Windows

One part of the Vineteria windows

It's something new this Christmas season decorated store windows — in Harlem. Businesses along one of Harlem's busiest streets... Fredrick Douglass Boulevard..are featuring elaborate window displays that showcase the community's rich history.
Actors are bringing life to the festive windows at the Chocolat Restaurant on Frederick Douglass Boulevard — it is not a holiday scene — but instead a tribute to Harlem's musical heritage.
"You live in a community and it's great to know what that community stands for," said Choreographer Walter Rutledge.

And that's the message of Harlem Holiday Windows, eight businesses on Frederick Douglass Boulevard from 114th to 122nd Streets with window displays.

It's an effort supported by local civic groups and lead by Jaqueline Orange, who has produced tours of the neighborhood through ArtCrawl Harlem. The theme of the windows is the Harlem Renaissance, a culturally rich period here in the 1920s and 30s.

"So each window is depicting singing about that time and we. Whether it's music, writers, dancers, or prohibition," said Orange, founder and producer of Harlem Holiday Windows.