Welcome to the 125th Street Business Improvement District 

 Improving "The Heart of Harlem" Since 1993

Rich in history, famous for its cultural institutions, recognized for its arts, and respected for its many great leaders, Harlem is well known as a diverse community of African-Americans, Caribbeans, Latinos, and Africans. It is internationally known for its literature, music, dance, sports, and the arts.

125th Street is Harlem's main shopping district. The 125th Street Business Improvement District (BID) is located in the heart of Central, East, and West Harlem. It incorporates the owners of 100 properties on both sides of 125th Street between Morningside and Fifth Avenues.

The BID provides supplemental services for these establishments. They include sanitation, promotion, marketing, tourism, public safety, and holiday lighting.

The 125th Street commercial corridor is home to outstanding cultural institutions and historical landmark buildings, including the Studio Museum, the world famous Apollo Theater, the National Black Theater, the Cotton Club, and the Theresa Hotel.

125th Street offers a wide variety of services and retail businesses ranging from small to medium-sized stores. There are schools and churches, banking institutions, a post office, and two utility companies. The Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. office building is the home to elected officials who represent the Harlem community, to several non-profit institutions and community-based organizations, and to several city and state agencies.

125th Street is experiencing an economic and cultural resurgence. Development projects such as Harlem USA, a $66 million retail and entertainment complex, was opened in the Spring of 2000. This life style center features business offer financial and health services; shopping for athletics, women and men fashions; shoes; reading and entertainment.  Harlem Center, an $85 million retail office and complex, opened September 2002. New proposals are surfacing daily. The Complex offers shopping, office supplies and financial and pharmaceutical services.