Little Italy

New York City is a visible melting pot of various social and ethnic enclaves as it is made up of neighborhoods, including Harlem, Chinatown, and Brownsville, that each reflects a distinct culture. Little Italy, without doubt, plays an important part of the New York City diversity by being one of these neighborhoods. However, Little Italy is especially interesting because while its name suggests a rather homogenous nature of the town, which was indeed the case several decades ago, it is now a more complex society since it has experienced a dynamic shift of demographics who brought distinct ways of life, customs, beliefs, and cultural and traditional values, constantly changing and developing the overall atmosphere of the neighborhood.

Little Italy is an ethnic enclave that represents the Italian culture. The neighborhood, located in Manhattan, was once characterized by its large population of Italian Americans. Little Italy, like all the other ethnic enclaves, has a unique story to its past that gradually shaped its present, and will influence the future of not only the neighborhood and its inhabitants, but the dynamics of the New York City overall.

Italian immigrants flooded into America in the 1880s to escape the peninsula of Italy that was plagued with continuous political, economic, and social chaos that only got exacerbated with the spread of diseases and natural disasters. Unlike other previous immigrant groups, such as those from Germany and Ireland, who moved pass the New York City and scattered throughout the country, the Italian immigrants settled in the city, rebuilding their own ethnic communities with the spirit of campanilismo (loyalty to those who live within the sound of the village church bells). Among different boroughs of New York, the heaviest population settled in lower Manhattan, around the areas of Mulberry Street, which soon became heavily “Italianized” with street vendors, store owners, and residents speaking the same language and sharing same culture. This was the birth of Little Italy. People of Little Italy continued to isolate themselves by preserving social institutions, habits of worship, and hierarchies that they brought from their home country. Various events such as weddings, feasts, and religious festivals maintained the unity of the town, preserving its unique cultural and ethnic characteristics.

Examining the Median Household Income data, we can analyze that Little Italy has lower median household income than that of SoHo, which is located to its left. This may largely be due to the difference between the commercial identities of SoHo and Little Italy; while SoHo is known for its shopping streets lined with brand stores, Little Italy is more characterized with its individually-owned stores such as cheese shops and barber shops, and restaurants and pushcarts that often have long history rooted in the neighborhood. Such kind of commercial identities make Little Italy a place known for its authenticity and its cultural enclave more than a business- and profit-based communities of SoHo and other more diversified areas of New York City. Such claim is further bolstered through the analysis of Youth Population data, which shows low youth population in Little Italy compared to other parts of the city, suggesting that elders, who have lived decades in Little Italy for the nostalgic vibe and a sense of home it provides to these first generation immigrants, continue to reside in the neighborhood. The two data combined allow us to predict that Little Italy will continue to attract older generations who seek it with nostalgia. The income gap between SoHo and Little Italy may also mean that while SoHo will be going uphill in economy, Little Italy will remain or even experience economic downhill, which may lead to other problems such as more vulnerability to gentrification.

Looking at the data of Total Population based on age groups (Less than 25 vs. Less than 85), it could also be concluded that the neighborhood is more populated by elders than younger generations like nearby areas such as SoHo or St. Marks Place. This can further suggest that Little Italy is an area of cultural niche and haven for elders who might have come during the early phases of Italian immigration and therefore still seek for a sense of home out of nostalgia, rather than an area of attraction for teenagers and young adults. This might explain the type of businesses that thrive in this neighborhood; Little Italy is full of old restaurants and dessert places that serve Italian dishes in an allegedly authentic way.

La Bella Ferrara

As we walked down the famous Mulberry Street in Little Italy, an ordinary bakery store caught our eyes. The glowing red neon signs reading COFFEE, ESPRESSO, CAPPUCCINO on its front windows looked plain and old-fashioned, yet bright enough to attract bypassers’ glance as they walked by it. Underneath the neon letters was a simple display of an array of biscuits and chocolate wrappers that evoked a sense of nostalgia. Lured by its unique atmosphere, we entered the store, only to find a crowd of people waiting to make delicious orders.

La Bella Ferrara is an Italian bakery featuring an assortment of Italian pastries and desserts. The store, just enough to hold about fifteen people at once, was crowded even at night with those who came to fetch a sweet treat or three on the way back home from work. On the one side of the store was located the display rackets with delectable desserts and pastries such as cannoli, creampuffs, fruit tarts, and slices of cake. Across them was a long table with trays of various types of freshly baked cookies whose scent could be sniffed even from outside. Behind the cashier, they also served drinks and refreshers such as brewed coffee and juice. Such a variety of menus allowed the store to serve a wide range of customers, from children to elders, Italians to Chinese, New Yorkers to tourists.

Although being part of Little Italy gives the store its history and unique identity, being part of such popular tourist place frequently visited by people from all around the world does no longer allow it to be an authentic Italian. It has lost its authenticity to some degree in order to meet the needs of the tourists who are, after all, a big part of their customer population. “We cannot ignore tourists because they are a big part of our customers”, said the manager as he addressed the expanding tourism market with concern. According to him, the number of tourists has been steadily increasing ever since the Little Italy was named as one of the famous tour sites. Although this might bring more customers to the bakery, the manager worried that they are forced to change their taste and their ways of serving, which ultimately causes them to lose their authenticity. The increase in tourists also caused the rise of tourist stores in the neighborhood, once again contributing to the loss of authenticity and originality that Little Italy was once known for.

Acknowledging that various changes over the years were inevitable, the manager mentioned the transformation in the dynamics Little Italy shares with its neighbor, Chinatown. Although they have always been adjacent to each other, few interactions took place during early years since they each exhibited distinct ethnic and cultural characteristics that created an invisible gap between the two neighborhoods during the time when many immigrants arrived at America with prejudice and preconception. However, more frequent and active communications and cooperation between the two towns have been observed over past few years as America earned its title as a land of immigrants. “The boarder between the two neighborhoods that was once clear has now obscured”, claimed the manager. This was evident throughout the two neighborhoods because numerous Chinese stores were located in the heart of Little Italy, whereas many individuals spoke fluent Italian as they walked down the streets in Chinatown. Although this might be a positive sign that reflect the rising tolerance towards different races and cultures in the area, the manager also voiced his worries; “Little Italy seems to be losing its authenticity and its native color”.

Change over Time

Interactions between Little Italy and Chinatown

Located along the famous Mulberry Street and Canal Street, Little Italy is especially interesting because it is adjacent to another significant ethnic enclave, Chinatown. I specifically wanted to explore the interactions between Little Italy and Chinatown and how the demographics or social/economic activities of one neighborhood influences those of the other.

Here we can see that the Asian population, although still densely populated in Chinatown, is stretching out from Chinatown and spreads throughout Little Italy. Little Italy and Chinatown have been affecting one another in various ways ever since the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1965 opened a new door to Chinese immigrants in 1965. This policy brought an influx of Asian population not only to the area what is now known as Chinatown, but also gradually into Little Italy that had once been predominantly Italian. Such flood of newcomers ultimately raised a voice of concern among the original residents of the area, who valued Little Italy as a cultural enclave. In fact, various approaches were taken to maintain Little Italy’s originality. For instance, Little Italy Restoration Association demanded the government to rezone the area so that the historical and cultural character of the community can be preserved and strengthened. This exactly reflects what the owner of La Bella Ferrara mentioned during the interview regarding the expansion of Chinatown and Little Italy slowly losing its originality as the border between the two neighborhoods has been fading away.

Comparing the Total Population of White and Asian Individuals Data in 2015 to that of the Total Population of White and Other Race (presumably Asians as being a part) Data in 1960, we can clearly see that the white population was predominant in Little Italy, while the other race was noticeably more populated on the south side of Canal Street, in Chinatown instead Little Italy.  However, we know that this is not true in 2015 as described above.

Shrinking Little Italy

Little Italy has been under the threat of being extinct for past several decades. What had once been a thriving neighborhood stretching 50 square blocks north, south, east, and west, is now only three blocks on Mulberry Street. There are two major factors that have forced Little Italy to shrink.

One of the factors is the shifting dynamics. Being adjacent to another large ethnic enclave, Chinatown, Little Italy has been facing a new challenge of maintaining its authenticity and cultural and ethnic isolation. Ever since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 opened a new door to Chinese immigrants, the number of Chinese immigrants skyrocketed, rapidly populating what is now known as Chinatown but further stretching its realms to the territories that were once considered part of Little Italy.

Such concern parallels to that of La Bella Ferrara’s owner, who stated during the interview, “Our village is losing its authenticity and color to the growing Chinatown and tourists. Once lost, Little Italy cannot be rebuilt, [since] the history of [Italian immigrants] and what they had gone through cannot happen once more”. The owner of the bakery further commented that whereas the past decades ago, the bakery mainly served Italian immigrants by giving them a taste of homeland, it now serves tourists who mostly visit the bakery to get a taste of Italian food.

This data shows the populations of communities of color, which embrace Black, Hispanic, Asian, or multiple race. As depicted in the map, the population of communities of color is well above 60%, reaching the range of 80-90% towards the right side of Mulberry Street. This indicates that the community of Little Italy is no longer a homogenous neighborhood mostly populated by Italians, who are often categorized under white community. Such display of data can be best explained as the evidence of the growing Chinatown, which is blurring the borderlines between the two neighborhoods that was once clear. In the coming years, more and more foreign populations are more likely to claim their places in Little Italy, enhancing the concern of its extinction.

The challenge that the rapidly growing Chinatown places upon Little Italy has recently became the reality when, in 2010, the National Register of Historic Places lumped the two diverse neighborhoods under one category of “Chinatown & Little Italy Historic District”. Such move seems to only encourage the further breakdown of the borders between the two areas, which may raise the voice of discontent among those who strongly desire to maintain the distinct values of two ethnic enclaves.

Another major factor is the threat of gentrification. Individual storefront businesses are closing down as they cannot afford to pay the rising rent, city marshal is taking over the small businesses on behalf of the landlords, and luxury hotels are being constructed in places of shuttered eateries and stores. Such use of the lands is leaving many merchants and traditional businesses not much choice but to leave the village, which will only bring the extinction of Little Italy faster.

This concern was also explained by the owner of La Bella Ferrara. He claimed that the rent is skyrocketing, and that small individual storefront businesses are facing a difficulty managing to pay the rising rent. He further explained that in order to meet the increased rent, the bakery had to come up with solutions such as inevitable price rise and aiming for tourists even if that means to lose some of its authentic taste.

Future

Despite the change, the bakery continues to attract both new bycomers as well as their old customers. “We freshly bake our pastries every morning”, said the manager of the store when asked the secret that helps the bakery keep these customers connected to the store even decades after and miles away. For its taste, old customers still come back even after they have moved to Connecticut and New Jersey. “This is something, a motivation for us to keep working hard to provide the best quality for our customers,” said the manager. They also try their best to keep the cost relatively low even in times of economic inflation and turmoil. Although the rise in cost is inevitable, they also make sure the cost remains reasonable for their customers. La Bella Ferrara, with its history and years of service, contributes to the spirit of Little Italy.

<References>

Briquelet, Kate. “Little Italy Is on the Brink of Extinction.” New York Post. New York Post, 30 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 May 2017.

“Little Italy, Manhattan.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 May 2017. Web. 28 May 2017.

“Little Italy.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 May 2017. Web. 28 May 2017.

Williams, Keith. “Parse 140 Years Of Little Italy’s Capricious, Shrinking Borders.” Curbed NY. Curbed NY, 06 Nov. 2013. Web. 28 May 2017.