{"id":973767,"date":"2026-08-01T15:31:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T15:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/973767\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T15:31:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T15:31:57","slug":"harlem-using-history-art-to-drive-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/973767\/","title":{"rendered":"Harlem using history, art to drive business"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York City officials united in Harlem July 31 to announce Manhattan grants to improve the public realm and shined a spotlight on a large Harlem mural, half map and half art, and far-reaching initiative funded in part by a previous grant.<\/p>\n

The New York City Department of Small Business Services unveiled $1.5 million in Manhattan grants and more than $8 million to 96 grantees citywide.\n<\/p>\n

They announced the grants near the 14-panel \u201cWayfinding\u201d mural in Harlem completed in June with help of a $50,000 public realm improvement grant to the 125th St. Business Improvement District.<\/p>\n

NYC SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya touted the program as investing in neighborhoods, as 125th\u00a0Street BID President and CEO Barbara Askins described their \u201cWayfinding\u201d project as a crossroads between commerce and culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what grant programs are designed to do, putting resources directly into the hands of community organizations and none of this happens without strong partners like the BID,\u201d\u00a0said NYC Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Kenny Minaya.<\/p>\n

U.S. Congressman Adriano Espaillat and Council Member Yusef Salaam celebrated the moment and recent 30th\u00a0anniversary of the more than 30-year-old BID as part of a new Harlem renaissance.<\/p>\n

\u201c125th\u00a0Street is what it is today, not just because of development or culture. It\u2019s because of all these things taking place over all these years,\u201d Askins said. \u201cIt\u2019s great to have stores where you don\u2019t have to leave your community shop, but you also want the experience. And that is about the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 125th\u00a0Street BID, funded by 98 properties and 250 businesses, used a grant, supplemented by other funds, to mix culture and commerce, to create its \u201cWayfinding\u201d initiative, using Harlem\u2019s history and cultural institutions to attract visitors and income for businesses.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s designed to be the latest chapter for 125th\u00a0Street, rezoned in 2008 from Broadway to Second Avenue and 125th\u00a0to 126th Streets, to encourage mixed-use development, commercial growth and new housing.<\/p>\n

The Wayfinding project, dubbed the \u201cHarlem Main Street Passport,\u201d uses art with a historic slant to attract attention to Harlem high points, its \u201ccharacter, history, and vibrant shopping experience through artistic expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c125th Street is a major tourist attraction in the city. It\u2019s the culture, experience, food, music. It\u2019s easy to get to,\u201d Askins said. \u201cYou take the A train. That\u2019s a great song, but it\u2019s the truth. Take the A train from midtown and you\u2019re in Harlem and it\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Artist<\/a>Artist Paul Deo and the wayfinding emblem he designedPhoto: 125th Street Business Improvement District
\nA BID is born<\/strong><\/p>\n

The event also celebrated more than 30 years of the 125th\u00a0St. BID, created in 1993, launching numerous programs to benefit those who live, work and invest in Harlem.<\/p>\n

The BID\u2019s Harlem Community Engagement Survey concluded culture can be a key to unlock economic growth, sparking the wayfinding project.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about all the city planning elements,\u201d Askins said. \u201cThe conversation always ended up back to history and culture. We started looking at culture as a driving economic tool to grow 125th\u00a0Street.\u201d<\/p>\n

Askins said they \u201cwanted imagery that captured the culture to be displayed on street banners,\u201d and \u201cwhere retailers could put artwork on storefronts and property owners could put artwork in vacant storefronts.\u201d<\/p>\n

That included art for freight doors that \u201ccan become eyesores\u201d which they saw \u201cas an opportunity for canvasses for art.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t just make sense for us to create directional signs,\u201d Askins said. \u201cHow do you tie the culture and life of the neighborhood into it?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Wayfinding works<\/strong><\/p>\n

They held a contest for a Wayfinding emblem for the initiative, \u201cHarlem Main Street Passport\u201d to build Harlem\u2019s brand and spotlight its \u201ccharacter, history, and vibrant shopping experience through artistic expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy creative mission is to continue Harlem\u2019s legacy as a global center of art, intellect, and innovation,\u201d emblem designer Paul Deo said in a written statement.<\/p>\n

He added featuring \u201crecognizable landmarks\u201d such as the Apollo, Schomburg, Abyssinian Baptist Church and local markets \u201creinforces community pride while guiding residents and visitors through spaces that tell Harlem\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Art spotlighting historic people and places was put in streets on 62 banners, in window splashes and freight doors and an interactive online map.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cStores have artwork created by local artists,\u201d Askins said. \u201cWe pushed the envelope to merge art into this. We\u2019re getting you to move through an experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BID<\/a>BID partners and local officials.
\nThe mural\u2019s the thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 14-panel wayfinding mural at Frederic Douglas Boulevard between 125th\u00a0and 126th\u00a0with a QR Code linked to an interactive map.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe participants on the interactive map offer discounts,\u201d Askins said of 16 businesses and institutions connecting commerce and culture. \u201cIt\u2019s about driving traffic as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

An image by \u201cCultuREPreneur\u201d Antonia Badon in a window splash at Settepani shows Harlem Renaissance figures riding the A train.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are things people relate to,\u201d Askins said. \u201cYou experience the Harlem Renaissance Here it is in words and images.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Badon said her \u201cwork blends digital illustration, cultural history, and public storytelling,\u201d using the A train as \u201csymbol and structure, \u00a0representing arrival, connection, and cultural exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deo did art used as a window splash at Levels Barbershop, 425 W 125th Street, that Levels partner Larry Wilcon said\u00a0stops\u00a0\u201cpeople in their tracks\u201d and can \u201cbring traffic in for people just to question or ask about the piece itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deo says the \u201cBlack barbershop has been one of the most sacred places in my life\u201d filled with \u201cconversation, laughter, disagreement, love, and mutual respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Renovations in the works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Apollo Theater, using two black box theaters, is renovating its main stage. \u201cThey unveiled the marquis last month,\u201d Askins said.<\/p>\n

The Harlem Renaissance Marriott, formerly home of the Victoria Theater, preserves history and the past and houses two black box theaters run by the Apollo.\n<\/p>\n

Steps in the hotel showcase names of Harlem Renaissance figures. A green piano at that theater takes you back into the past.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the decor and artwork comes from the Harlem Renaissance,\u201d Askins added. \u201cIt\u2019s like stepping back into time infused with the future.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The National Black Theater tore its building down and is rebuilding. The National Urban League moved its offices to Harlem, and is building a Civil Rights Museum on the corner of Malcolm X Boulevard.<\/p>\n

Located in the same building as Trader Joe\u2019s, Target and many other signature stores, the Civil Rights Museum could open by the fall.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very, very important,\u201d Askins said. \u201cIf you talk about preserving the culture, what better way than to have a civil rights museum?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Business in bloom<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s in addition to Pandora Jewelry, Sephora, CAP USA, Native (a new West African restaurant), and Brasserie, a steakhouse that opened a few years ago.<\/p>\n

Harlem Cycle, owned by an African American, opened a second location, in addition to one further uptown. \u201cCulture helped create smaller businesses,\u201d Askins said. \u201cGo to a play, and you want to get something to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wayfinding project, meanwhile, is designed to celebrate the present, future and past, making Harlem easier to navigate.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see how 125th Street is a connector to the culture,\u201d Askins said. \u201cWe have great traffic. People are coming. We\u2019re helping them not only look at the shopping, but also have the cultural experience. It\u2019s making it more user-friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York City officials united in Harlem July 31 to announce Manhattan grants to improve the public realm…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":973768,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5122],"tags":[229563,390816,5229,5231,13964,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-973767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-125th-street","tag-125th-street-bid","tag-america","tag-harlem","tag-mural","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkcity","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117020981341567613","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=973767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/973768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=973767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=973767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=973767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}