Tish James Urges Brooklynites to Shop Locally This Holiday Season

From the office of Councilwoman Letitia James, D-Brooklyn:

The Christmas shopping season traditionally begins the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Council Member James advises Brooklynites to shop locally for great gifts and excellent prices. Below are descriptions of local shopping districts that come highly recommended by Councilmember James:

The Fulton Area Business Alliance (FAB) is a Business Improvement District approved by the City Council and signed into law by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. FAB brings together property owners, residents and stakeholders in support of the Business Improvement District along Fulton Street from Rockwell Place to Classon Avenue, and all streets facing Fulton (for example, Lafayette, Greene and Putnam avenues). FAB is focused on a common purpose to improve the area and address critical needs faced by local merchants within the BID. Currently, the Alliance represents nearly 300 businesses. FAB benefits the property owners and businesses, as well as thousands of residents of the Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods. Goals are being met to retain current businesses and improve the atmosphere to make Fulton Street a clean, safe and retail diverse environment, which has now become a local shopping and civic destination. Visit faballiance.org/business-directory for more info.

The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership oversees the economic revitalization of Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. The Partnership is comprised of two entities, the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project Local Development Corporation (MARP), and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Business Improvement District (BID) that work together to assist small businesses located along the avenue and improve the quality of life in surrounding neighborhoods. MARP has restored the “Main Street” of the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill community to a bustling, economically vital neighborhood commercial corridor that provides entrepreneurial, cultural, recreational, and employment opportunities for those who live, work, study or have an interest in the area. Visit myrtleavenue.org/shoppingGuide.cfm for more info.

Heart of Brooklyn (HOB) is a partnership of the leading cultural institutions located near Grand Army Plaza in central Brooklyn: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo. HOB encourages tourism and learning by making its collections and historic treasures more visible and accessible. Heart of Brooklyn is committed to strengthening the future of its neighborhoods. Some of the City's most vibrant shops, restaurants, cafes and bars are located just minutes from world-class cultural institutions. Visit heartofbrooklyn.org/Shopping.htm for more info.

The Nostrand Avenue Merchants Association was founded in the 1990s to help preserve and promote commercial revitalization on Nostrand Avenue from Eastern Parkway to Linden Boulevard in the Crown Heights South Neighborhood of Brooklyn. Visit nostrandavemerchants.blogspot.com for more info.