3. Arthur Avenue Began as a Push Cart Market

Black and white photo of pushcarts on Arthur Avenue
Arthur Avenue in the 1940s. Photo from Library of Congress by C.M. Stieglitz

In the 1930s and 40s, Arthur Avenue became a center for Bronx life and commerce. The famous shops and restaurants which line today’s Arthur Avenue used to be traveling push carts owned by Irish and Italian immigrants, who often sold fresh produce and goods. During this time, the Italian population of Arthur Avenue was exponentially increasing as the Bronx’s cultural identity began to take root. Many predominate ad campaigns referred to the Belmont area as “an Italian colony in America,” with Arthur Avenue at the center.

Although Arthur Avenue’s push cart market may be a Bronx-favorite, New York is home to many other famous push cart locations. On Essex Street, the push cart business was alive and well inside Essex Street Market, which recently moved across the street to the New Essex Market. In both Manhattan and the Bronx, these reinvented spaces offered new takes on their historic push cart roots.