On this Episode of Just Housing, “La Batalla de Bodegas” we analyze the declining presence of bodegas in Washington Heights and its direct impact on access to housing for Dominicans. The title “Batalla de Bodegas” alludes to the ongoing ‘battle’ for bodegas that has taken place since the late 90s against the forces of zoning laws, gentrification, redevelopment and the criminalization of the Dominican population.
We explore these concepts in relation to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s breakout musical, “In the Heights.” In the musical, the fictional Dominican bodega-owner, Usnavi, sings, “I’m getting tested; times are tough on this bodega. […] Ever since the rents went up, it’s gotten mad expensive, but we live with just enough in the Heights.”[1] Those lyrics resonate deeply with many real-life bodega-owners, or bodegueros, who lived in Washington Heights during this era of conflict in the late 90s and early 2000s. In the 1990s, Dominicans owned approximately 77% of the corner stores in Washington Heights! — this staggering percentage drove us to create a podcast where we explore how all these small Dominican grocery stores got to the city, what they meant to the community, and why “times were getting tough” on Usnavi’s bodega in the early 2000s.[2]
We traced the rise of bodegas to the wave of Dominican migration that also marked this era. The migration of Dominicans that followed the assassination of dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1961, created a strong Domincian presence in Washington Heights.[3] In this episode we speak with Dominican immigrants Luis Batista, Mercedes Santos, and Miriam Mejia. Though they all have different paths that brought them to Washington Heights, they all share a common thread: a vision of a better life. Bodegas became the key to accessing this better life for many Dominicans. Bodegas could bring income to Dominicans when they were marginalized from other forms of employment. In fact, bodegas accounted for almost one quarter of employment in Washington Heights and unemployment among Hispanic people fell from 53% in 1990 to 49% in 2000- a change that is likely due to the prevalence of bodegas. [4][5]
Bodegas were closely tied to housing in Washington Heights through their physical closeness, affordability, access, and sense of community. Bodegas were often situated directly below apartments. Technically, these bodegas were also frequently illegal to operate because they were built in residential zones and immigrants often had a harder time accessing and understanding New York’s dense zoning code. In 2002, 30 bodegas and over 75 other businesses along Washington Heights’ bustling Audubon Avenue were considered illegal because they were operating in residential zones.[6] However, many residents appreciated the community feel of having bodegas close to apartments, where bodegueros became like family members.[7]
In the 90s, Washington Heights faced a housing crisis amidst a turbulent economic period. The media used Dominican residents and businesses as scapegoats for the economic and supposed social decay of Washington Heights. The media also perpetuated the criminalization of the Dominican community through racist portrayals and sensationalized headlines highlighting crime in bodegas. Similarly, government officials aimed to restore what they called “decaying housing” by clearing and renovating buildings, pushing out poor residents, and introducing large supermarket chains.
The crackdown on bodegas through zoning law enforcement was a major financial disruption for Dominicans in Washington Heights. The loss of income as well as rising rents in Washington Heights can be identified as causes for the decrease of Dominican presence in the Heights. The removal of bodegas and the construction of supermarkets like Pathmark obliterated Dominican financial stability and their access to housing.
Following the initial criminalization of Dominican residents, Washington Heights has been glamorized as an up-and-coming neighborhood with affordable housing for middle-class families. Luis, who grew up in Washington Heights and has witnessed the changes in the neighborhood, pointed out the contradiction: “When we didn’t have this housing crisis no one gave a crap about us. We were left to live in squalor but … brought our values, which I feel like you can definitely feel throughout the neighborhood and it’s definitely a selling point that many people in the real estate market… like for the more middle-class white people that are moving in.”
In our attempt to grapple with and understand the concepts of Dominican migration, Dominican culture, income and access to housing through bodegas, we discovered the tenacity of Dominicans in Washington Heights. The 90s were a tumultuous time for Dominicans, and yet their community continued to “battallar”—or “fight”—for their presence against the encroaching wave of gentrification.
[1] ‘In the Heights’ Original Broadway Company, “In the Heights,” track 1 on In the Heights (Original Broadway Cast Recording), Sh-K-Boom Records, 2008, Spotify.
[2] Pedro A. Reginaldo, “Bodegas And Colmados: Dominican Vernacular Space In Washington Heights,” The Gotham Center for New York City History, May 10, 2016. https://www.gothamcenter.org/blog/bodegas-and-colmados-dominican-vernacular-space-in-washington-heights.
[3] Nancie Gonzales, “Peasants’ Progress: Dominicans in New York,” Caribbean Studies , Oct., 1970, Vol. 10, No. 3 (Oct., 1970), pp. 154-171 https://www.jstor.org/stable/25612328
[4] Thomas P. DiNapoli and Kenneth B. Bleiwas, 2008, “An Economic Snapshot Of Washington Heights And Inwood,” Osc.State.Ny.Us., https://www.osc.state.ny.us/files/reports/osdc/pdf/report-washington-heights.pdf
[5] Laird Bergard, “Washington Heights/Inwood Demographic, Economic, and Social Transformations 1990 – 2005 with a Special Focus on the Dominican Population,” Center for Latino American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies, 2008,
[6]“NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: WASHINGTON HEIGHTS; Urban Evolution at Work: Quiet Street to Shopping Avenue,” New York Times Online, Apr. 28, 2002.
[7] Ibid
Works Cited
Bergard, Laird. “Washington Heights/Inwood Demographic, Economic, and Social Transformations 1990 – 2005 with a Special Focus on the Dominican Population”. Center for Latino American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies. 2008. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=clacls_pubs.
DiNapoli, Thomas, P., and Kenneth B. Bleiwas. 2008. “An Economic Snapshot Of Washington Heights And Inwood”. Osc.State.Ny.Us. https://www.osc.state.ny.us/files/reports/osdc/pdf/report-washington-heights.pdf
‘In the Heights’ Original Broadway Company. “In the Heights.” Track 1 on In the Heights (Original Broadway Cast Recording). Sh-K-Boom Records, 2008. Spotify.
Nancie Gonzales, “Peasants’ Progress: Dominicans in New York,” Caribbean Studies , Oct., 1970, Vol. 10, No. 3 (Oct., 1970), pp. 154-171 https://www.jstor.org/stable/25612328
“NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: WASHINGTON HEIGHTS; Urban Evolution at Work: Quiet Street to Shopping Avenue.” New York Times Online. Apr. 28, 2002.
Reginaldo, Pedro A. “Bodegas And Colmados: Dominican Vernacular Space In Washington Heights.” The Gotham Center for New York City History. May 10, 2016. https://www.gothamcenter.org/blog/bodegas-and-colmados-dominican-vernacular-space-in-washington-heights.
Featured Image: NYC Bodega, image by Shawn Hoke
