On April 29th, Victoria Alexander of Realty Collective convened a meeting of local business owners at the event space RE:GEN:CY on Commerce Street. The goal was to create – or to consider creating – a formalized neighborhood business association for Red Hook.
Alexander brought Perch Advisors, a consulting firm, into the process to “offer outside perspective and guidance.” Led by Jeanette Nigro and James Ellis, Perch – which previously organized the Rockaway Business Alliance in Queens – emphasized that “this effort will be led by the community.” Ellis works as a bartender at the Brooklyn Ice House on Van Brunt Street and as Executive Director of the North Flatbush Business Improvement District, a post once held by Rick Russo of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Ellis also spent five years at the Chamber before joining Perch Advisors in 2016.
During the conceptualization phase of Red Hook’s business association, Perch will donate their services.
The exact nature of the proposed business association will be determined over the course of further discussions, but the organization will likely resemble a localized chamber of commerce – an alliance of shop owners, restaurateurs, and others who pay annual dues to a body of economic development experts and local stakeholders that in turn carries out marketing campaigns, stages promotional events, and advocates for the interests of the business community in city politics. Ellis mentioned a hope of finding intersections between the businesses’ needs and those of the neighborhood at large.
The well-attended meeting in April attempted to determine the bounds of the business community in Red Hook (does it include nonprofits?), to identify common goals among disparate businesses in the neighborhood (will political clashes over land-use questions emerge between manufacturing and retail?), and to recruit volunteers who might want to think more about what steps could come next. The organizers believed it was too early to decide upon the proposed entity’s structure, to start planning specific initiatives, or to form an official membership roll.
As of this writing, a second meeting was scheduled for May 30th. Interested parties can contact redhookbiz@gmail.com or 718-812-8824.
