The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership received the Placemaking Award honor during the NYC Department of Small Business Services annual Neighborhood Achievement Awards ceremony at Gracie Mansion on Monday, July 13th. We were awarded the honor for our Home Grown & Locally Owned branding campaign, for “increas[ing] the visibility, stature and overall identity of a neighborhood, resulting in greater visitation and economic activity.

Initially launched in January 2007, the Home Grown & Locally Owned branding campaign was created to showcase the Myrtle Avenue merchants in postcards, print and electronic advertising, and streetlight banners, in an effort to promote the neighborhood commercial strip and encourage nearby residents to support the local economy. The campaign leverages the historic Mom and Pop character of Myrtle Avenue and strives to distinguish its mix of over 150 individual retailers by featuring the personal stories of entrepreneurs who have invested their time, energy and money in building their small business, and therefore the neighborhood, reminding shoppers of the familiar face and the personalized service they experience at a locally-owned business. The campaign also serves as a call to local shoppers to invest in urban neighborhoods, helping to prevent the displacement of locally-owned businesses while ensuring continued opportunities for first-time entrepreneurs.

Images from the campaign can be found here. Phase 2 of the campaign will launch this fall.

photo credit: Fred Leopold-Hooke