The Pioneers of the 12:30 Club Would Be Ashamed
This week, two 3rd Avenue BID Steering Committee Members wrote an article for the local paper. The Steering Committee started collecting signatures six months ago and they still don’t have enough. They must realize that hundreds of Ridgites have signed the form for NO BID. People don’t want the owners on the Avenue to get another tax. We want to see them continue to enjoy this community and flourish.
The 12:30 Club Pioneers would be embarrassed to see them still pushing a BID. What’s the 12:30 Club? It’s this group of older business owners who have forgotten what it was like when a new business was just starting out. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/06-1829754
Hey 12:30 Club, while you are doing your thing, stop into Iraqi House. Maybe you didn’t hear that the New York Times has written about this place twice (including NYT’s best bites of 2019). Meet Mohammad, the owner, eat something he has made and then tell come here and tell me that a BID is needed on 3rd Avenue.
Mohammad brings all the hopes and dreams of a new business owner. More importantly, he brought all of the New York Times readers to Third Avenue, to try the only Iraqi restaurant in New York City!
Strangly, Mohammad’s restaurant has never been featured on the Third Avenue Merchants Facebook or Instagram page (neither has Aleili Restaurant, which people are raving about). Why aren’t you guys sharing the articles about him? People who follow the 3rd Avenue Merchants on social media aren’t looking to see another picture of Brian or Thowback Thursday pictures of a Summer Stroll – they want to see the best this neighborhood has to offer.
If you are trying to dismiss what I am saying because you think I don’t know about BIDs – I do. My family was part of the original Downtown Brooklyn BID. That BID was formed fast because shop owners wanted security officers to make the area safer. The usefulness of that BID stopped there, while it’s costs continued to skyrocket.
In Bay Ridge, both 86th Street and 5th Avenue have a BID – both have more closed stores than 3rd Avenue and they don’t look pretty. The Fifth Avenue BID has spent millions of dollars and there isn’t much to show for it! Some days 5th Avenue looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in a week. Social media for 5th Avenue BID is just a few retweets on what shops shared. Yet, the staff for the Bay Ridge BID is much larger now! Store owners should be receiving a lot more for the money they are paying.
Hugs,
marlene
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