Almost 60 business owners and entrepreneurs and 11 providers of business and marketing services gathered at El Acuario Restaurant on Church Avenue for the “Your Business. Your Brand,” breakfast workshop on Wednesday March 18, 2015. Attendees enjoyed breakfast while networking, discussing upcoming projects, and brainstorming potential collaborations.
Hosted by the Church Avenue BID and sponsored by Councilmember Mathieu Eugene, the event’s objective was to provide business owners and managers a platform where they can connect with vendors who specialize in marketing and advertising services. Special guests to the event included David Suarez, chief of staff for Councilmember Mathieu Eugene, Karin Crawford from the Brooklyn DA’s Office, and Church Avenue BID Board Members George Glean and Curtis Maharaj.
Participating vendors included Caribbean Life, Cablevision, CAMBA Small Business Services, Main Street Complete, and the Governor’s Unemployment Strikeforce, among others.
Nine door prizes were distributed, including free web design and marketing consultations and a balloon arch to use at a future event
Participating vendor Jonathan Judge of Codacity noted, “We heard from so many entrepreneurs how frustrating it is to find and use the right web technologies to solve the problems they face, especially on a budget. That’s why there’s nothing more rewarding for us at Codacity than demonstrating how the web can simply and affordably empower, not hinder, their visions for making our community a better place for everyone.” Participant Gary Simon described the event as “fun as well as productive.”
About Church Avenue Business Improvement District (BID)
The Church Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) seeks to enhance the Church Avenue Commercial district for businesses, residents, and shoppers by making it cleaner and safer, promoting the neighborhood as a shopping destination, and providing development resources to Church Avenue merchants and property owners. The BID covers thirteen blocks along Church Avenue from Flatbush Avenue to Coney Island Avenue and contains approximately 150 merchants. The BID is located in the heart of Flatbush, a vibrant multi-cultural neighborhood in central Brooklyn, and has been in operation since 1984.
The BID provides supplemental services to the merchants and property owners within the district. These services include: sanitation, marketing, business development, streetscape improvement, and advocacy. Additionally, the BID gives merchants and owners an opportunity to be active in their community and take responsibility for making Church Avenue a better place to shop and do business.