Chocolate Factory Defends Against Gentrification Claims

Gift Basket by Li-Lac Chocolates

Could chocolate actually be a sign of gentrification? It is often described as “rich” after all. That’s what some Sunset Park residents are worried about ever since Li-Lac Chocolates opened in Industry City last October, and became an instant hit, reports the New York Times. Now some are concerned the blue-collar neighborhood could be headed toward a Williamsburg-esque yuppie-dom. (No one has the heart to tell them hipsters are already so over Sunset Park.) One such naysayer is executive director of Latino community organization Uprose, Elizabeth Yeampierre, who called Li-Lac’s grand opening “a celebration of gentrification” on her Facebook page, as she urged locals to boycott. Well, here’s the kicker: Turns out Li-Lac is owned by local immigrants. Its founder is an immigrant from Greece and one of the co-owners is a former taxi driver from Lebanon. In fact, gentrification pushed “Manhattan’s oldest chocolate house” out of Manhattan. Additional Li-Lac advocates were presumably harder to understand because their mouths were full of chocolate.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's New York Newsletters
Related Stories

Where Capital Meets Opportunity: Navigating The Next Wave Of CRE Financing At Bisnow’s Event On Sept. 30

Discussing Strategic Capital Stack Structuring At Bisnow's Sept. 30 National Finance Event

Bally's Lines Up $560M Loan For Bronx Casino: The N.Y. Deal Sheet

Data Center Spills 5,000 Gallons Of Fuel Into New Jersey River

Historic Brooklyn Hotel To Be Turned Into Ritz-Carlton-Branded Condos

Taconic Partners Sheds Another NYC Life Sciences Property

Oxford Properties' U.S. Investment Head On Why It's Buying Office Again — And Where

25 Years After 9/11, Lower Manhattan Is Finally Firing On All Cylinders

Tishman Speyer Seeks $92M Tax Break For Next Hudson Yards Office Tower

SL Green Selling SoHo Building For $226M

Innovo On Leasing Spree At Multistory LIC Warehouse: The N.Y. Deal Sheet

Mamdani Administration Applauds Transfer Of 3 Distressed Rent-Stabilized Buildings