Kew Gardens Spearheads Holiday Lights Initiative For Storefronts

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS – In efforts to spread holiday cheer in Kew Gardens, residents banded together to install holiday lights in stores located on Lefferts Boulevard.

Esta-Joy Sydell, a resident in the neighborhood, started the initiative through a fundraiser this year, netting over $4,000 from Queensites and store owners to buy holiday lights for businesses in Kew Gardens.

“We just wanted to give our residents some festivity and make our neighborhood look a little nicer,” Sydell told Patch. “I thought we could use some joy.”

Volunteers started hanging up the lights on Sunday, decorating pharmacy REO Chemists, Mini-Burger, and Baker’s Dozen, and will continue to work on other businesses throughout the week.

“We wanted to do this for years, to have lights on the streets and the shops,” said Mohammed Arif, owner of REO Chemists. “It looks nice, and maybe we’ll have better business.”

Sydell said that any remaining holiday lights will go toward shops on Metropolitan Avenue.