Category Archives: Business Services

Myrtle Avenue Local Youth Hiring Program Application

If you’re a business within the Myrtle Avenue BID and would like to participate in the new Myrtle Avenue local youth employment program, please read and complete the application below.

This business assistance grant program is made possible with support from Con Edison and The Gilbert Rivera Charitable Foundation

HOW IT WORKS

Step 1: Create a job listing
Provide details in the form below about the available job. We’ll promote it on our Myrtle Avenue Job Board and share with neighbors, particularly with groups within local NYCHA developments. You can also post and share the job wherever you’d like as well!

Step 2: Hire a local teen.
Reimbursement payroll grants will be provided to businesses who hire anyone ages 16-21 who’s home address is within Fort Greene & Clinton Hill (see map).

Step 3: Pay and request reimbursement
Begin paying the new employee, then submit proof of payroll expenses to the BID to request reimbursement. Up to $1,500 will be provided to businesses, reimbursing for wages to a qualifying employee only.

Myrtle Avenue merchant Jill Lindsey with Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program participant Synyah during her six-week summer job assignment at the Jill Lindsey shop and cafe.

PROJECT TIMELINE

Businesses can apply for this program on a rolling basis (there is no deadline). But, the money will be reserved for businesses on a first come, first serve basis. Once a business applies and submits a job description, monies will be set aside for your anticipated reimbursement. Reimbursement requests can be submitted as soon as the business has enough payroll receipts to reach your desired reimbursement amount (up to $1,500).

Myrtle Local Employment Program

APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM (FOR BUSINESS OWNERS ONLY)

CREATE A JOB LISTING

Fill out the information below about the available job (or email an existing description to hello@myrtleavenue.org)

I AGREE

YOU MUST READ AND CHECK EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: *

This business assistance grant program is sponsored by Con Edison and The Gilbert Rivera Charitable Foundation:

YEMP Summer Playback

Myrtle Avenue merchant Jill Lindsey with Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program participant Synyah during her six-week summer job assignment at the Jill Lindsey shop and cafe.

With the invaluable support of community partners, Myrtle Avenue merchants, and self-driven youth, Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn partnership has successfully closed out their 13th year of the YEMP (Youth Entrepreneurship Mentorship Program) initiative! YEMP Summer 2019 was one for the books and also came with a lot of firsts.

#TheyWorked

This year’s YEMP summer initiative was packed with enriching opportunities for our participating Youth. We partnered with a local entrepreneurship consulting company to bring an afternoon of Shark Sessions which was a fun interactive version of the television show Shark Tank. The teens learned the basics of starting a business and even practiced pitching a business concept of their own. We had the owner of Green in BKLYN, Elissa, begin a scholarship fund in loving memory of her first intern, Cristina Valentin, for YEMP interns who exemplify activism and compassion for their community. After a competitive application process, 15-year-old Synyah Jordan was awarded the YEMP Activist scholarship of $100. Synyah Jordan also graced the YEMP closing ceremony as a keynote speaker and shared her personal experience through an empowering speech.

At the YEMP closing ceremony, the community in attendance showered all the fellows with words of encouragement and love as many of them continue to work, prepare for school, and be change agents in their community.

Want to Get Involved?

For information on how and when to apply for the annual YEMP internship, you can sign up for Myrtle Avenue’s newsletter to receive updates as soon as the 2020 YEMP application opens.

Special Thank Yous

To the 11 Myrtle Avenue merchants who volunteered to serve as employers and mentors to the participating local high schoolers:

  • Jill Lindsey
  • Green In BKLYN
  • Move With Grace
  • Vitality Juice Bar
  • Champion’s Taekwondo
  • Peck’s
  • Sandbox
  • Petee’s Pie
  • Brooklyn Public Library Whitman Branch
  • Halal Spot
  • Just Because Salon

A sincere thank you to supporters of the 2019 YEMP program: Con Edison and The Gilbert Rivera Charitable Foundation.

Thank you to Voodo Fé who accommodated the closing ceremony in their art gallery space at 572 Myrtle Ave.

Want to become a supporter of the YEMP program? Please contact us about becoming an individual donor.

Another Successful YEMP Year!

Young Entrepreneurs Mentorship Program, Class of 2018.

As the 2018 Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program (YEMP) comes to a close, we look back with pride, at the 19 students that were selected to participate in this, the 12th year of the program!

Starting in early July, the students were employed across a diverse mix of businesses that offered skills in retail, hospitality, fashion, health & wellness, design and technology.  Working 10 hours a week, these YEMP participants were employed at local Myrtle Avenue businesses and for the first time, through the Pratt Institute’s Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator, located in the Pfizer building in south Williamsburg.

Our student’s responsibilities ranged from to customer service, stocking, inventory and retail organization and upkeep, 3D printer maintenance, fabric dying and sample making, to setting up events in the newly opened Myrtle Avenue Plaza and working tables at local street fairs. The skills learned during the 7-week program help students create a tool-kit of skills and experiences that they can take from the program and into all of their future endeavors, while getting a valuable head start on job experience.  In addition to their work hours, the students participated in two workshops about the working world.  Before working at the Fashion Accelerator, students were also enrolled in a 7- week design entrepreneur class at Pratt Institute that was completed before their placement at businesses within the Accelerator.

We would like to give a big thanks to the Myrtle Avenue and Pratt’s Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator businesses that opened their doors to our students, mentoring and supporting their growth while helping to create a path to success!  This truly would not be possible without you!

Participating Myrtle Avenue Businesses

Participating Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator Businesses

Program Sponsors

The YEMP 2018-2019 Program would not be possible without the generous support of the following sponsors:

About  

YEMP is a summer employment and mentorship program for local youth where teens gain valuable paid work experiences. The program places teens to work with Myrtle Avenue businesses and other organizations to learn important business and creative problem-solving skills. The competitive application process only accommodates 25 high school teens per year.

LEARN MORE

Apply Now for Local Summer Job Program

The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership’s annual Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program (YEMP) has released applications for the 2017 summer cohort. The six-week program offers paid positions to high schoolers who live or attend school in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. In addition to working with a local business, participants will also attend weekly workshops that will expose them to careers in the fields of tech, design, and manufacturing, and provide students with opportunities for hands-on learning and job readiness.

The deadline to apply is Friday, May 26. The program runs from July 10 through August 18, 2017. Those students who will be high school sophomores, juniors, seniors, or college freshman in the fall of 2017 and live or attend school in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill are eligible to apply.

YEMP is a program of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership with partners from the Pratt Center for Community Development and Emmanuel Baptist Church’s Teens That Mean Business Program. Support is provided by the Brooklyn Community Foundation, Con Edison, and the Deutsche Bank Foundation.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

 

The Results: Who Should Receive a Storefront Grant?

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Over the month of March, 100 people answered our question about which Myrtle Avenue businesses should receive one of our Storefront Improvement Grants.  Local residents in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill responded to the call and nominated eleven different businesses.  (The chart above shows all businesses who received more than one nomination.)

Move with Grace Yoga Studio and Juice Bar received the most nomination, which bodes well as the business is set to expand this month when they open a second studio and dance space at 439 Myrtle Avenue.  Following Move with Grace, are Jill Lindsey and Barking Brown clothing stores who are both looking to install new storefront signs.

Myrtle Avenue BID Storefront Improvement Grant nomination survey results.

Myrtle Avenue BID Storefront Improvement Grant nomination survey results.

Over the past decade, the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) has awarded more than $72,000 to help spruce up the appearance of more than 60 storefronts.  The goal of the grant program is to improve the physical appearance of the commercial district and assist businesses in maintaining a fresh look.

This year’s survey was created as a way for local residents to participate in the grant program by nominating businesses on Myrtle Avenue who they think could benefit or deserves the assistance of a storefront grant.  BID staff will be contacting the nominated businesses to discuss their interest in the program, developing design ideas, and collect estimates for the cost of proposed storefront work.

To view past projects that received funding through the BID Storefront Improvement Program, click below:

Nominate a Myrtle Avenue Business for a Storefront Grant

Urban Cycles (2)

Each year, the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) provides matching grants to businesses to help them pay for improvements to their storefront.  This year, we’re asking for your help in determining which businesses should receive some of the financial help.  If you have a favorite business who you think could benefit from this storefront assistance, nominate them for a grant!

The grant dollars can be used to help merchants pay for the installation of new signs, storefront lighting, or removing solid roll-down security gates.  This year, there is $12,000 available to more than 170 eligible businesses.  To be eligible for a grant, the business must be located within the BID (map), which runs along Myrtle Avenue between Flatbush Avenue Extension and Classon Avenue.  Nominations will be accepted until March 31, 2016.

Over the past decade, the BID has awarded more than $72,000 to help spruce up the appearance of more than 60 storefronts.  The goal of the grant program is to improve the physical appearance of the commercial district and assist businesses in maintaining a fresh look.

Nominate your favorite business by clicking here.

Click through the gallery below to view past BID Storefront Improvement Grant recipients:

Help Us Continue to Create Opportunities for Local Youth

Help Us Continue to Create Opportunities for Local Youth 

“If I didn’t have this entrepreneurial opportunity on Myrtle Avenue I would probably be just a kid sitting around on my couch all summer long with nothing to do. I would be without any professional experience. I also wouldn’t have all of the abilities that I now have and can take further when I graduate from high school or even college”.
-Quentin, 16 years old, Clinton Hill Resident & YEMP Participant

Nearly ten years ago we created a program that would impact the lives of local youth living in our Fort Greene & Clinton Hill neighborhoods. We wanted to connect local teens to opportunities in their neighborhood by exposing them to entrepreneurship and summer employment with local business owners.

Since it’s inception, nearly 200 teens have successfully completed our Young Entreprenuer Mentorship Program (YEMP). Overwhelmingly, the summer opportunity serves as a first time job experience for the students, who are all between the ages of 14 and 18. Students commit for 7-weeks, working with business owners for 20 hours per week. They also spend five hours per week in a classroom, learning about entrepreneurship and preparing a business plan for the final class presentation. Their salaries are paid by our organization, so there is no financial burden on businesses to participate.

In their day-to-day work with the business owners, students learn valuable skills related to running a successful business. They are being exposed to new concepts and learning valuable life lessons, including being on time, accountability, problem solving, and communications. They are meeting new friends and earning some money for the summer, in many cases easing the parental financial burden of back-to-school preparations.

At the program’s end, students are sometimes hired by the very businesses where they worked for the summer. It’s a win-win all around. Your support will help us to continue programs like this that benefit the entire community.

Will you make an end-of-the-year contribution to support summer employment opportunities for local youth? DONATE.

Now is the Time to Open Your Business on Myrtle Avenue

Open Sign (2)

If you are looking to open a business, the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership is here to help you find the perfect location.  Currently, along Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, there are ten available retail spaces, and with a growing population and number of retail spaces available within new construction buildings, it’s the perfect time to explore opening your businesses right here.

To begin to see if Myrtle Avenue is right for your business, review the Summer 2015 Quarterly Real Estate Report, which has a list of available spaces and provides an overview of what types of businesses Myrtle Avenue consumers are currently looking for.  The report also highlights new shops and restaurants who have signed leases and are slated to open soon.

What’s in Demand

After conducting a retail assessment and consumer survey in 2014, we found that there are several types of businesses that are both under-represented and ones local consumers have the dollars to support (but are choosing to spend elsewhere due to a lack of availability on Myrtle Avenue).  These business types include:

  • Specialty Food Retail (particularly a full service butcher)
  • Casual Dining (particularly quality, grab-n-go or counter service, restaurants)
  • Full service gyms
  • Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt

Humo Smokehouse-Ribbon Cutting-Kathryn Kirk (5)

Where to Open Your Business

With ten spaces currently available to lease, there’s a variety of locations, sizes and amenities available for you to choose from.  A couple of highlights include:

  • 364 Myrtle Avenue: This newer construction building offers 1,500 square feet on the ground floor with a large basement.  Located just two blocks from Fort Greene Park, the storefront is on a bustling block that is dominated by locally-owned businesses (Jill Lindsey boutique, Brooklyn Sweet Spot cupcakes and the new Gentleman Farmer restaurant.)  Across the street, Walgreen’s provides a major anchor that further draws out many customers to this block.
  • 81 Fleet Place: Located at the corner of Fleet and Myrtle, this newly constructed building has over 11,600 square feet retail space currently available for lease and is divisible up to seven storefronts.  This building is one of three currently rising along Myrtle Avenue near Flatbush Avenue Extension, adjacent to Fort Greene Park, Downtown Brooklyn and Metrotech.  Leasing is currently underway, with the building slated to be available for occupancy in late 2015.

Resources for Prospective Businesses

In addition to reading the Quarterly Real Estate Report, we invite you to contact us to learn more insider information about the Myrtle Avenue commercial district and how your business might best succeed here.  Also, save the date to attend the next Quarterly Real Estate Breakfast on Wednesday, October 7th at 8:30am at 81 Fleet Place (on the corner of Fleet and Myrtle).  The breakfast will allow you to connect with brokers and property owners who have available commercial spaces and to learn more about doing business on Myrtle Avenue.

To learn more, please contact the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership at (718) 230-1689 ext 6#.

Summer Apprentice Teens Mean Business

YEMP_620x350Seventeen teens have completed their first week of our summer apprentice program. This is the third year of partnering with Emmanuel Baptist Church to make this program possible. The students work primarily with Myrtle Avenue based businesses, working fifteen hours each week and attending classes to learn about entrepreneurship.

This year’s teens are working with a wide variety of businesses, including: Green in BKLYN, Sandbox Pack & Ship, Brooklyn Sweet Spot, CVS, NYCPet.com, Emmanuel Baptist Church Daycare, Ingersoll Community Center, Clinton Hill Animal Clinic, Myrtle Drug Care Corp, the Brooklyn Museum, Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City as well as with MARP.

This is the 9th year of the program, and the third year in partnership with Emmanuel Baptist Church’s Teens That Mean Business Program (TTMB).

The summer program will culminate in student business plan presentations in mid-August.

To find out more about the summer apprentice program, please e-mail business@myrtleavenue.org.

 

Teen Summer Apprenticeships- NOW Accepting Applications

YEMP_for blog to advertise 2015

Teens, if you are looking to learn new skills, learn more about entrepreneurship, earn some funds for the new school year and meet new friends, consider applying for the 2015 summer apprentice program. The summer apprentice program is a joint program of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership and the Alice Mann Center of Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Students will work with a Myrtle Avenue small business or other local businesses for 20 hours per week plus have classroom learning opportunities for an additional 5 hours every week.

Open to rising sophomores to those starting their first year of college in the Fall. Must reside or attend school locally.

Interested in applying? Want to know more? Please email business@myrtleavenue.org.

Completed applications must be received by Friday, June 5th.

 

Local resident, Renee Robinson Champions Small Business Saturday

Renee Robinson_shop small2_sized for blog

If she looks familiar, it’s because she’s a Clinton Hill neighbor who has lived in the area for quite some time.  Renee Robinson has a passion for seeing small local businesses thrive.  Stop by Citibank (430 Myrtle Avenue, corner of Clinton Avenue) on Small Business Saturday — Saturday, November 29th, where Renee will be joining forces with Citibank to giveaway ‘Shop Small’ canvas bags and a number of other ‘shop small’ goodies.

Small Business Saturday is an annual event held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving each year as a way to promote shopping at your small, locally owned businesses during the holiday season.  Myrtle Avenue shops and restaurants will be offering up specials and hosting events on that Saturday, November 29th.  Stay tuned throughout the month to hear about their special offerings!

Be sure to visit the Myrtle Avenue shopping guide to help you find the oh so perfect holiday gift right here in the neighborhood!

Final Week Myrtle Summer Apprentice Program

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Can’t believe that this is the final week of this year’s summer apprentice program! We will certainly miss the twenty-one local teens, ages 15-18 who worked for seven weeks with local businesses.

Our Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program (YEMP) partnered this year with the Alice Mann Center’s Teens That Mean Business Program in a pilot, which on both sides, helped to expand program and other offerings: ability to hire additional teens and to offer weekly classes on entrepreneurship. Ms. Toni Coston of the Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School taught the weekly classes and Marcus Littles was our close contact at the Alice Mann Center.

The summer apprentice closing reception was held last week, Thursday, September 22nd at Dee & Ricky’s restaurant located at 503 Myrtle Avenue between Ryerson and Grand. Being a retired high school principal himself, Dee & Ricky’s owner, Alvin Wray enthusiastically offered his restaurant for the closing reception packed with students and their family and friends.

The students presented their business plan ideas in groups of 4. Ideas included an image consulting business, a pet rescue business, a healthy food delivery program and a pet bakery.

This summer’s participating teens and businesses include:

  • Alfred Porter III (Sandbox Pack & Ship)
  • April Simmons (Polish Bar of Brooklyn)
  • April Smith (Joseph Tyler Salon)
  • Alexandra Johnson (Urban Vintage)
  • Brandon Wilson (Clinton Hill Animal Clinic)
  • Chinue Ellis (Green in BKLYN)
  • Christopher Covington (Luz Restaurant)
  • Christopher Jerome (Leisure Life)
  • DeVante Carolina (Dee & Ricky’s)
  • Essence Stevens (Soketah Salon)
  • Herold St. Louis (Five Spot)
  • Jenna Nash (CKO Kickboxing)
  • Jordan Oliver (Green Pets Spa)
  • Juanita Brown (Move With Grace Yoga, Dance and Pilates)
  • Latryce Gause (Emmanuel Daycare)
  • Monique White (Huey’s Chueys)
  • Quentin Felton (Le Petit Bakery)
  • Rhys-Gregory Henry (Mark’s Gourmet Burgers)
  • Sean Gordon (Neighborhood Housing Services)
  • Shicora McGriff (CakeJoy Bakery)

Myrtle Teens (YEMP Program): Year 5!

Brisk day like today is quite the reminder of how quickly we’ve moved into a new season. Students have been back at school at least a month, including students who participated in the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership’s Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program (YEMP) for Summer 2011! The YEMP program is funded by a generous grant from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and from operating funds of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Business Improvement District.

In YEMP, fifteen (15) local teens are placed with Myrtle Avenue businesses for a seven week summer experience which includes 20 work hours per week. MARP conducts youth outreach, schedules interviews with participating merchants, handles all employment paperwork, and pays wages for the summer. Myrtle merchants oversee the teens and serve as supervisors and mentors to the local high school students.

A couple of the teens were hired by local businesses upon completion of the program, and thus will be continuing on in an after-school capacity.

There were a few programmatic additions this year, including a joint closing reception together with teens from MetroTech BID’s youth summer program and a youth financial literacy course led by adult and youth leaders from All About Business (AAB), a dynamic program of Optimum Capital Management (thanks AAB!).

We are grateful to the following students and employers for their commitment to making the fifth year of the program a major success:

Joanne Alvarez (Wallys Square Root Caf

Myrtle Teens (YEMP Program): Year 4

More lively morning rush hours, back-to-school sales galore, cooler (at least slightly) temps…yep, it is that time again.

Last week marked the completion of our fourth annual Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program (YEMP). The program is funded by a generous grant from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and from operating funds of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Business Improvement District.

Fifteen local teens were placed with Myrtle Avenue businesses for a seven week summer experience which included 20 work hours per week. MARP recruits the students, schedules interviews with participating merchants, handles all of the employment paperwork, and pays their wages for the summer. Myrtle merchants oversee the teens and serve as supervisors and mentors to the local high school students.

A couple of the teens were hired by local businesses upon completion of the program, and thus will be continuing on in an after-school capacity.

We are grateful to the following students and employers for their commitment to making the fourth year of the program a major success:

Dejon Allen (Wally’s Square Root Cafe, 584 Myrtle); Ashley Andrews (Walgreen’s, 379 Myrtle), Efun-Sade Cadle (Optimum Care Rehab, 474 Myrtle), Devante Carolina (PrattStore, 550 Myrtle), Kadijatou Diallo (Green in BKLYN, 432 Myrtle and Karen’s Body Beautiful, 436 Myrtle), Danielle Faulkner (Root Stock & Quade, 471 Myrtle), Justin Felton (Root Stock & Quade, 471 Myrtle), Michael Greene (Miracle’s Unisex Barber Shop, 473A Myrtle), Ahtivah Lawton (Clinton Hill Animal Clinic, 476 Myrtle), Krishjan Moore-Snell (Sandbox, 487 Myrtle), Dwayne Carolina (PrattStore, 550 Myrtle), Miguel Morales (Bravo, 331A Myrtle), Quatayga Smith (Fort Greene SNAP, 324 Myrtle), ShaQuira Williams (Associated, 492 Myrtle) and Marcos Morales (Walgreen’s, 379 Myrtle).

Myrtle Teens Mean Business: Year 3

More lively morning rush hours, back-to-school sales galore, cooler, brisker temps…yep, it is that time again.

Last week marked the completion of our third annual Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program (YEMP), which has doubled in size since the 2007 inaugural year. The program is funded by a generous grant from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and from operating funds of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Business Improvement District.

Fifteen local teens were placed with Myrtle Avenue businesses for a seven week summer experience which included 20 work hours per week. MARP recruits the students, schedules interviews with participating merchants, handles all of the employment paperwork, and pays their wages for the summer. Myrtle merchants oversee the teens and serve as supervisors and mentors to the local high school students.

A few of the teens were hired by local businesses upon completion of the program, and thus will be continuing on in an after-school capacity.

We are grateful to the following students and employers for their commitment to making the third year of the program a major success:

(l-r in photo): Dwayne Carolina (Prattstore, 550 Myrtle); Malik Brown (Dope Jams, 580 Myrtle); Samantha Lawrence (Polish Bar of Brooklyn, 470 Myrtle/ Burzh-wa Salon, 352 Myrtle); Michael Greene (Miracles Unisex Barber Shop, 473A Myrtle); Ashley Andrews (Walgreen’s, 379 Myrtle); Terrell Coombs (Myrtle His & Hers Barber Shop, 349 Myrtle); Danielle Faulkner (Optimum Care Rehab, 474 Myrtle) and Tereese Gorham (Wally’s Square Root Cafe, 584 Myrtle).

Missing from photo: Herold Saint Louis (Fort Greene SNAP, 324 Myrtle/ Prattstore, 550 Myrtle); Patrice Sease-Bey (Subway, 400 Myrtle); Koree Richardson (Karen’s Body Beautiful, 436 Myrtle); Cristina Valentin (Green in BKLYN, 432 Myrtle), Dasha Walker (Just Because Salon, 141 Carlton Avenue), Malik Carolina (Tamboril, 527 Myrtle) and Damani McDermott-Reed (Pillow Cafe-Lounge, 505 Myrtle).