“It’s just a special feeling. Anyone who comes down here for work, school and play, they identify with it immediately. It’s almost like music. Flatbush Junction is one of those few remaining corridors in [Brooklyn] that has managed to hold onto its authenticity.”
– Stephanie Pierre, Flatbush Junction Resident
Purpose
Small businesses are stewards of neighborhood identity, culture, and vitality but throughout New York City, yet they are disappearing at a rapid rate. Through a Neighborhood Challenge grant from the New York City Department of Small Business Services, the Flatbush Junction Business Improvement District (BID) sought to generate economic and community impact in the Flatbush Junction corridor by promoting local businesses and culture, building identity, improving wayfinding, and activating space.
Community-centered approach
3×3 facilitated a series of workshops and roundtable discussions with business owners and Brooklyn College students to collaboratively identify neighborhood assets, and develop strategies for neighborhood wayfinding, identity building, and site activations. A series of surveys surfaced the challenges and desires for small businesses on the corridor and students at Brooklyn College, a target audience group. In partnership with students, designers, and local artists, 3×3 unrolled a campaign designed to drive foot traffic and forge business-community relationships through storefront art installations, interactive wayfinding, and marketing.
Participation
– Community surveys
– Stakeholder alignment workshops and roundtable discussions
– Co-design sessions
Qualitative Impact
– Partnerships between 10 local small businesses and artists to create site-specific art installations , four community art walk events and a documentary video
– Installations created at four neighborhood art walks, encouraging exploration along the corridor through group-tours, music, and performance art
– Development of a campaign identity that highlighted the diversity of Flatbush through its use of multiple languages and inclusive visual representation
– Creation of an interactive website and map locating all the businesses and the art for the public to view, including physical wayfinding decals in the windows of participating businesses
Quantitative Impact for Participating Businesses
– Increase of new weekly customers from four to 20
– Increase of average daily revenue from $140 – $160 to $400 – $600
– Increase of average Saturday revenue from $180 -$200 to $800
