- James Bonavita runs B&R
Christmas Decorators, a New York-based light installation company. - He and his team work year-round to prepare and decorate the homes of
Dyker Heights ,Brooklyn .
There's no such thing as too much in the south Brooklyn neighborhood of Dyker Heights. From November through early January, this quiet community transforms into a festive, glowing wonderland that rivals Disney World. Around 100,000 visitors each year come to marvel at the
While some of the area's residents create their own elaborate displays, many call up pros like B&R Christmas Decorators to help. B&R is one of the premier Christmas light and decoration installation companies in Brooklyn and a major force behind the famous Dyker Heights light displays.
Led by James Bonavita, a local who started the company nearly 30 years ago, B&R creates custom Christmas displays for clients throughout New York City. While Bonavita fell into the business by chance, he said, he happens to have the perfect background for the job — he grew up with an electrician as a father before attending art school.
When he's not running B&R, he works with children as an art therapist. His combination of artistic vision and an understanding of lighting systems has allowed him to create elaborate installations that feature life-size nutcrackers, blow-up Santas, twinkling wreaths and creches, animated reindeer, and, of course, an excess of lights.
Stumbling into a booming business
Bonavita got his start nearly three decades ago when an electrician friend of his father's asked him to come help install some lights on a client's house in Dyker Heights. "I did the one house and someone said, 'Oh, you do lights?' and then I did their house, and that's how I started," he told Insider.
In 1992, Bonavita officially started his company, and since then business has boomed. B&R is growing its team year over year and has expanded from residential displays to local commercial exteriors and interiors. They also install lightscapes for Halloween, Valentine's Day, and Easter, though Christmas still dominates their sales.
Bonavita said he serves clients who have been with him from the beginning as well as more newcomers each year. This season alone, B&R decorated more than 200 locations throughout the city, he said.
"Used to be that I would go on estimates and see the people and do a sketch and get back to them, get their approval, and do the house," he said. "Now we're getting so big that we have people who email us pictures of what they want and then I or my assistant does the sketches."
While Bonavita said that an installation can cost "as much as you want it to be" with takedown service included, he's previously stated that the starting price is $1,000, with decorative materials included that the client can keep for the future.
Some displays are so elaborate that a crew of five or so will need two to three days for setup, he said, while others can be done in just a few hours. Over 30 years, Bonavita said he's received many unique requests that he strives to bring to life. This year, for example, he created a design for a house that combined Hanukkah and
Lighting up Brooklyn requires a year-round effort
Though B&R's season is concentrated, the behind-the-scenes work takes up about 60% of the year. "The building, the getting ready, inventory … everybody thinks it's just a couple of weeks," Bonavita said.
This year, an added challenge has been working around supply-chain issues. "It's hard because shipping is delayed … I haven't gotten wreaths or garlands yet and everything is up 40% or so," he said. "I'm trying to work with my clients because I don't want them to suffer and pay extra with what's going on."
Since the Dyker Heights lights are world-famous, people travel from all over to see them. Tony Muia, founder and CEO of A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours and operator of the Original Christmas Lights Tour of Dyker Heights, brings tourists from around the world to experience the Dyker Heights magic. "On any given bus we'll go around to ask where folks are from," Muia said. "We get people from all parts of the United States, from Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the UK, Australia — everywhere."
The tour is three and a half hours and costs between $55 and $65 for adults. Since launching in 2006, Muia said he's brought more than 50,000 people to see the lights. "For us growing up in Brooklyn, this was our Rockefeller Center," said Muia, who's from the neighboring area of Bensonhurst.
While business has taken off and the area has grown in popularity, Bonavita emphasized the local heart of his operation. "It's a family business," he said. "I've been in the area my whole life."
The pandemic may have resulted in less foot traffic in the area last year, but the tradition remains strong. "It's a microcosm of Christmas and the Christmas spirit," Muia said. "It's become one of these go-to things that people want to see."