Christmas Lights Feel Economic Downturn

Inwood streets will stay dark this holiday season

The main commercial strips of Washington Heights are expected to shine bright with holiday lights this season. But 40 blocks north, in Inwood, the streets will stay dark.

This year, Inwood businesses did not contribute to give their streets a little Christmas spirit.

Dyckman Street in Inwood

“Last year we contacted business owners, and everybody made donations,” said Luis Ducasse of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Economic Development (NMCED). “This year, because of economic conditions, we didn’t get any answers.”

The organization sent letters and talked to business owners, asking for help to light Inwood’s major commercial areas, 207th Street and Dyckman Street. But only three or four businesses were willing to donate, Ducasse said — down from more than 40 last year.

It cost between $5,000 and $7,000 to light each street in 2008. Back in 2007, the streets also stayed dark because of too few contributions.

“We don’t make too much business on this street,” said Breilly Aracena, 29, the owner of Expo Shoes on Dyckman, who declined to contribute to the lighting costs. “The people don’t really care about the lights around here.”

In Washington Heights, organizers also struggled to get contributions — it costs about $14,000 to light Broadway from 155th to 168th streets, said Denise Vasquez with Broadway United Businesses — but larger businesses and institutions such as Vantage Properties and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital made up the difference.

The Christmas tree on 157th Street is already lit, and the organization is working on lighting the rest of Broadway.

Christmas tree on 157th street and Broadway

In Inwood, though, no one has stepped up to play Santa Clause.

Ducasse says he understands that a $200 donation toward lighting costs would be difficult for Inwood’s small businesses to manage during tough economic times. But he blames chain stores for not helping out.

“The big corporations like Duane Reade, Radio Shack, they never want to participate,” he said. “They always ask to call the regional office, and then nothing.”

Managers at the local Duane Reade and Radio Shack stores said they had not been contacted about a lighting donation but confirmed that the decision would be made elsewhere. “It has to go through the main office,” said Wilson Cepeda, the manager of Duane Reade on Dyckman Street. Regional offices for the chains couldn’t be reached.

The owners of Mamajuana Cafe, on the west end of Dyckman, took matters into their own hands and decided to put together a project called “The lighting of Dyckman.” The idea was to light nine trees from Broadway to Payson Avenue.

“We contacted the different businesses that are in front of these trees, and at the beginning, they were all willing to participate in the event,” said Victor Santos, one of the cafe’s owners. The restaurant had even planned a big lighting ceremony with Christmas carols, hot drinks and a merengue artist with the help of the Audubon Partnership, a not-for-profit organization.

But they soon realized they wouldn’t be able to use the street lights to power the Christmas lights, greatly increasing the costs. “Therefore, a lot of the businesses backed out and didn’t want to do it,” said Santos.

Star on 181st street

That didn’t stop them. The cafe owners decided to get their own lights for the two trees in front of their restaurant and also added glowing angels.

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas this year,” said Sandra Jaquez, the owner of Il Sole restaurant on Dyckman Street. So like Santos, she took matters into her own hands and decorated her restaurant with lights, red ribbons poinsettias and more. “And they just delivered the trees for outside.”

Tagged as: christmas, inwood, washington heights