Take a stroll down Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue, or Seventh Avenue, or head on east through Grand Army Plaza into Prospect Heights. Here’s what you’ll find: proof that a strong, locally-owned business economy is good for the community. You will encounter a dizzying selection of unique gifts to help you whittle down your holiday shopping list (phew!), as well as a diverse group of business owners whose investment in the community makes Park Slope and the surrounding area the place to give back while you shop.
There are plenty of statistics showing just how important it is to shop small.
Usually, a higher percentage of the revenue created in a small, locally-owned business will stay in the local economy, when compared to a big-box retailer’s revenue; small businesses tend to create more and better-paying jobs, and the existence of a myriad local businesses spurs competition and innovation, meaning you’re more likely to find unique, high-quality items at reasonable prices. And nationwide, “non-profit organizations receive an average 250 percent more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses,” according to the organization Loyal to Local. In Park Slope, many business owners live in the neighborhood or nearby. Park Slope is not just somewhere they work; rather, it’s a place they work to improve.
The ways in which local business owners give back are as varied as the kinds of stores you’ll find here. These good deeds range from free origami lessons at local fairs, provided by Taro’s Origami, to donating all profits to charity, as Life Boutique Thrift donates its profits to Chai Lifeline, an organization that helps Jewish children with life-threatening illnesses. Many businesses also participate in A Taste of Fifth, an annual event occurring in April. Attendees can sample food and drink from local restaurants and watering holes, and the proceeds benefit several local charities, like Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX) and Good Shepherd Services.
At Bhoomki, which appropriately describes itself as “ethically fashioned,” you can find luscious designs made from eco-friendly fabric by traditional artisans. Bhoomki’s owner, Swati Argade, says her store has “become a destination for people who want to buy ethically.” She feels lucky to be able to “provide that service” to shoppers. Every year, Bhoomki donates some of its wares to benefit various charities, like the Rainforest Alliance, and supports local public and private schools by donating gift certificates. When I told Argade that, nationwide, nonprofits receive more in donations from local businesses than they do from big chains, she was not surprised. She imagines that “there’s probably a lot of red tape involved” for larger companies, whereas she, as a small business owner, is in her store three or four days a week. “It’s very easy to reach me,” she says.
The fact that local business owners make a point of giving back is especially impressive given just how difficult it is to own a small business, in any neighborhood. Owners in the area face what Mark Caserta, Executive Director of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District, calls a “citywide problem”: ever-increasing rents. As property value increases, so do the rents.
Frank Ling, senior teacher and manager of Taro’s Origami, says that rising rents are the “main threat” to business owners. Every day, he passes shuttered boutique stores on Seventh Avenue on his way to work. Many other business owners echo Ling and Caserta’s concerns. Chris Yanatiba, owner of Yanatiba in Prospect Heights, wonders if there is such a thing as “small” business anymore, given just how high rents are. Clarence Nathan, owner of Premium Goods, the go-to spot for sweet kicks, sums it up well: “retail business owners have it rough.”
Park Slope and the surrounding areas could go the way of neighborhoods like Brooklyn Heights, where many of the mom-and-pop stores have been replaced by chains. One resident of Brooklyn Heights feels that the local business scene there has lost much of its “substantive personality.” But Park Slope is holding on, and many local businesses have successfully adjusted to an economy that’s still sputtering after the recession. As Caserta says, business owners have to be innovative because, “fundamentally, people have changed the way they shop and go out” since 2008.
In spite of all that, Park Slope is a place where people want to see small businesses survive and flourish. I asked Clarence Nathan what he would say to encourage residents and visitors to shop small. He said that instead of encouraging shoppers, he “would like to thank them. To shop small is to WANT to support the small guy.” Many Park Slope residents do make the conscious decision to shop small; according to Nathan, they don’t feel the need to shop in “high-end districts,” walking around “with that recognizable shopping bag.”
I asked several store owners, though, whether customers could do more to support Park Slope’s vibrant local economy, given the challenges they face. Tabeel Rush, owner of Tabeel’s Aromatherapy Gift Shop & Salon, encourages residents and visitors to, first of all, explore the area, to come see what Park Slope has to offer. “Fifth Avenue has a lot of things going down,” Rush says, referring to the 500 small stores, bars, and restaurants on Fifth Avenue alone. And Rush knows Fifth Avenue well—her store is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. She encourages shoppers to “come in and talk to the people and experience the products” that local stores are offering.
You’re bound to discover something unexpected, and the Slope features a mix of veteran and new stores that are ripe for exploration. At Park Chemists—“where gift shop meets pharmacy”—you’ll find a thoughtful selection of holistic and naturally-based goods, in addition to amazing customer service. At this store, which opened in the summer of 2014, customers “feel like they come home” because they’re treated “like family,” says co-owner Gary Valevich.
So, this holiday season, take the time to explore. It’s important to do so, partially because Park Slope doesn’t experience the same level of foot traffic that booming neighborhoods like Williamsburg do. Swati Argade opened a second location, Bhoomki Home, in order to offer ethically made home furnishings, in November of 2014, but she had to close the store after only eight months. Many of her customers later told her they never got a chance to check out Bhoomki Home. They probably thought it would be around longer, but, the economic landscape that store owners face adds a sense of urgency.
That’s why it’s so important to make a conscious effort “to keep these stores alive,” and to help Park Slope keep its “small business character,” as Argade describes it. Once you’ve crossed the threshold into one of Park Slope’s unique boutiques, you’ll immediately notice some striking differences between these stores and big-box retailers. One is, as Clarence Nathan describes it, that local stores know their customers, and they focus on “selecting the right product” for shoppers. These store owners are like curators, diligently scouring Etsy and trade fairs in order to provide shoppers with a memorable selection. As Ann Lopatin Cantrell, owner of Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store, says, “We do our best to source items that are unique to our shop. One of my favorite parts of having a store is pulling together fun and clever merchandising stories. We always try to outdo ourselves each year,” she says, which is “good news for our customers.”
Customers who want to help ensure the success of their favorite stores don’t always need to spend money to do so (though this certainly helps). Valevich encourages satisfied customers to, in effect, advertise for their favorite shops through word of mouth. Customers can also spread the word via social media. Many stores maintain active accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms; Cantrell says she feels “grateful for all the social media love.”
If you spot something fantastic while shopping, snap a photo and tag the business. You can use hashtags like #shopsmall or, if you’re shopping on Fifth Avenue, #theother5th. And there’s an added benefit to following your favorite stores on social media: you’ll be one of the first to know about special events and sales. Many of Bhoomki’s sales, for example, are advertised to those who have signed up for the store’s email list.
Store owners and the 5th Avenue Business Improvement District have a lot planned for this holiday shopping season. On Small Business Saturday, November 28th, the 5th Avenue BID will conduct its annual tree lighting, and, as Caserta reminds us, “Christmas lights will be up over the Avenue again.” Bhoomki’s holiday sale begins that day, and it’s also when the store will launch its holiday merchandise.
The festivities will extend throughout the entire season. Customers can help celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Tabeel’s Aromatherapy Gift Shop & Salon with a big sale on December 14th, and the store will also be hosting a smaller, in-house Kwanzaa celebration later in December. At Yanatiba, customers will be able to order custom-made silver jewelry, while also browsing through eclectic offerings of Early American furniture and gift items from around the world. So, as the leaves in Prospect Park change color and fall, and as the holidays approach, why not buy local? It’s a great way to ring in the new year in Park Slope.
Mirielle Clifford
Mirielle Clifford once heard a poet say that “Brooklyn is the home of every new creation,” and she just might agree. Her writing has appeared in One Green Planet and Philanthropy News Digest. She has studied poetry with Cynthia Cruz and Jean Valentine, and she is a co-founder of Sweet Action, a monthly poetry workshop