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| "Arthur" Street in the Bronx, from "Little Italy" to "Little Albania" |
"Arthur Avenue" is a well-known designation for Albanian-Americans.
On this street in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City, there are many businesses owned by Albanian-Americans, and their customers are predominantly Albanian-Americans as well.
The expansion of Albanian businesses has transformed this area, once known as "Little Italy," into what is now called "Little Albania."
Colleague Burim Goxhuli was on Arthur Avenue and spoke with several business owners.
Established in 2017 near Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, New York, "Çka ka qëllu" is one of the most successful Albanian-American restaurants.
Today, the business owner, Ramiz Kukaj, who serves traditional Albanian cuisine, has expanded his operations to two additional locations in Manhattan and Connecticut.
"The curiosity of foreigners for the unfamiliar and the unknown is very significant. That's where the greatest success of 'Çka ka qëllu' lies. When a foreigner enters, it's like stepping into a restaurant museum. I have never come across anything similar. Even if you look for a French restaurant, which has a millennia-long history, or if you enter an Italian restaurant, which represents the pinnacle of world culture, you won't find anything like it in New York," says Mr. Kukaj, who came to the United States in 1999 during the war in Kosovo.
In 2019, "Çka ka qëllu" was among the top 10 restaurants in New York, according to a list by the prestigious American newspaper, The New York Times.
The history of this restaurant, along with several other similar businesses, has been an inspiration for Albanian-American entrepreneurs to invest on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, says Mr. Kukaj.
"They have brought positive energy, a different mentality to all those who have considered opening an Albanian business. I believe that in recent years, a revolution has taken place within Arthur Avenue, where the entire business structure has changed. That part was known as 'Little Italy' for many years, but now even the Italians themselves acknowledge that it's no longer Little Italy but Little Albania," says Mr. Kukaj.
Voice of America spoke with the managers of several Albanian-American businesses on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.
At the beginning of this street is "Prince Coffee House," a café that opened six years ago and has now become a meeting place for Albanian-Americans.
"When they are here, they feel like they are in Kosovo, they don't feel the absence of family or friends. This means a lot to us. It's a great motivation for us to continue, to bring new things and to make the journey a little easier for the new generations or for the people who come," says Ilir Pishtani, the café manager.
According to Mr. Pishtani, the expansion of Albanian businesses is an indication of the determination of Albanian-Americans for success.
"We are not satisfied with just an ordinary job, but we always aim to reach higher points. This has influenced us, Albanians, to have so many new businesses. The support we give to each other has also contributed to reaching this point," he says.
About 400 meters away from this café is the director of "Tony and Tina."
Filip Kajtazi and his family have been serving Albanian-Americans with traditional dishes for over three decades.
"It's in our tradition; we are from the Has region. We deal with bread ovens everywhere, in Croatia, all over Europe. When my father came here, he worked at a bakery, and then 30 years ago, we opened the shop 'Tony & Tina's Byrek and Kos'," says Mr. Kajtazi.
Mr. Kajtazi was born in the United States but continues to preserve the family tradition. Investing in such a business requires courage, he says.
"My father had a strong heart. We said we would do it persistently, we would succeed, and we would show all of America what byrek is," says Mr. Kajtazi.
According to Ismer Mjeku, author of the "Albanian Yellow Pages," an annual publication featuring Albanian-American businesses, the history of Albanians on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx begins in the '60s.
At that time, the majority of businesses on this street were Italian.
"The reason Albanians found jobs more easily in the Bronx is that the route to America was through Italy. They waited there to get their documents sorted and learned the Italian language. Without a word in English, they came here, and this was a perfect place because they spoke Italian and appeared Italian. Then over time, those who worked for Italians opened their own businesses," says Mr. Mjeku.
According to Mr. Mjeku, the first Albanian-American business on Arthur Avenue, a store selling Albanian goods, was opened in the late '60s.
Decades later, the number of Albanian-American businesses on this street has multiplied.
Now, says activist Mjeku, there are about 56 Albanian businesses from various industries near Arthur Avenue.
"The Albanian customer is here. The idea is to offer that customer another business, so they don't have to go to other distant neighborhoods. But these businesses are not only for Albanians. They are also for foreigners. However, the large influx or concentration of Albanians coming here makes this neighborhood unique," he adds.
Albanian-American entrepreneur Vaso Nikprelaj owns seven establishments on Arthur Avenue, four of which are rented to Albanian-American businesses.
Mr. Nikprelaj says that the investment in the Bronx aimed at developing Albanian-American businesses and creating a space where community members feel at home.
"Whatever you do for yourself dies with you, but what you do for others lives forever. I can't explain in words the emotion I feel every time I come here. I feel very proud, very good because I see that this concept is being used. It's something wonderful and beautiful. If you come here on the weekend, you hear Albanian music, you feel like you're in Skanderbeg Square in Tirana or somewhere in Pristina. That's the beauty of this idea," says Mr. Nikprelaj.
On Arthur Avenue, the TV Alb platform has its headquarters, offering television channels from Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Montenegro.
Entrepreneur Nusha Dreshaj says her company provides information to Albanian-Americans but also preserves culture and language.
"The motto of TV Alb is 'closer to home.' The motto itself makes it clear that the Albanian community in America and Canada are informed and feel like they are at home. So they are directly informed. As for the interest, they are very interested because TV Alb is a great window of information about culture, and every family wants to have it at home to preserve Albanian culture," says Ms. Dreshaj.
On Arthur Avenue, you can also buy traditional musical instruments, says Milot Berisha, the owner of the store "Euroalb."
"All the instruments are imported from Kosovo. People are very interested in instruments and preserving Albanian traditions. We have imported the çifteli, the lahuta, we have sharkija. We also have traditional clothing here. It makes me feel very good because many people see the store from outside and come in because they find it interesting," he says.
A year ago, a street near the intersection leading to Arthur Avenue was named after "Gjergj Kastrioti-Skanderbeg," and every year, on the occasion of the national hero's birthday, a fair of Albanian businesses and culture is organized.