Quisqueya

Profile

Quisqueya takes its name from a colloquial term for the Dominican Republic, but the genres represented within its roughly 25,000-strong CD collection include entries from the entire Spanish-speaking world, with a strong showing from bolero, salsa, merengue, reggaeton, bachata, mexicana, tipico, and timba. You would never guess from peeking inside the unassuming shop, a bright-white box with scratched linoleum floors set amid a street full of 99-cent and discount-clothing stores. But walk around its walls, plastered with racks, and they’re all there: from modern reggaeton acts like Hector “El Father” back to staples like Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias, Latin jazz great Tito Puente, and the stars of famed New York salsa label Fania. The store’s wide-ranging offerings—including its impressive assortment of out-of-print albums—provided inspiration for neighborhood local Lin-Manuel Miranda while he was writing the Tony award-winning score for the Broadway show In the Heights. A somewhat oddball accessories collection includes bongos, CD cases, headphones, and a modest DVD selection that spans from Ricky Martin Live to Harold & Kumar. — Amos Barshad