🌱 BK Small Businesses Slow To Recover + Fire At Prospect Park

Happy Friday, neighbors! Let's get this day started. Here's everything worth knowing around town today.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 70 Low: 50.

Here are the top three stories in Ditmas Park-Flatbush today:

1. Brooklyn's small businesses are still struggling to recover from COVID-19, according to a recent survey by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, which found that only 41% of businesses reported an increase in revenues in 2021 compared to 2020. 72% of restaurants, bars and gyms surveyed didn't see a rebound in sales–and over half of those are minority-owned. (New York City Patch)
2. Speaking of local small businesses, Regina Thompson, the former owner of the Flatbush bar Stirred & Shaken that closed permanently during the pandemic, says she's taken a lot of time to travel and reflect after being forced to shut down–but she says there might be another bar in her near future. (Brooklyn Paper)
3. On Tuesday a fire broke out on the roof of a concession stand in the Prospect Park skating rink. Nobody was hurt in the blaze, but it was the second time in the period of about a week that a fire broke out in an NYC park. (New York City Patch)

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Today in Ditmas Park-Flatbush:

• POGV Fridays - "Pop out good vibes," on Claredon Road (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The nonprofit East Flatbush Village is holding a series of information sessions about gun violence and flood protection resources, starting next week. (Instagram)
• Council Woman Rita Joseph participated in a forum discussion about Women's History Month, along with Speaker Adrienne Adams and more. Watch the recording here. (nyu.edu)
• State Senator Kevin Parker met with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, to discuss how minority-owned businesses are recovering from COVID. (Twitter)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with your next update!

— Dashiell Allen