Buying Local in Brooklyn and a Blogger Challenge
I came across this great piece in Idealist in NYC about the 3/50 Project, a national initiative to get people to spend $50/month at three local businesses. Interestingly, I was just reading about the a couple in Chicago that is trying to support local black businesses by only buying from black owned businesses for an entire year. Buying local keeps money in communities and strengthens them so it’s great to see people getting involved.
I’ve decided to share some of my favorite local spots in Brooklyn. I struggled with this because I buy local far less often than I should and when I do buy local I don’t remember the name of the store! It’s usually “yeah go to that store on the corner over there.” So please forgive me for not having detailed info about the places!
Brooklyn Heights/Downtown Brooklyn:
Court Street Supplies (for office supplies), La Traviata on Montague street (Italian restaurant/cafe), Book Court (bookstore on Court Street), Mega Beauty Supply Store (don’t know the exact name but two floors of beauty supplies and hair supplies and wigs! on Fulton Mall Jay Street).
Bay Ridge:
Pizza Wagon on 86th and 5th Ave . Best pizza I’ve had, hands down; Nouvelle on 87th and 3rd Ave Asian-French fusion. Sounds like a weird mix but it is spectacular! Go for the spicy tuna avocado salad; Lucky Nail Salon 87th and 5th Ave $15 for pedicure and manicure—quick and well done, plus they do wonders with my eyebrows.
Bed-Stuy:
Fat Albert Warehouse on Broadway, it’s mega discount store with every item you could imagine at low prices; Hair salon on Broadway around the corner from Fat Albert–again I don’t remember the name but the owner’s name is Lou. My entire family went there until we moved (and even now, sometimes we will make the trip back to the Stuy for our hair!) but the prices are great and the quality is amazing.
East New York:
Sasso African Hair Braiding on Mother Gaston Boulevard: I’ve been going there since I was 12 for my braids. These women have serious talent.
While these initiatives are great, what can we do to make these businesses more competitive and help them keep their doors open? What do they need?
I would love it if some of my favorite bloggers shared their favorite local spots. So I’m tagging a couple to blog about places in their city/neighborhood that they love! Make sure you link back to this post so I know you’re participating.
Hey Allison! I, too, saw this project hyped by Idealist NYC — I’m new to Brooklyn and still getting acclimated, so my list is short and focused on Fort Greene/Clinton Hill. I’m really proud of the fact that even though I’m new to the area, I can make a real difference to my neighbors; Elissa, who owns one of the shops I am focusing my 3/50 efforts on, was really thrilled when I told her about the project, and has begun promoting it through her blog and her shop. Ripples on the pond…