“Harlem’s hot, Harlem’s happening,” Lloyd Williams, president and CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, said twice during his speech at the kickoff of the Harlem for the Holidays program.
Through Dec. 24, visitors to the neighborhood will find discounts and promotions at over 100 locations around the Harlem area, just by mentioning “Harlem for the Holidays.” The program, kicked off on Dec. 1 by an event at Nubian Heritage of Harlem, aims to attract New York shoppers to the area. The sponsoring organizations—NYC & Company, the Harlem Business Alliance, and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, along with the Office of the Manhattan Borough President and other Harlem businesses and commerce organizations—have been working lately to revitalize the retail district of Harlem and help the neighborhood flourish economically.
Williams stressed the need to “leave our disposable income in our own community and invite others to come up and invest economically in supporting the businesses of our community.”
Harlem Vintage, a wine shop on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, is offering a free mini-bottle with the purchase of $100 or more, as well as a 10-percent discount. “Things like this are great because we get to let people meet us and taste some of our wines,” store owner Jai Jai Greenfield said.
The Brownstone, a women’s clothing shop on E. 125th Street and “the crown jewel of Harlem,” according to owner Bill Witherspoon, will be heavily involved in the Harlem holiday spirit.
“We are always at the forefront of any progressive movement for Harlem,” Witherspoon said, adding that there would be several promotional events this season, perhaps even a Santa Claus.
Closer to Columbia, Miss Mamie’s Spoonbread Too, located on W. 110th Street, is offering 15 percent off a dinner entree, and W. 131st Street’s Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is offering 10 percent off the total lunch or dinner bill.
“There is no better time to showcase the best of what Harlem has to offer than the holiday season,” said Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone President and CEO Ken Knuckles, who is also Columbia’s former vice president of support services and a current City Planning commissioner.
Harlem’s traditional African-American and Latino cultures are highlighted in the promotion, which includes free admission to El Museo del Barrio and two-for-one admission to the Hip Hop Culture Center.
“It’s very important. The people that have been in the community get squeezed out because the prices go up. I think it is very important for the African-American businesses in the community,” said Thandiwe Watts-Jones, who came to the event from Westchester County. She came to Nubian Heritage Saturday in search of a kinara, the special candle holder for Kwanzaa. The store is one of the only places in the area that sells them, she said.
Shane Ferro can be reached at news@columbiaspectator.com.
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