Bailey Avenue and West 238th Street — a corner once devastated by a four-alarm electrical fire — is now the site of a vibrant, new mural.
In the fall of 2021, flames broke out at Bailey Deli & Grocery. Fire was seen spewing from the roof, engulfing the entire corner in thick smoke. The blaze had already spread to several neighboring businesses by the time first responders arrived on the scene. Nearly 170 firefighters were needed to subdue the fire.
The outside of Bailey Deli & Grocery has been a blank wall, often tagged with graffiti, for the last three and a half years. But Laura Levine-Pinedo, executive director of the Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Van Cortlandt Development Corporation, had an idea to bring the corner back to life.
KRVC received a grant from New York City Small Businesses Services last fall, a portion of which is dedicated to beautification of the neighborhood.
“What better way to beautify the community than a mural?” Levine-Pinedo said.
One side of the piece features butterfly wings made of images reflecting the community. The left wing shows lush greenery and blooming flowers, while the right highlights local life through silhouettes of residents alongside a stretch of storefronts. Homage is paid to famous Kingsbridge landmarks such as Van Cortlandt Park’s Tortoise and Hare Sculpture. And of course, the 1 train.
The other side reads “Shop Local,” with a variety of icons underneath referencing storefronts in the area. A pizza for Broadway Joes, a carrot for Lloyd’s Carrot Cake, a steak for Jake’s Steakhouse, and a cheesecake for S & S Cheesecake, to name a few.
“It’s a great symbolism of resilience amongst our business community here in Kingsbridge,” Levine-Pinedo said.
Yair Ben-Zaken, owner of S & S, described the mural as beautiful and said the artists did an excellent job. S & S has been embedded in the community for more than 60 years, never straying from its original cheesecake recipe.
Levine-Pinedo said the importance of the mural is it’s interactive; it was designed with built-in photo opportunities. Passersby are encouraged to stand between the butterfly wings or pose inside illustrations of local businesses — shopping bags in hand — to engage with the artwork.
“You’re coming down the hill and you’re rounding this corner, and all of the sudden there’s all this color amongst all of this gray,” lead muralist Lisa San Felice said, adding how responsive the community had been while she was working.
“A lot of little kids were inspired,” she said. “They would walk by and say, ‘I like to paint too.’”
San Felice partnered with fellow Riverdale-based artist Ian Sullivan to carry out the design — a decision by Levine-Pinedo, who insisted this labor of love be led by artists rooted in the community.
San Felice has been a Bronx resident for over two decades and studied at the Parsons School of Design in Manhattan. Sullivan, a Riverdale-native, creates pieces that “capture the energy and edge of his hometown,” according to his website. His work spans graffiti, murals, illustrations and other designs.
Sullivan described painting in a neighborhood he grew up in as surreal, saying a mural highlighting local businesses is a way to “create a newer sense of community and really reinvigorate that.”
Alongside Bailey Deli & Grocery, another business impacted by the fire has made recent strides. Tililá La Casita Azul, a Dominican-owned restaurant and bar, reopened its doors in February of this year. Repairs cost about $600,000, manager Jose Severino told The Press in March.
“The feeling is amazing — yet it’s so hard to describe,” Severino said about how far his business has come. “There are a ton of emotions.”
Tililá La Casita Azul is a member of the Bailey Ave Merchants and Broadway/W238th St. Alliance, or BAMBA, a local merchants association created by KRVC. Through the same grant that funded the mural, KRVC is able to provide supportive resources to more than 20 businesses in the neighborhood. This is often in the form of workshops, monthly merchant meetings and small business spotlights.
“Our small businesses are the heartbeat and the pulse of our community, and now more than ever it’s imperative that we support them,” Levine-Pinedo said.
On Sunday, June 9, KRVC hosted BAMBA Fest a few blocks from the mural. The festival, a block party for merchants and residents, gave local restaurants the opportunity to advertise their dishes to the community. Levine-Pinedo aimed for both the festival and the new mural to bring greater business to the area.
“I grew up on 238th Street”, she said. “I have fallen in love with these businesses, and my goal is for the community to fall in love with them too.”
Levine-Pinedo is calling on the community to help name the mural, as well as to collaborate on a hashtag to use when posting photos of the piece online.
She can be reached at laura4bronx@gmail.com.