COMMERCIAL GENTRIFICATION OF THE LOWER EAST SIDE
When thinking of the Lower East Side, what comes to mind? Is it Loisaida, St. Marks, or even Tompkins Square Park? The Lower East Side as we know it is rapidly changing and has been for decades now. Even in my lifetime I got to see my own neighborhood change and be forced to look like the rest of Manhattan. Gentrifiers coming into the Lower East Side see it as a gold mine for their young lifestyles. With bars, and new restaurants opening up, along with department stores and big chains stores coming in where they never have before, it is an oasis for the young and wealthy to take over what was once a feared neighborhood. With the gentry class coming in, we see small businesses struggling like never before and the culture of a neighborhood being erased.
The Lower East Side of Manhattan has been the home of mainly lower income black and hispanic people for years. The hispanic community and specifically the Puerto Rican community being so impactful that Ave. C was renamed Loisaida. It was one of the rare places still in Manhattan other than Harlem, that was shaped for those in low income households. However now more than ever we have seen the effects of the changes that have been going on in this community for decades. Commercial gentrification has been rampant in the lower east side and recently the changes have become so stark that those even with no knowledge of gentrification feel a shift in the air. One of the big shifts was back in 2018 when a Marshalls was set to open on Houston St. right next to the famous Katz’s Deli. One resident who has lived in the Lower East Side since the early 90’s exclaimed, “I have watched big development move in —but there needs to be boundaries, limits, historical and ecological value in the neighborhoods we call New York,” she said. Another resident, speaking up about the new Target opening on Grand Street says, “A lot of the 99-cent and value stores on 14th St. are gone, so this is sort of a modern-day version of the value store.” Residents everywhere are noticing gentrification in their own community with the influx of newcomers and the change that they bring along with them.
The other embodiment of commercial gentrification comes in a much more silent form. Many do not notice this until they learn about how money is being pulled from their communities into the pockets of those more wealthy than them. Prime examples of commercial gentrification are the restaurants and bars that can be seen all over Ave. B and 2nd Ave. One article speaks up about the change specifically in Alphabet City, mentioning, “Alphabet City has sprouted bars, restaurants and dance clubs that cater to the young, elbowing the bodegas, delicatessens, old fashioned taverns and corner stores that have long-served the neighborhood.” This brings up the change seen all over Ave. B and how every space is being filled up to attract certain types of consumers. By focusing the market on younger, more affluent, buyers, development in the Lower East Side has turned to things that cater towards their lifestyles meaning social events like restaurants and bars have been popping up like never before.
When commercial gentrification hits a community, it changes the entire landscape, market, and culture of the area. When big chains such as Target, Marshalls, or Trader Joes join a community that has already had smaller businesses there for decades, people will gravitate towards the newer name brand chains they have heard of. Older generations will drift towards convenience and younger generations will lean into names they already know and love. This may sound like an incredible investment for the neighborhood, however when you give your money to these big corporations and take your dollar away from the local vendors, you are actually taking money away from your own neighborhood. When developers cater towards those who are young and have money to spare, those who have been part of the community for decades seem to fade into the background. In the eyes of those who were there to see the highs and lows of the neighborhood, one resident put it best, “The Lower East Side is already gone.”
New development in the Lower East Side has led to a shift that has changed the community forever. Big corporations have moved in and brought along the young gentry class that in return created a market that bars and restaurants excel in. By creating this enclave for those within a certain stature, residents who have lived their whole lives in this neighborhood are now the ones feeling as though they have entered a new space. Some may argue that renovations and modifications come with the times changing. However, when you create a space that excludes those who were part of making the community what it is, you take away their right to having a space of their own.
Work Cited
Gina Salamone, Brian Niemietz. “Lower East Side ‘Already Gone’ to Gentrification as Marshalls Set to Open next to Katz’s Deli.” Nydailynews.com, 10 Sept. 2018, www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-fea-lower-east-side-gentrification-big-box-20180829-story.html.
Gerringer, Andrew J. “Urban Transformation, from A to D – Alphabet City.” The New York Cooperator, The Co-Op & Condo Monthly, cooperator.com/article/alphabet-city/full.
