Bed-Stuy Gateway and the Fulton-Nostrand Revitalization Project

Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association Recognizes Leaders & Partners in the Revitalization of the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business District

The task of revitalizing a business district and community is work that involves frequent collaboration and the assistance of many willing partners. At the Toast to Bedford-Stuyvesant, FNUMA’s Board of Directors recognized the following individuals, businesses and organizations both within the FNUMA membership and throughout the Bedford-Stuyvesant community that have had a significant impact in furthering the mission of FNUMA to create a clean, safe and vibrant Bed-Stuy Gateway Business District. While there are no doubt many worthy individuals and organizations in Bedford-Stuyvesant that fit these criteria, FNUMA’s awards committee, chaired by Miriam Miranda of Thriftway Pharmacy and Sandra Chase of Curves Fitness for Women, nominated a select group of individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond the normal call of duty to assist FNUMA in its mission.

The Precinct Buddy Certificate of Recognition was awarded to five officers from the NYPD's 79th Precinct whose work ethic exemplified the NYPD's motto of Courteous, Professional and Respectful service. These officers have gone out of their way to  get to know the businesses located in the business district and established a warm, professional relationship with many of the proprietors; activity which strengthens the partnership between the business community and the NYPD and therefore helps to reduce incidences of crime.

The recipients of the Precinct Buddy Certificates of Recognition pictured with FNUMA leaders are (left to right): Officer Eric Ortiz, Officer Juan Montez, Miriam Miranda (Awards Committee Co-chair), Detective Tony Cipri, Nicole Bayley (Toast to Bedford-Stuyvesant Committee Co-chair), Officer Terrence Marsh, Officer Sandra Rivera, Sandra Chase (Awards Committee Co-Chair).

From Toast to Bedf...

The Police Officer of the Year award was selected by the members of the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association from five nominees and resulted in a tie between two members of the NYPD's 79th Precinct who were selected to receive this honor. FNUMA's Police Officer of the Year has undertaken signficant actions that have increased the level of partnership between the NYPD and the merchants association, reduced the level of crime and increased the sense of safety in the business district.

Nominees for the Police Officer of the Year Award and winners (in bold):
Inspector (Chief) Phillip Banks
Police Officer (Seargent) Neteis Gilbert
Captain Donald Lyons
Captain Charlie McEvoy
Police Officer Anthony Saunders

FNUMA President Hardy Joe Long (left) and FNUMA Executive Director Joel Dabu (right) present the Police Officer of the Year Award to Police Officer Anthony Saunders (center).

From Toast to Bedf...

FNUMA Vice President Edmon Braithwaite (left) presents Captain Donald Lyons (center), commanding officer of the NYPD 79th Precinct, with the Police Officer of the Year Award.

From Toast to Bedf...

FNUMA's Community Leader of the Year was selected by a vote of the membership of the association from five organizations or individuals outside of the FNUMA Membership that were nominated by the awards committee and recognized to have made a significant contribution to the FNUMA's mission to create a cleaner, safer and more convenient business district. The winning organization is recognized to have gone above and beyond the organization or individual's call of duty to assist FNUMA in achieveing its goals of revitalizing the business district.

The nominees for Community Leader of the Year and winner (in bold):
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Brooklyn Community Board #3
Carolyn Sanders-James, Mayor's Community Assistance Unit
Council Member Albert Vann
The Doe Fund

Joanna West receives the Community Leader of the Year Award on behalf of her organization, The Doe Fund, which has donated the street sweeping and sanitation services of its Ready Willing and Able team to the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business District since late 2005 in an effort to assist the formation of the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID.

From Toast to Bedf...

FNUMA's Business Leader of the Year Award was selected by the FNUMA Membership from among five nominees from the Membership who are recognized to have made a significant contribution to the growth and development of the merchants association, above and beyond the usual call of duty of FNUMA membership. This member has undertaken actions that have produced significant positive change in the business district; examples of which include: Has brought new businesses and members to the organization; Has expanded the message of the importance of revitalizing the business district to other organizations or forums beyond the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association; Has taken part in service to the community.

Nominees for the Business Leader of the Year Award and winner (in bold):
Birdel's Tapes & Records
Carver Federal Savings Bank
Flowerworks
Nostrand Wines & Liquors
Washington Mutual Bank

Joel Dabu (left) and Hardy Joe Long (right) present Edmon Braithwaite of Nostrand Wines & Liquors (center) with the Business Leader of the Year Award.

From Toast to Bedf...

Profile a Business: Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar® of Bedford-Stuyvesant

Citing a lack of casual dining restaurants in the neighborhood, Apple-Metro, Inc., the New York Metro Area franchisee for Applebee's International, made a commitment to provide this service to Bedford-Stuyvesant and opened in February 2006.

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar®

Bed-Stuy
1360 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11216
(718) 943-8005

www.applebeesny.com

Hours:
Monday–Thursday: 11a.m.–Midnight
Friday–Saturday: 11a.m.-1 a.m.
Sunday: 11a.m.-11p.m.

 

General Manager Oscar Rodriguez and his service staff views customers as guests who they are welcoming into their family home. Each guest is greeted with the door held open by one of the host. Being guest driven, Oscar wants to ensure that each and every person that enters to dine leaves satisfied and happy.

Applebee’s attention to customer satisfaction goes beyond service. Their unique menu includes Applebee's signature favorites accented by a constantly changing special feature, including a variety of seasonal appetizers and entrees, perfect for those diners looking for variety. The current menu includes dishes created by Food Network celebrity chef Tyler Florence.

Happy Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 4-7p.m.
(Summer, Fall) 10p.m.-midnight          
(Serving both top shelf and well liquors)

 

Free Customer Service Workshop for Small Businesses

Restoration Information and Technology Education (RITE) Center

FREE Customer Service Workshop for Small Businesses

Part 1: Wednesday, October 25, 2006: 9:30am-12:30pm.

Part 2: Wednesday, November 1, 2006, 9:30am-12:30pm.

The 2006 holiday shopping season is right around the corner: are you and your staff prepared to welcome your customers? Are you interested in improving your customer relationships? All Bedford-Stuyvesant business owners and their staff are cordially invited to attend the Customer Service Training Workshop presented by the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s RITE Center. This two-part workshop will consist of a comprehensive program that provides a strong foundation of skills and knowledge to succeed in the retail business industry. 

Topics to be discussed:

• Role of the Small business in a community
• Art of finessing customer relationships
• Winning your customers’ loyalty

To attend, please RSVP to bmitchell@restorationplaza.org and indicate your name, your business and address, and how many people will be attending from your establishment.

The RITE Center is Central Brooklyn’s only comprehensive technology and skills education center accessible to the whole community. It provides technology access and classes to develop the local workforce, support educational goals, help small business owners, and cultivate life skills. For more information on the many services offered by the RITE Center for the Central Brooklyn community, please visit www.restorationplaza.org or call (718)636-6985.

FNUMA October Monthly Breakfast Meeting

Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association

October Monthly Breakfast Meeting

Wednesday, October 25, 2006: 8:30am to 9:30am

1368 Fulton Street, 1^st Floor Multi-purpose Room

The October 2006 FNUMA Breakfast Meeting will take place Wednesday, October 25, 2006, from 8:30am to 9:30am in the Multipurpose Room at 1368 Fulton Street (Restoration Plaza). Your attendance and participation at each of FNUMA’s meetings is very important.

What’s Taking Place at the October Meeting?

Breakfast and Networking

Customer Service Training for Small Businesses 

A Free Skills Workshop for Small Business Owners and Their Employees.

The October 25 meeting of the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association will be abbreviated to allow for a special Customer Service Skills Training Workshop for Small Business Owners and their employees, provided by the Restoration Information and Technology Education (RITE) Center. Sharpen your business’s customer service practices before the critical holiday shopping season arrives and watch your customer satisfaction increase and your bottom line expand!

Please make every effort to attend this important meeting. If you cannot attend, please send someone to represent your business. And Don’t Forget to Bring a friend!

Please RSVP to Bernadette Mitchell at (718) 636-6989

All FNUMA business members are reminded to please bring brochures, fliers and/or business cards about your business for distribution at the information table. This is a great opportunity to promote your business.

Profile a Business: Thriftway Pharmacy of Bedford-Stuyvesant

Located at 524 Nostrand Avenue (between Fulton Street and Macon Street), Thriftway Pharmacy of Bedford-Stuyvesant provides quality products and personal service in the style of the old-time neighborhood pharmacy.

Thriftway Pharmacy
524 Nostrand Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11216
(718) 230-3009

www.thriftwaypharmacy.com

Hours:
Monday- Friday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 

Originally housed in nearby St. Mary’s Hospital since 1982, Thriftway Pharmacy was forced to relocate when that hospital closed. Wanting to remain in the Bed-Stuy area to service its existing customers, Thriftway was excited to open its doors at the present Nostrand Avenue location on December 7, 2005.

During the move, Thriftway was able to keep most of its customers and doctors due to the aid of dedicated employees such as Miriam who is the Pharmacy Manager and who has been working for the company for the past twenty-five years. She supervised the transition process and set up a post at another Thriftway location so as to not disrupt service to regular customers prior to the move.

Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest! Main Stage Schedule and other details

The rides are ordered, the performers are ready to go, and the weather is looking bright. It looks like it's going to be a bright, pleasant summer day for a fun-filled Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest!

Proceeds from the sale of attraction tickets and tent entry tickets to this Saturday’s event will support the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business Improvement District Formation Campaign, a project of the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association and Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Commercial Revitalization Program.

There are 26 exhibitors selling a variety of arts and crafts, jewelry, fresh cut flowers and other unique goods that will definitely not be like your typical New York City street fair selection. Food vendors will be providing food items such as Roti, Fish and Chips, Jamaican-style jerk chicken, and vegetarian West-Indian dishes.

The Doe Fund will be offering free hamburgers, hot dogs and lemonade from their booth.

Tickets for the carnival-style attractions will be sold at the following rate: 13 tickets for $5. Tickets will only be sold in $5 increments. 

Ticket fees for the carnival-style attractions are as follows:

• Giant Castle Moonwalk - 4 tickets
• Dunking Booth – 4 tickets
• Inflate-a-hoops - 3 tickets
• High Striker - 3 Tickets
• Plinko - 2 Tickets
• Ring-the-Bottle - 2 tickets
• Tic-tac-toe - 2 tickets
• Tip-a-troll - 2 tickets
• African-style Face Painting - Free

Each person who attends the event may receive one free ticket which they can redeem for one serving of one of the following items: snow cone, cotton candy or popcorn. One item per person please. To receive a free ticket, attendees simply need to go to the ticket booth and ask for the free treat coupon. 

The Family Fun Fest main stage is programmed with a variety of exciting, family-friendly entertainment acts: Headlining the stage at 4pm is National Gospel Recording Artist Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson who will be preceded by the female Gospel quartet, The Sionettes. Admission to the tent for the Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson/The Sionettes performance is $5 per person, with children 5 and under free. All other performances during the day are no charge. The stage schedule for the entire day is as follows.

Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest Main Stage

DJ Services by DJ Master Joe Love

• 12:00-12:30pm: Bernard Gifted (no fee) - Brooklyn-based reggae/rap performer
• 1:00pm-1:20pm: Opening Ceremony (no fee)
• 1:20pm-1:50pm: the Restoration Youth Arts Academy Dance Theatre Company (no fee)
• 2:00pm-2:30pm: The Remnants - A dynamic rhythmic step performance by one of Brooklyn's finest step teams, set to uptempo R&B music (no fee)
• 3:00pm-3:45pm: The Sionettes - This female Gospel quartet and band from West Hempstead, NY has travelled across the country for over 15 years, and have shared the stage with such notables as Shirley Caesar, The Christianaires, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Lee Williams, Darryl McFadden and Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson. They inspire crowds with their heavenly harmonies, dynamic stage performance and inspiring, uplifting message of hope and love. ($5 admission fee, children 5 and under free)
• 4:00pm-5:00pm: Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson - Crowning the day’s entertainments, national recording artist Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson, whose latest album entitled “Just Being Me” was just released by the Zomba Recording label, will provide the day's headlining performance. One of the most dynamic entertainers in music, Mr. Johnson initially rose to the top of the charts in 1998 with his first hit, "Hide Behind the Mountain." A Bed-Stuy native, Mr. Johnson melds the traditional Gospel quartet sound with jazz, R&B, rock and country influences, and is affectionately known as the "new sound" in Quartet music. ($5 admission fee, children 5 and under free)
• 5:15-6:00pm: Musical Performances by the Dean Street and Revere Place Block Association youth arts performers (no fee)

Celebrate Bed-Stuy's Revitalization! The Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest, July 22, 2006, presented by the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association

Help celebrate the revitalization of the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business District by bringing your entire family out for the 1st Annual Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest!, a family-style festival that will take place in Bedford Stuyvesant’s Restoration Plaza (1360 Fulton Street between Brooklyn Avenue and New York Avenue) on Saturday, July 22, 2006.

Click Here to Download the Latest Press Release

The day's festivities will take place at Restoration Plaza, 1360 Fulton Street between Brooklyn Avenue and New York Avenue. The event will feature carnival-style games and attractions; vendor booths selling arts and crafts as well as a variety of delicious foods; free snow cones, popcorn and cotton candy and energetic entertainment on the stage in the Restoration Plaza tent.

The Family Fun Fest! stage will feature entertainment by the following dynamic groups:

• Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson. Crowning the day’s entertainments, national recording artist Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson, whose latest album entitled “Just Being Me” was just released by the Zomba Recording label, will provide the day's headlining performance. One of the most dynamic entertainers in music, Mr. Johnson initially rose to the top of the charts in 1998 with his first hit, "Hide Behind the Mountain." A Brooklyn native,  Mr. Johnson melds the traditional Gospel quartet sound with jazz, R&B, rock and country influences, and is affectionately known as the "new sound" in Quartet music.
• The inspiring gospel harmonies of the female quartet “The Sionettes"

• The energetic rhythms of the Brooklyn step team “The Remnants”

• The talented “Restoration Youth Arts Academy Dancers”

 

All proceeds from the Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest! will support the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Formation Campaign, an initiative of the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association and Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

Click here to download an informative brochure describing the Business Improvement District (BID) concept.  

The Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest! is presented by the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association in association with Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

Vendors Spaces are Still Available

The Family Fun Fest! will be an excellent opportunity for your busienss or organization to reach out to new customers. For more information, contact Ms. Mitchell at (718) 636-6989.

FNUMA's June Monthly Breakfast Meeting, June 28, 2006, 8:30am-10:30am

FNUMA - Where There's Unity, There's Strength
June Monthly Breakfast Meeting
June 28, 2006 from 8:30am - 10:30am
Location: 1368 Fulton Street, 1st Floor Multi-purpose room

What's taking place at June's Meeting?

• Presentation on Restoration Plaza renovation and redesign
• Information on Fulton Street construction activities
• Discussion with officers from the 79th Precinct on the latest crime and public safety information

Light breakfast will be served.

All business owners, property owners, local residents and other interested parties are welcome to attend this meeting.

Please RSVP to FNUMAinfo@gmail.com or call 718-636-6989.

Support the Businesses of the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association

Pick up the June 1 issue of Our Time Press for special savings from the members of the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association. Our Time Press can be found at newsstands throughout downtown and central Brooklyn.

Save the Date! Saturday, July 22, 2006 The 1st Annual Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest!

July 22, 2006. Save the Date for the 1st Annual Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest! The festival will take place in Restoration Plaza and on Herkimer Street between Brooklyn Avenue and New York Avenue and will feature carnival-style games and attractions, awesome entertainment and vendors selling arts, crafts and great food. This event is for people of all ages! Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest! is produced by the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association in association with Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

Vendors Spaces are Available, Going Fast

Approximately 5,000 people are projected to attend this event, making it an excellent opportunity to reach out to new customers. Deadline to register for a vendor space is July 12, 2006. Non-food vendors-$175 fee. Food Vendors-$300 fee. Dues-paying FNUMA members get a 20% discount.

For more information, contact Ms. Mitchell at (718) 636-6989

Click here to download the Bed-Stuy Gateway Family Fun Fest! 2006 Vendor Contract (Adobe PDF Format)