Category Archives: business

Larry’s Freewheeling Bicycle Shop now open in Harlem

Posted on April 23, 2012 | 13 comments

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I was walking along 110th Street in Harlem heading to the westside this past weekend and noticed that a new bike shop arrived at the base of Harlem. It’s called Larry’s Freewheeling and located at 301 Cathedral Parkway. It is not too far from Cafe Amrita and I believe the second bike shop to open in Central Harlem. The first bike shop to open was ModSquad on Frederick Douglass Blvd.

According to signage on Larry’s window, it’s has been open since the beginning of April. Has anyone checked this business out? If so, tell us how it is!

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Posted in business, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, health and wellness

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Support East Harlem Cafe in their 10k in 30 days campaign

Posted on April 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

Remember how I told you about 67 Orange in Harlem creating a campaign to raise money for various items in the bar? East Harlem Cafe is taking the same approach by asking the community to join in helping them raise $10,000 in 30 days. The café needs kitchen storage, supplies and food prep equipment.  In order to purchase these items, East Harlem Cafe is turning to members of the local and global community for assistance, instead of going to big banks for a loan with high interest rates to expand.

If you would like to invest in East Harlem Cafe, go here from more details.

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Posted in baking, business, Community, drinks, food, Harlem

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Lenox Lounge in Harlem goes after Lenox Social on trademark infringement?

Posted on April 9, 2012 | 24 comments

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I am so disappointed right now by Lenox Lounge in Harlem if this article in Crain’s New York proves true. Crain’s reported April 8 that “Harlem’s Lenox Lounge sent “representatives” to the bar [Lenox Social] to inform the newcomers that using the name Lenox Social “constituted trademark infringement.”

Get outta here! Can you believe this? This just smells of pure desperation and greed on one side. Why is Lenox Lounge going after Lenox Social when they can’t even pay their rent, according to a recent article in the Daily News? Shouldn’t the owners of Lenox Lounge worry about saving their own home before going after someone else’s? And why can’t there be a Lenox Lounge and Lenox Social on Lenox Avenue in Harlem? There’s room for everyone to play in the restaurant sand box and who ultimately has the rights to the name “Lenox?”.

This is just sad and making me want to sort of retract my earlier blog post on Lenox Lounge. I really hope this article proves to be wrong or I hope Lenox Social doesn’t end up caving to this potential nonsense and change their name.

This story is clearly not over. Stay tuned.

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Posted in 125th Street, Bars, business, drinks, food, Harlem, Lenox Avenue, Lenox Lounge, Lenox Social, New York, New York City, NYC, restaurants

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Gateway Condo in Harlem near capacity in commercial and apartment space

Posted on April 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

The diligent PR folks over at Halstead Property have let us bloggers know, through a press release, that The Gateway Tower in Harlem is more than 90 percent sold. However, the release did not mention the commercial space of the Gateway Condo is full. It’s all gone! There is Express Dry Cleaning, Coco Nail Salon and Marcos Leatherlab that are already open for business.  And two more businesses will be opening soon, which is Harlem Food Bar and Frederick Cafe Bistro. This area has shaped up nicely with Melba’s Restaurant leading the way in dining area and I believe Gateway Condo was the first new condo on this block and immediate area?

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Posted in apartments, business, commercial real estate, Frederick Cafe Bistro Harlem, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, real estate, restaurant row, restaurants

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Frederick Cafe Bistro in Harlem aiming to open in late April, logo is ready

Posted on April 3, 2012 | 3 comments

If you like the product and services at bier international in Harlem, i.e. great food and beer selection, then you’re probably gonna want to check out their next place of business in Harlem when it opens, which is Frederick Cafe Bistro. The second Harlem business for bier international will be located on the corner of…you guessed it, Frederick Douglass Blvd and 114th, and Chris and Ousmane, co-owners of bier and now Frederick Cafe Bistro, are working around the clock to get the Cafe up and running. The owners are aiming for late April to open the corner bistro. Also, their logo is ready! That’s a promising sign that an opening date is near!

As for the menu, there is no word yet on what will be offered. However, I have complete faith that Frederick Cafe Bistro will be a hit in Harlem. Why? Chris and Ousmane have done a fantastic job with bier international. That place has been hopping since day one of opening and hasn’t slowed down since. I see the results with my own eyes. I walk by bier practically every day.

Furthermore, I will put the success of bier international into baseball terms. Chris and Ousmane hit the ball right out of the park with opening bier in Harlem. They got it right and I have no doubt their business model for Frederick Cafe Bistro in Harlem will be executed with the same level of detail and energy as they did with bier international. The only problem I foresee happening-and Harlemites might agree-is deciding where to hang. Am I  in the mood for bier international or Frederick Cafe Bistro? Ahh, decisions, decisions! That’s what I call a good problem!

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Posted in Bars, bier international, business, drinks, food, Frederick Cafe Bistro Harlem, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, restaurant row, restaurants

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The Harlem Business Alliance is taking applications for business plan competition

Posted on April 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

The Harlem Business Alliance is holding their Annual Business Plan Competition once again. This year is their fourth year for the competition. The HBA competition is designed to support small business ventures in the Harlem area. The competition’s participants need to meet the following requirements; be at least 18 years old and a legal resident or U.S. citizen; live in Upper Manhattan and have an interest in establishing a for-profit start-up business in Harlem; or be an owner of an operating for-profit business located in Upper Manhattan with maximum annual gross revenues of $500,000. This competition provides the grand prize winner with $5,000.

Important dates to remember if you’re interested in competing:

  • Business Plan Information Session, Wednesday, April 18th l 6:30 PM-7:30 PM
  • Application Deadline: Wednesday, June 6th l 6:00 PM
  • Business Plan Deadline: Wednesday, June 20th l 6:00 PM;
  • Finalists Selected: Thursday, July 12th
  • And Finalists Presentations: Thursday, July 19th 6:00 PM-8:00 PM.

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Posted in business, Community, education, Free!, Harlem

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Become a part of 67 Orange in Harlem…literally

Posted on March 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

67 Orange in Harlem has come up with a creative way  for all of us to share in its antiquity through a campaign titled “Become a part of history at 67 Orange.” That’s right! If you want to become a permanent fixture at 67 Orange, here is how you can stake your claim.  Go to RockHub.com and choose the level of donation you would like to make. There are two options to choose from and they are limited so jump on it if you’re seriously interested.

The first option is  for a $500 donation 67 Orange will create a drink and name it after you. Think about it? Having a drink named after you? That’s “sick.” And the second option is for $250 where you can have your name engraved on a brass plate, which will then be placed on one of their bar stools. That’s so “juiced.”

So the next time you’re at 67 Orange in Harlem, you just might be sitting your a**  rhymes with brass on someone you know or better yet, we maybe sitting on your name!

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Posted in Bars, business, drinks, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, restaurant row, restaurants

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Construction begins on Harlem Food Bar

Posted on March 27, 2012 | 2 comments

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There was construction activity happening yesterday (March 26) at 2100 Frederick Douglass Blvd, which will be the home of Harlem Food Bar (HFB). And it appears Harlem Food Bar will have seating next to full length, open windows so that patrons can look out on to FDB? Very nice. I can already imagine sipping some wine and people watching!

According to Scott Siler, one of the HFB owners, Harlem Food Bar will be a 30 seat restaurant offering a reasonably priced, diverse menu where locals from Harlem can come and dine for less. And if you don’t want to dine at HFB, Siler says it will offer food delivery for those that want to dine at home.

Harlem Food Bar is expected to open in May! So stay tuned! We are all getting another place to hang in Harlem. Love it!

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Posted in Bars, business, commercial real estate, Community, drinks, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, restaurant row, restaurants

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Harlem has another neighborhood association in The North Star

Posted on March 26, 2012 | 5 comments


Some Harlem residents have come together to create a new neighborhood association and it’s called the North Star Neighborhood Association. North Star is named after Frederick Douglass’s abolitionist newspaper, “The North Star,” and its mission will focus on the area of Harlem that also bares his name, Frederick Douglass Blvd. The exact area North Star plans to serve are along Frederick Douglass Boulevard from West 110th Street to West 124th Street, between Morningside Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.

If you are interested in learning more about North Star click here or interested in participating, they are having their inaugural meeting Tuesday, March 27th at 7:30 PM at the Harlem PAL, located at 441 Manhattan Avenue near West 119th Street.

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Posted in 116th Street, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., business, Community, education, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem

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Lenox Social in Harlem is open, grand opening expected in April

Posted on March 19, 2012 | 2 comments

If you haven’t heard, a new bar and restaurant called Lenox Social, located on the northwest corner of Lenox Avenue and 126th Street  in Harlem, is open for business on limited hours! Lenox Social had a soft launch this past Saturday night (March 17) and will now take patrons from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Stop on by and tell us what you think of Lenox Social!

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Posted in 125th Street, Bars, business, drinks, food, Harlem, Lenox Avenue, restaurants

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