State Sen. Roxanne Persaud’s (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Basin, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City) office hosted a “Merchants Meeting Roundtable” this week with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce at the Capitol One Bank, 1425 Rockaway Parkway to discuss how to better the Rockaway Parkway business corridor.
The goal of the roundtable was to discuss how to improve the corridor and grow the stores it offers.
“This is a vision Sen. Persaud had for the Rockaway Parkway corridor and for all of the business corridors in the district,” said Persaud’s Constituent Liaison Jennifer Viechweg-Horsford. “Last time she was here, she said she wants the merchants to be in charge of their development, she wants the merchants to take on the development of the Rockaway Parkway corridor. And, so, we are very close to this mission and even though she is in Albany, this was her vision, so we are very grateful for her.”
The group’s discussion quickly turned to the idea of putting together a merchant’s association for the area, and potentially making a business improvement district one day, an effort pushed especially by Norine Medas of the Mon Petit Coeur blog.
While the 19th district senator did not make it to the Canarsie meeting in person, two representatives from her office, Viechweg-Horsford and Chief of Staff Maylene Thurton, were present and led the discussion.
Also at the meeting were Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Samara Karasyk and Director of Neighborhood Business Outreach Luc Saint-Preux.
There were also four members of the New York Police Department and one representative from the Department of Sanitation, Community Affairs Liaison and Sanitation Worker Teresa Cunningham.
Beyond the representatives from the various agencies and departments were local merchants — Donald McNish, the owner of the Golden Krust across the street from the bank; Edryce Romeo, the store manager of Ashley Steward; and a local barbershop owner.
The general consensus among attendees was that the corridor could heavily be improved upon if there were more organization between its merchants.
“It’s about the common goal,” said Judy Newton, the president of the Newton Foundation and a Canarsie resident, when discussing if a merchant’s association would be the way to go. “It’s not about me, it’s not about anyone else, it’s about the common goal.”
Persaud’s representatives seemed to confer with this, and said that their office would be willing to help with this initiative.
“As a merchant, I am on zero time and I understand the importance of doing what we’re speaking about, but it’s very challenging, especially in a business environment like this, just to sustain your business,” McNish said. “It’s going to be challenging, but we need to do it. We don’t have a choice.”
With an association or BID, the business owners would be able to more accurately represent themselves and fight for support.
They would also be able to receive the added support of the city that comes with becoming a BID, such as Christmas decorations for the area, an increased NYPD presence and extra garbage pickup and street cleaning.
This would alleviate some of the concerns brought up by the merchants during the discussion, such as all the garbage being blown around on the streets outside their storefronts and from the nearby empty lot that they are then responsible for cleaning up themselves.
Another issue that was brought up came from McNish.
He said that each night after the liquor store next to his restaurant closes, the store’s rowdy customers congregate outside of his business, sitting on his flower pots and leaning against his storefront.
Overall, though, the members seemed satisfied with this meeting and the discussions it brought about, even with the absence of Persaud herself.
“We have to build it ourselves,” said My Time, Inc. Co-Founder & Executive Director Lucina Clarke. “No matter if we just have a little bit of people here, all of Canarsie has so many businesses that not everyone will be here, let’s make an impact. As long as we work together we can make that happen.”
