Nobody knows the exact origins of the bright, corrugated metal 
awnings and signs that crown countless bodegas throughout 
New York City, but for over 30 years, their flashing bulbs have
beckoned with promises of ice cold beer and sodas, hot coffee 
and sandwiches, and fresh meat.  

These signs are part of the unmistakable landscape of New York, 
a burst of tropical warmth that spread from Latin neighborhoods 
to create a comfort zone on nearly every corner. But one by one, 
bodegueros, often under pressure from the city, are ripping their 
signature awnings down in favor of cheaper, impermanent vinyl 
canopies that are supposed to make bodegas look modern, clean, 
and successful.  Maybe so, but soon these iconic signs may be 
nothing more than a Goya-tinged memory.  

I have been photographing bodega signs in Brooklyn, Manhattan, 
and Queens for the past several years. I am attracted as much by 
their bright colors, bold graphics, and rotating set of key words 
and phrases as by their can-do entrepreneurial spirit and their 
current state of faded glory. 
 
These Bodega Bars are the result of that obsession.  They are 
digital photograghs, sizes blown up and colors blown out, to 
capture the vibrant energy of the New York City Bodega.