Nora working in a bodega, the iconic New York City corner convenience store and deli, is one of the main new sets in Season 3 of Awkwafina is Nora from Queens.
Working on movies and TV in NYC means I have worked on numerous bodega sets. The ones of note that come to mind are:
The bodega set in “In the Heights” which was a bodega build from scratch on a sound stage as well as the real exterior in the actual Washington Heights neighborhood
The bodega in Russian Doll where surreal things happen as Nadia and Alan travel back and forth through time
Bodegas in Broad City and High Maintenance.
Bodegas are fun sets because they are such an everyday slice of in contemporary NYC and we each have our own relationship to our neighborhood bodega.
Additionally, bodegas usually contain lots of fun little details that are showcasing the layers of years, life, and personal touches of the people who work there, and it is all about volume and diversity of product.
I did read a really good article a few years ago, however, about how as New York City rapidly gentrifies everywhere even in the most outer borough areas, young people (I’m going to include everyone under the age of 45 here) have created something of a cult of of a bodega fetish:
excerpt from this NYTimes Magazine article written by Willy Staley from Feb 2, 2020.
I think the writer is right. And oddly he cites the bodegas in High Maintenance and Russian Doll as evidence in his argument. 😨 does this mean through my work I have played a tiny tiny miniscule part in the bodega fetish trend???!!!
…anyways back to Nora from Queens.
Not only is the bodega in Season 3 of Awkwafina is Nora from Queens featured in almost every episode, it has two looks in the show:
Papa Moon Deli before when Nora was working for Mr. Moon
Nora from Queens after she buys the bodega and makes it her own.
The real Awkwafina (real life Nora Lum) did actually previously work in a vegan deli in Brooklyn, an experience she talks about often in media interviews, when she was trying to make it as a rapper.
Since we knew exactly which deli that was, the Brooklyn Standard in Greenpoint, we went there to take photos as our first reference photo.
this is a weird angle, but on the right hand side you can see the wall where we printed large photos of the Brooklyn Standard and different delis around NYC we were inspired by to study as well as the wallpapers we picked.
Once production had settled on the real bodega we were going to film in as the site of our two bodegas, Laura, the production designer, and I got to work discussing how we would modify the existing bodega to tell the story of the two bodegas in our show.
PAPA MOON DELI
Nora with Mr. Moon
Even though the script had no mention of the first bodega Nora working in being a vegan bodega like the one real life Nora worked in, we thought it might be fun to make a nod to that in our set by stocking vegan products and other products that are actually stocked at the Brooklyn Standard.
After staring a photos of the Brooklyn Standard and other bodegas we thought were good references we chose what elements of each we wanted to integrate into our set:
we added wallpaper to some surfaces to create a graphic, dimensional color element
took out whole sections of the product display
created new stations
added a lot more product.
For instance here we added a coffee enhancement station, completely filled that refrigerator with drinks (it was empty because it is broken), added dozens of more products to that shelf to the right of the drink refrigerator, and you can see snippets of the wallpaper we added in the background:
on the right hand wall, we basically emptied all the existing product the deli had there, and added products we brought in that had a low profile at the request of the cinematographer to allow more natural light in to more effectively light the scenes in the bodega.
Knowing we wanted a greater product selection, more variety in types of food, we got working on the product placement front, which for a set of this scale is quite an endeavor.
For this set, Kiran was the real hero of product placement hustling hustling (with the help of Will and Kevin) with over 150 vendors. 150!!!! Our spreadsheet was insane.
The office also started to look a little crazy once all the product placement started to trickle in. The photo above does not even begin to capture the situation.
Even though we made a lot of changes to the bodega, the feeling is almost imperceptible since in general when you walk into a bodega your eyes and mind just go: “lots of products, lots of things” and the fine variations of “lots of products, lots of things” are maybe not clocked.
here is one very specific shot where you can see how adding wallpaper, bringing in larger variety of more colorful products, and addition of a few more elements is in a way subtle but also changes the feeling.
Ashley during one of our first times in the bodega
Though it does feel a little different: a little more vibrant, a little more alive, and a little younger.
NORA FROM QUEENS DELI
featuring the jacked muscle arm money cat from Chop Suey Club, fun lighters from Spookesvilla
In the series finale, Nora has decided to take over the bodega from Mr. Moon and make it her own. Which is oddly also basically the storyline and character arc for Usnavi in “In the Heights” (hahaha)
In the process of making the bodega Nora’s own bodega we made a bunch of upgrades/ changes to reflect her new ownership:
Since Nora is a big stoner, there’s a whole bong section and weed accessory section of the bodega now (which is also how a lot of bodegas in NYC feel nowadays actually too)
We wanted to make the whole place more colorful and vibrant to match Nora’s personality so we added:
New and more wallpaper to liven up more surfaces
New carpets including a custom rainbow runner and a really funny bodega menu carpet we found online.
Some custom neon lights (which sadly you never see on screen!)
A lot more new and hip products.
A whole new menu signage system
Some fun little pieces of decoration like the muscle cat.
A community zine section which we stocked with actual small zines and small indie Asian American publications like Banana Magazine.
a lot of easter eggs recalling sets from the last three seasons that are very niche IYKYK
artwork by Felicia Liang and Crys Yin, the very cool product line from Black Bean Grocery to the right of the Sandwich Special sign.
Added more artwork including one specially commissioned to match the precise vibe the real Nora told us she was envisioning for this new bodega.
original artwork from the artist Geobany Geo “BOWZ” who is based in Queens, NYC.
Taking a cue from our favorite NYC sandwich spot, Court Street Grocers, we created new sandwiches (our Art Dept had a lot of fun getting creative with sandwich names and compositions with Kevin really cranking out the creative juices), had branded sandwich wrapping paper made, and designed a whole line of merch!
we had so much fun coming up with different sandwiches, naming them, and our wonderful graphics artist Dan-ah Kim made great signs for each.
you can see the custom designed merch we made for Nora’s new bodega in this shot.
The Lin family eating sandwiches from Nora’s Bodega wrapped in the custom branded sandwich paper!
Much like how we took the show to be a chance to gather some Asian American artists and give their artwork a chance to be featured on the show, we took the new Nora Bodega as a chance for small Asian American food companies to showcase their food product on the shelf and on screen.
fridge stocked with drinks from Asian American companies: Halmi, Sanzo, Moshi, Lunar, and Nectar. As well as fabulous drinks from other indie drink companies
in this photo you can see products from Asian American companies from L to R: Moon Jam, Momofuku, Red Boat Hot Sauce, Fly by Jing, and artwork from Felicia Liang on the wall of the fridge.
in this photo from L to R: some local zines, artwork from Kenzo Repola and Crys Yin, and products from Asian American companies: Fly by Jing, Omsom,
In the process, sort of created a dream Asian American neighborhood bodega. I’m not sure that is exactly aligned with Nora the fictional character, but to me it felt aligned with the overall values of the show “Awkwafina is Nora from Queens.”
You can read more behind-the-scenes putting together the sets and everything related to Awkwafina is Nora from Queens Season 3 here.
