed to be the Lenox Lounge storefront, which is now gone. Why not build up an attractive 5-story building to match the roofline of adjacent buildings and then put these restaurants in? By the time it is finished then the Whole Foods building will be close to completion.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe the long-term plan is to level out the whole block and build something even larger.
The new business must be looking for 10-year leases so that drab 2-story facade will be locked in for a long time yet.
I am extremely offended with the first comment as a "white" and proud Harlem resident! Don't forget that Harlem never only was an African American mecca, but it had so many other faces. This is so unfair.
ReplyDelete"Extremely offended"? I think that's a little over the top. The commenter is just acknowledging what's true - that there are fewer & fewer black-owned businesses in Harlem - and is celebrating the arrival of a new one. Harlem was never African-American ONLY, as you note, but it *has* historically been the capital of black America. Certainly you can understand that change can be uncomfortable - even unjust - sometimes. Try to relax and not take things so personally.
DeleteMaybe it's because I'm not from the US originally, or I never was a part of this "understanding"... People are people for me. And I am "extremely" offended to hear I'm living in the same neighborhood who judge people by what race they were born as.
DeleteP.S. Thanks westsider (two comments below), exactly my point
“Extremely offended”? Get a grip.
DeleteSanou"s Mum what would you have white people do to prove they are appropriately adjusting to their surroundings? Really?
ReplyDeletewell, creatively named Anonymous, it'’s a long list. But first on that list would be for people to keep their phones in their pocket, at least until they get to the corner and say hello, good morning, good afternoon, to their neighbors. And ask older people if they would like help if you see them struggling with a shopping cart. You know, basic manners. . .
DeleteOh, and don’t walk down the street texting, walk smack into me and my pit and then get all scared and start yelling that it‘s all my fault. As a matter of fact, don’t walk down the street texting, period.
Is that really a white thing... or just a young people thing?
DeleteOne of the great hypocrisies of Harlem is a neighborhood that has suffered from racism very readily gives racism a pass. If you are not sure, a race based preference is racist. Preferring a business owner to be a certain race is the very definition of racism. We should know better in 2013, and especially a community that has suffered racism.
ReplyDeleteRacism is institutional power. Blacks do not have this. White people hold the power is practically ever corner of AMerican life. Harlem is one of the rare places where African American culture is predominent. To see that get chipped away little by little is understandably worrisome to some black residents. why live in a historically black neighborhood if you're not willing to put yourself in their shoes? Trust me, when African Americans move into mostly white neighborhoods, they hear far worse than anything Senou or Anon stated. Let's move on and not take things so personally.
DeleteThere are many kinds of racism and they are all wrong and none should be given a pass or justified, ever. Institutional racism is not the only kind, there is white on black, black on white and every combination you can imagine. The one thing they all have in common is they are wrong and should not be tolerated, excused, given a pass or justified. When it comes to who owns a business, who lives in a neighborhood, if you prefer this race over that race, that is racist, plain and simple. In Harlem, of all places, people should have an awareness of racism, and not give it a pass, ever.
DeleteBlacks do not have great institutional power in the high institutions of government or business. They do, however, have extraordinary local institutional power, including dominance of the community board and other institutions that routinely favor black-owned businesses over not only white-owned businesses but also businesses owned by other minorities, especially Hispanics. There's a reason the black political establishment thinks the voters need to cater to them rather than the other way around. And there's a definite racial tinge to their activities.
DeleteI have just read this thread and I am totally with Westsider on this one. Black owned means very little to people I can guarantee you that. people shop, eat and frequent institutions that give them what they need.
ReplyDeleteIs Costco "Black owned"? Is Target "Black owned"? Is BOA "Black owned"? I mean seriously the whole concept is actually silly in a city that is truly a melting pot.
I want owners that will do right by the neighbourhood in which they operate. Marcus Samuelsson has done a great job, the owners of Maison Harlem have done a great job, Corner Social is doing a great job, Caffe Latte is doing a great job. HFB is doing a decent job, Harlem Tavern took a horrible old empty gas station and turned it into a booming spot. Who cares what colour, country, sexual preference, height, eye colour or whatever they have. THEY ARE DOING A GREAT JOB!!!
Regarding respecting the "old", if by that you mean letting brilliant buildings fall into complete disrepair and fall over then I would rather they did NOT respect the old that way.
Since preferring to have diversity among Harlem's new business owners presumably won't be attacked as being racist, let me say that it is good to see that Marcus Samuelsson will be joined by another high-profile owner who helps maintain some balance in that regard.
ReplyDeleteI didn't move to Harlem to put myself in other people's shoes!
ReplyDeleteWell now, there’s a less than _______ (fill in the religion of your choice) attitude.
DeleteWhy DID you move to Harlem?
Harlem has always had a large number of diverse business owners. This has never been a problem. Lets not make it one. Black business owners are alive and many thriving folks.
ReplyDeleteWell, its not helping if Landlords double the rent on commercial spaces.
ReplyDeleteThat is how we lost Harlem Lanes and Mobay and why Lenox Lounge had to move.
Now Mobay's space may have a new tenant soon with Blue Monk but I'll be surprised if they get a tenant for the Harlem Lanes space anytime soon.
This post will not longer be taking anonymous comments so that that conversation can flow more easily. Please ad your name to your comment for any further discussion.
ReplyDeleteWhite lady here chiming in to say that 1) it's extremely important to have black-owned businesses in the neighborhood due to its historical significance as the capital of the American black diaspora and 2) racism is actually a pattern of historical discrimination, not just an example of occasional individual prejudice. So nothing that has been said by commenters here in praise of more black business owners qualifies as "reverse racist" because reverse racism is a fallacy and a made-up concept. It's just historical understanding, and it's 100% fair.
ReplyDelete