A mecca of Indian culture could not be complete without stores offering fabrics and clothing of vibrant colours. In the 1980s, sari stores were very popular, with more than two dozen lining 74th Street. But the demand for saris has fallen, and only a handful of stores remain, says Vora, because few Indian women wear saris daily. Many women, especially the younger generation, prefer Western clothes, while others prefer more casual Indian attire. Jewellery stores, on the other hand, have proliferated as Indian families in America have prospered.
Gold is both for beauty and is an investment.
Despite the concentration of Indian culture in Jackson Heights, the actual South Asian population in Queens is generously spread out. Indeed, Jackson Heights itself is not necessarily where most of the 74th Street shops' patrons live. For whatever reason the Indian businesses took up on 74th Street, often those who own and those who frequent those businesses come from the surrounding communities. So the Indian businesses naturally find themselves thriving in someone else's figurative backyard, and, as with any growing urban community, residents clash. As with most other New York neighbourhoods, Jackson Heights and nearby Elmhurst have seen a steady influx of Korean, Chinese and Latin American immigrants, along with related businesses, but the Indian stores on the strip, Navani says, seem to bear the brunt of community anger.