A Taste of Fifth

This coming January will mark the 10-year anniversary of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District. An outgrowth of the former Fifth Avenue Merchants Association, the BID is a full-fledged, non-profit organization that works year-round to help Fifth Avenue’s businesses thrive.

The BID covers Dean Street to 18th Street, spilling a little into 9th Street and Union Street as well. As are all New York City BIDs, the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID is largely funded by a special tax assessment billed to property owners inside the district. Additionally, the BID organizes fundraising events to supplement this funding. The BID’s founding and continued development are a result of the meticulous consideration that it gives to several interested parties, including city officials, property owners, merchants and residents who make up its board of directors. The BID’s main focus, however, is to advocate for small businesses located within its district and promote all that these businesses have to offer.

The BID’s advocacy work may involve anything from addressing local laws that affect businesses to educating merchants about how to best navigate New York CIty’s business world. Workshops the BID hosts include topics such as signing and renewing commercial leases and understanding employment law.

Helpful to both merchants and property owners on Fifth Avenue are the BID’s consistent clean-up efforts. It currently hires a cleaning crew to work five days a week — Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Recently, the BID initiated a process through the city to increase funding in order to keep the crew on with an increased minimum wage. These additional resources will also allow the BID to carry out possible beautification efforts in the future, such as flowers or new garbage cans.     

Another major component of the BID’s work is organizing and coordinating special events. These invite the community to come out and enjoy the avenue and interact with the neighborhood’s small businesses. Summer Strolls takes place several times a year, an event that clears the avenue of cars to allow for a variety of activities, from salsa dancing to pizza eating contests to bouncy castles for children.

In April, the BID coordinates A Taste of Fifth, which invites 40-50 restaurants every year to bring samples and is held inside the Grand Prospect Hall. The BID brings beer and wine sponsors, as well as entertainment to create an event that gathers together businesses and community members and also raises funds for local charities and schools.     

Nunu Chocolates is a regular participant in the BID’s Taste of Fifth event. Says co-owner Justine Pringle Laird, “We do the Taste of Fifth every year with them. … It is a wonderful opportunity, not only to meet the public face-to-face, but it’s an opportunity to see every other small business owner that’s on Fifth Avenue. … There’s a huge camaraderie, and I think that has been instigated by the BID. They create a sense of community, which is really wonderful.” Laird adds that the BID provided important support and advertising for her company’s Indiegogo campaign as well. 

Ann Cantrell, owner of Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store, speaks of the stark contrast between the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID and her store’s previous location in Boerum Hill. Says Cantrell, “Previously we were in Boerum Hill for six years without the support of a business improvement district, and the differences are night and day. Not only do we feel constantly supported as merchants, the BID is advocating on our behalf for things like integrating a new postal delivery system for small merchants to provide in-person delivery service. … Also, they are tirelessly drumming up business for Fifth Avenue with inventive ideas that are now classics like Summer Strolls, Dine in Park Slope and festive ideas during holiday times.”   

Coming up November 24 is Small Business Saturday, at the end of which the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID does the first holiday tree lighting in the city. However, as the BID’s deputy director, Joanna Tallantire, points out, “Shopping small on Small Business Saturday isn’t enough. You got to do it every day, explore your community, see what’s around.” Through its events and other efforts in the community, the BID encourages people to get to know their local storekeepers and see that their businesses are about more than products. An owner may be someone who is giving to a local fundraiser or a parent with a child at a school in the community.

Mark Caserta, executive director of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID, also serves as secretary of the board for the New York City BID Association, which assembles representatives from BIDs located across the city. Says Caserta, “We work together for the good of small businesses and the BIDs. … We look out for each other and help each other out. … When the city is doing things that may hurt small businesses or BIDs, we all gather together and fight hard for our interests and the interests of our businesses.”

In New York City’s daunting business climate, the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID and its partners provide crucial support to small and growing businesses throughout the city.