Third Avenue Merchants Need New PR
Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn is one of the most beautiful places to be!
Yet, this year everyone is wondering, “What the heck happened to the Christmas lights on Third Avenue in Bay Ridge?”
Last year, the lights went up late because the merchants switched companies due to rising costs. (See here)
This year, 3rd Avenue has old light sets strung across streets, but there are a lot of bulbs that are out and even whole lines which aren’t lit like the one above. It’s like they were hired by someone who doesn’t live here and doesn’t care.
I love vintage and classic Christmas items, but these lights are just old and not working – it’s not a good look. Back when those lights were used, we didn’t have such bright LED street lamps. The Third Avenue Merchants need someone who is interested in moving forward with technology and keeping things fresh. If the lights are too expensive, do something else….have some teens put garland on the poles or make some backdrops for instagram photos so people are attracted to the Avenue. (Remax did that for Halloween and it was a hit – see here and here)
The 86th Street Bid has these cute lights:
Here’s 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge:
On Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge, the lights are vibrant and beautiful – even if a few go out, the display still looks great.
Near 86th Street, a resident shared this picture on social media:
Even the social media accounts for The Third Avenue Merchants are weird. The Facebook and Instagram pictures should be of new businesses and people enjoying their products. Instead every week, there are pictures of the same people from different years – like it’s Throwback Thursday all the time (see here and here).
The 3rd Avenue Merchants account should have pictures like these:
It’s cold outside, run to Piccante on 72nd and 3rd Avenue in #BayRidge #Brooklyn and grab some warm, delicious risotto
(Pic from @eatingbayridge)
Make it feel like Summer again at Pippins Pub 9023 3rd Avenue. Stop by after work #BayRidge #Brooklyn (Pic from @eatingbayridge)
The Merchants of Third Avenue account should look like this account and contain pictures that entice people to Third Avenue. It doesn’t take a business degree to know that – just a little common sense. The 5th Avenue Merchants in Bay Ridge highlight their members. Why wouldn’t the Merchant’s Association help out and promote new businesses on the Avenue? Why not have a contest like this Bay Ridge liquor store did to get customers into the store?
The person managing the Third Avenue Merchants Social Media Accounts may not even live in Bay Ridge anymore because why wouldn’t they just put up fresh snaps all of the time? Store owners told me they don’t have access to the account, so they can’t update it. The Third Avenue Merchants just needs new PR!
Councilman Brannan gave the Third Avenue Merchants $36,000 to EXPLORE forming a bid. (Story here) The wording here is strange. I hope that doesn’t mean a few people burn through the money talking about how good a BID would be versus if there will be more fees/taxes (Yes, there are)
Years ago, some members of my family helped set up the BID in Downtown Brooklyn. The group hired an attorney and the paperwork was done in two or three weeks……they didn’t need money to EXPLORE if they needed a BID – they just went and did it. Yes, it cost more money and it raised their taxes, but it was worth it.
Hugs,
marlene
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