Inspired by Jansen’s Grandfather’s Deli he once owned in the Bronx that closed in the 1990’s, Jansen continues to explore areas of conflict in often marginalized communities in this case the challenges with delis in gentrified communities.

“New York City’s bodegas are more than just delis; they’re coffee shops, community centers, watering holes, snack bars, places to gossip or gather information. The local bodega is where you go to get your morning egg and cheese, buy beer, satisfy that midnight snack craving, and meet your neighbors. They’re culturally vital institutions and a major part of what defines a neighborhood’s character.

Bodegas aren’t immune to the market forces that have hammered New York’s small businesses. Higher commercial rents, massive ground-floor retail spaces, and zoning changes have had a huge impact on small businesses, shuttering more than a thousand each month and leaving a glut of vacant storefronts. The look of bodegas is also changing, with incentive programs from city agencies and nonprofit organizations encouraging store owners to shed their current hodgepodge exteriors for shiny, corporate-style glass frontage.

But as local bodegas trade in their hand-painted signage and idiosyncratic look for a cleaner, updated visual identity, it leads to a question: What are we losing? - NY Curbed.