Shop local to support Brooklyn businesses

Christmas trees have come down, menorahs have been extinguished, and Kwanzaa decorations are packed away. Now that the holiday season is over, so is the flurry of holiday shopping, but now is time to remember that the presents you bought are just as important to the store selling them as they are to those on the receiving end! The local economy benefits immensely from holiday shopping each December, and grows stronger with continued shopping every month of the year.

That’s why this year, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce was proud to partner with the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office to bring back Shop Brooklyn.  Back for its fourth year, the program encouraged those living in the borough, and its many visitors, to shop right here in Brooklyn.

Local shops and merchants need our support.

With help from the borough’s many BIDs and merchant groups, Shop Brooklyn has grown this year. There are dozens of shopping corridors in Brooklyn full of diverse stores, including clothing stores, bookstores, pharmacies, restaurants, galleries, and specialty food emporia.  By shopping at local businesses, you are helping build stronger and more vibrant communities. This is more important than ever in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Therefore, the emphasis on Shop Brooklyn in 2012 was to spend money in areas that were affected by the October storm. Although many businesses located along the waterfront remains closed, there are many – more and more each day – that are re-opening. Shopping at Brooklyn’s small businesses, especially in the Sandy-affected neighborhoods, will only strengthen our recovery. It will also ensure that our residents remain employed and that the economy can prosper going into 2013. That is why this year Borough President Marty Markowitz’s motto for Shop Brooklyn is, “Shop for the season and shop for a reason!” He’s absolutely correct.

That support must continue even after the holidays are over. With that in mind, the Brooklyn Chamber announced in November that TD Bank and the TD Charitable Foundation will donate a combined $200,000 to help start the Citywide Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Project (NEP), which addresses the needs of businesses and commercial corridors through a series of programs that includes providing direct commercial revitalization services to shopping districts throughout New York City.

This new project means that we will be working with and providing direct technical assistance to each other borough Chambers of Commerce (Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island) in order to develop and establish commercial revitalization programs within their respective Chamber foundations. This grant marks the first citywide program ever created that addresses the needs of small businesses within low income neighborhoods.

The NEP will help with merchant organizing, commercial beautification, Shop Local initiatives, and attracting businesses to low income areas. Services also include programs aimed at direct referrals for small business services such as financing, accounting, hiring, and attaining permits.

In addition, the NEP will work directly with Local Development Corporations, Business Improvement Districts, and existing merchant groups to provide access to resources that help them gain visibility, expand offerings, and solidify operations. I can’t think of a better way, especially in after Sandy, to help bolster the borough’s many commercial districts. The goal is to attract even more businesses to Brooklyn and help the borough’s economy grow next year and beyond.

Photo courtesy of Carlo Scissura.

Carlo A. Scissura is the President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce promotes a healthy and robust business environment in the borough. To join, visit www.ibrooklyn.com or call (718) 875-1000. 

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