Harlem headlines: New and notable - by Faith Hope Consolo

Faith Hope Consolo, Douglas Elliman

Harlem has emerged as one of the City’s growing cultural epicenters for shopping, dining, galleries and services. The Harlem condo boom fueled a rush of businesses opening to serve a growing residential population. In addition, Harlem draws more than 5 million tourists annually.  There are two market indicators that have joined the Harlem landscape and act as the anchors for the renaissance; Starbucks and Whole Foods. Starbucks on 125^th St. is one of the largest in NYC and when Whole Foods opens on the corner of 125^th and Lenox Ave. by the end of the year, rents and property values in the immediate area of a Whole Foods dramatically increase. This has been a successful formula proving to be true in areas all around NYC and in major cities across the country. 

Manhattanville (also known as West Harlem or West Central Harlem) is a neighborhood bordered on the north and south by West 134^th St. and West 122^nd St. respectively; on the west by Morningside Park and on the east by Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. Recently debuted; Island Burgers (3147 Broadway), Friedman’s (1187 Amsterdam Ave.) and Solomon & Kuff (2331 12^th Ave.) Coming soon; Bierstrasse (697 W 133^rd St.) Shanghai Yang (3141 Broadway) and Gavin Brown Gallery (Mink Building - 439 West 127^th St.)          

The West Harlem neighborhood Hamilton Heights is boarded by Cathedral Parkway (110^th St.) on the South; 155^th St. on the North; Manhattan/Morningside Ave/St. Nicholas/Bradhurst/Edgecome Aves. on the East; and Riverside Park/the Hudson River on the west. Morningside Heights is located in the southern most section of West Harlem. The northern most section of West Harlem is Hamilton Heights that recently welcomed Chopped Parsley at 500 W 146^th St. and coming soon; Mama Sushi (3569 Broadway) and CityMD (3556 Broadway).

Central Harlem is bounded by Fifth Ave. on the east, Central Park on the south, Morningside Park, St. Nicholas Ave. and Edgecombe Avenue on the west, and the Harlem River on the north. Three large linear parks — Morningside Park, St. Nicholas Park and Jackie Robinson form most of the district’s western boundary. On the east, Fifth Ave. and Marcus Garvey Park, also known as Mount Morris Park, separate this area from East Harlem. In the late 2000s, South Harlem, emerged from area redevelopment, running along Frederick Douglass Blvd. from West 110^th to West 138^th Sts.

Central Harlem has welcomed the following retailers that are now open; La Fleur d’Harlem (203 W 144^th St.), BK French (Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.), Revolution Books (437 Lenox Ave., Harlem B-B-Q (547 Lenox Ave.), and the National Jazz Museum (58 West 129^th St.) Soon to roll out the red carpet for visitors;  ACP Coffee (Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.) and Eso (2906 Frederick Douglass Blvd.) East Harlem is evolving with these openings; Crepe Café (1642 Lexington Ave.), Maxwell’s Bar & Restaurant (1325 Fifth Ave.), Hot Bread Kitchen (Park Ave.) and Mountain Bird (251 E 110th St). Coming soon; Super Fi Emporium (2211 Third Ave.) and Harlem Shake (2162 Second Ave.). South Harlem openings; Row House (2128 Frederick Douglass Blvd.), 7-Eleven (256 W. 116^th St.) and Sexy Taco Dirty Cash (Lenox Ave.) Under construction are Little Bamboo Sushi Bar (175 Lenox Ave.), Sottocasa Pizzeria (227 Lenox Ave.) and Café Dandy (1890 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.)                    

125^th St. is a two-way St. that runs east-west from First Ave. on the east to Marginal St., a service road for the Henry Hudson Pwy. along the Hudson River in the west. Considered to be the “Main St.” of Harlem aka Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Lining 125^th St. are the Apollo Theater, the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, the Hotel Theresa, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Mount Morris Bank Building and the Harlem Children’s Zone. The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute is recently open at 120 East 125^th St.

There are a multitude of stores and restaurants being built as we speak and we will soon welcome many important commercial entrees; PC Richards (309 West 125^th St.), Bed Bath & Beyond (5 West 125^th St.),WeWork (5 West 125^th St.), Whole Foods (100 West 125^th St.), Burlington Coat Factory (100 West 125^th St.), American Eagle (100 West 125^th St.), Olive Garden (100 West 125^th St.) and TD Bank (100 West 125^th St.).

For shopping, dining, culture and services; Harlem is the place to be!

Faith Hope Consolo is the chairman of Douglas Elliman’s retail leasing, marketing and sales division, New York, N.Y.