Small Business Wonder Women

The Wonder Women of Gotham
To Be Honored for Women’s History Month + International Women’s Day

29 NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE FIVE BOROUGHS BAND TOGETHER TO SALUTE WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES

The Columbus Amsterdam BID and nearly 30 other business improvement districts (BIDs), neighborhood associations and merchants’ groups from New York City’s five boroughs are coming together in March to honor Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. Their focus is women-owned small businesses in the city, which have been particularly hard hit during the pandemic.

New Yorkers can participate in the campaign (#smallbusinesswonderwomen) by taking a photo of a woman small business owner in front of her store and posing the question: What makes you a small business wonder woman? Then post the photo and caption on social media/blog using the hashtag #smallbusinesswonderwomen.

Wonder Women Doing Business in The Columbus Amsterdam BID
(West 96-110th):

• Awash – Ethiopian Restaurant
• Spoonbread Too – Southern Cuisine Restaurant & Catering
• Make My Cake – Family owned Bakery
• C&S Hardware
• Skill Mill NYC / Dazzling Discoveries – Workshop and Education center, STEM extracurricular education center
• Mugi Studio – Pottery Studio
• Freda’s – Caribbean & Soul Cuisine
• Bob’s Your Uncle – Bar
• The Ellington – Restaurant & Bar
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• Silver Moon Bakery
• Café du Soleil – French Restaurant
• Raenu Thai –  Thai Restaurant
• She She Pizza
• Park West Deli – Nepalese and Himalayan Specialties
• SLN Cleaners – Services: Dry Cleaning, wash & fold, and professional tailor.
• Angel Eyes – Optical shop
• Grimandi Art Gallery
• Change of a Dress – Consignment shop
• Suma Sushi – Sushi Restaurant

The cross-borough collaboration came together when a group of Brooklyn BIDs met last month to plan local Women’s Day programming that would work throughout the city. The group decided to honor Small Business Wonder Women as their communities’ heroes. “United by their ability to survive and thrive, these women deserve special recognition during Women’s History Month,” says Joanna Tallantire of the Park Slope 5th Avenue BID. “On #theother5th, we see the creative ways women-owned businesses work together during difficult times, everything from providing a women-owned marketplace during Open Streets Restaurant Saturdays to working with women-owned restaurants on mutual aid projects and buying from women-owned businesses”.

Groups from all five boroughs are standing tall for Small Business Wonder Women.

Brooklyn’s Lynette Battle, Interim Executive Director, Bedford Stuyvesant Gateway BID, says

“This Women’s History Month we salute the mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and nieces who make things better for us all.” She is joined by Kate Chura of the Atlantic Avenue BID and Montague St. BID, who says that in both neighborhoods “the women-owned businesses work tirelessly to supply goods and services the neighborhood needs.”
The Bronx’ Yasmin Cruz, Executive Director, Westchester Square District BID says, “I am proud to have our women-owned businesses in our district. They are definitely “Wonder Women.”
In Queens, Jennifer Furioli, Executive Director Jamaica Center BID, says “Many of the most active businesses and civic leaders in downtown Jamaica are women and their importance to this community is immeasurable.”

Janet Dugo of the Downtown Staten Island/SI Chamber of Commerce says

“Every day, but especially in March, we salute the women running businesses on Staten Island. These ‘Small Business Wonder Women’ help keep our neighborhoods alive and humming! Even through the pandemic, they’ve worked tirelessly to support our community’s needs. So, let’s remember to show our thanks for all they do by shopping local all year long.”

In Manhattan, Jennifer Falk, Executive Director of the Union Square Partnership, says

“Union Square-14th Street’s incredible line-up of female-owned small businesses includes small business powerhouse players like Julie Gaines of Fishs Eddy, Nancy Bass Wyden of Strand Bookstore, and Daryl Roth of Daryl Roth Theatre, as well as our incredible Greenmarket partners. We are so proud to celebrate these strong women and many more during Women’s History Month this year.”

Regina Myer, president of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, adds,

“Honoring our female-owned small businesses to coincide with Women’s History Month, is so important now – a year after NYC went into lockdown. Downtown Brooklyn business owners such as Chi Sum, of Coffee Project, Sarah McNally of McNally Jackson Books, and Michelle Cadore from DaSpot, are leading the way in these challenging times, and we can’t wait to celebrate them.”

Participating organizations:
BROOKLYN – Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, FAB FULTON, North Flatbush Avenue BID, Atlantic Avenue BID, Montague St BID, Pitkin Avenue BID, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID, Cortelyou Road Merchants Association (CoRMA), Newkirk Plaza Merchant Association, Flatbush Development Corporation (FDC), Church Avenue BID & Flatbush Avenue BID, Alliance for Coney Island, Bayridge 5th Avenue BID, Grand Street BID
MANHATTAN – Village Alliance BID, East Village Independent Merchants Association, Columbus Amsterdam BID, Union Square Partnership, Times Square Alliance, Chinatown BID/Partnership, NoHo BID
STATEN ISLAND – Forest Avenue BID, Castleton Avenue Merchants Organization (CAMO),
Downtown Staten Island – SI Chamber of Commerce
BRONX – BJTBronx Merchant Association, Westchester Square BID
QUEENS – Jamaica Center BID