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Ginger Lily on Dekalb
By The Changeling | July 30, 2008
While I never miss an opportunity to gripe about the number of hair and nail businesses in Bed-Stuy, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised some months ago when I saw this salon on the block of Dekalb between Skillman and Bedford. Amazing what a nice awning and an inviting storefront can do to change your mind about a business. Would that all hair salons in this neighborhood could copy the look of Ginger Lily. Has anyone gotten their hair done here?
Topics: New Businesses |
July 30th, 2008 at 11:12 am
I have to say that I have a problem with Fulton street because of the ugly awnings and signs that are out of scale. I really wish we had a code too keep the ugly out of Bedford Stuyvesant.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
I agree, Morgan. I would like to see improvement of the Fulton street corridor, because the look of the awnings and signage on Fulton is quite depressing. This stretch of Dekalb was rather unremarkable, but Ginger Lily’s new storefront came along and really improved the block. Imagine what a reno’d Fulton Street would look like!
July 30th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I love those signs on Fulton Street. They are one of the best things about this neighborhood.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I really love Ginger Lily’s sign! I definitely took notice when I saw it go up. I haven’t gotten my hair done there, though, because I only pass that stretch on my way to/from work and I don’t live that close by. Maybe I will stop in.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Own a sign shop, Richard?
August 1st, 2008 at 1:45 am
I do not, MacD. Have a problem with someone disagreeing with a pseudo-popular opinion?
August 1st, 2008 at 10:45 am
Definitely let us know how you find Ginger Lily’s if you do visit, Sarah.
Richard, I knew that you liked signs that were original, but many of the signs on Fulton are not well maintained. Do you find those appealing too?
August 1st, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I am a architect and have a studied planning in grad school and I have to tell you that most of the signs on Fulton Street are just wrong. The scale of most are off. Fulton Street is a good example of what not to do. I think most people who do business on Fulton Street know that architecturally it is not pleasing that why most people don’t care about it. You have tons of trash on the streets.. It is the only major commercial corridor in the city that has no trees. It really is treated like a step child to Brooklyn. I hear that it has been rezoned (that was a year ago) but I have not seen any efforts to revitalize this strip. Park Slopes 7th and 5th ave, Court Street and Smith, Even the Ft Green end of Fulton has a better more pleasing feel. What going on with the Bedford Stuyvesant end? Lewis and Tompkins are starting to take off but if we put some money into Fulton like those streets we would have so much more money staying in the community. I only shop at the Foodtown. We should not have all those fast food places on this strip killing the community and in my opinion making the teens go crazy.
August 9th, 2008 at 4:05 am
Obviously, the signs that are not well maintained need some help, but I don’t feel that they need to be completely replaced to rival ones in Park Slope.
The beauty of the signs we have now is that they visually represent the idiosyncrasies of this neighborhood. All of them (with exception to the chain stores) are symbolic of what makes this neighborhood honest and genuine. They are large, small, ill-fitted, hand-painted, funky, too bright, too dull, just right, over crowded and sometimes misspelled. — There is a rhythm there; it’s something that you don’t really see, but it is essential to what makes this neighborhood great.
Honestly, the incessant need and advocacy to have everything have a “pleasing feel” is going to end up destroying this neighborhood. When Fulton St. turns into a gigantic Ginger Lilly’s sign, Bed-Stuy will no longer be Bed-Stuy. Because in removing the idiosyncrasies and polishing the jags, the neighborhood will turn to look like any other neighborhood. It will have lost something that you may not like now, but you will desperately miss later on.
August 11th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Richard, when I spoke to you about handmade signs, I really began to understood your fondness for them. But this–the ability to find rhythm in the chaos that is Fulton Street–I don’t understand.
I disagree that giving the area a more pleasing feel has to involve removing the idiosyncrasies. I think we can improve Fulton and still allow it to retain its flavor. Besides, why is there this need to romanticize elements of the neighborhood that are subpar? Come, come now. Waxing poetic over misspelled words and ill-fitting signs?
I think the mistake that you’re making is in thinking that Fulton Street (as it is today) is somehow unique. It looks like a broke down shopping strip in a predominantly poor black neighborhood–you can find similar strips in any major city. If they did a complete overhaul of the strip today and made it look more like Fulton Street in Fort Greene, I would not look back and miss the old Fulton Street. I wouldn’t miss it one iota.
When I used to live in Manhattan, 14th Street (between Union Square and 9th Avenue) was my Fulton. Years ago there were TONS of discount shops selling luggage, clothes, electronics, etc. Slowly, the street changed, so much so that I hardly recognize it as the 14th Street of the past. Do I miss the old 14th Street? Not hardly.
September 11th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I’ve been a customer of the owner for over 10 years. Her speciality is short do’s. She’s the best at what she does in NYC — my opinion. In fact, all the stylist (2 others) there are good.