In 2019, the Jerome Gun Hill BID focused our efforts and resources to continue our work in supporting local businesses and community through advocacy and education, district marketing and beautification, and community events. We are working tirelessly to better connect the people who live and work in the neighborhood to the goods and services offered here at our partner merchants. With a focus on safety, cleanliness, and business development, the Jerome Gun Hill BID is dedicated to helping our member businesses and the BID community to grow and thrive.

In 2019, we celebrated 25 of our legacy businesses that have been operating in the BID for more than 25 years. In today’s retail environment, this is no small feat. At our Small Business Recognition Barbecue, business owners received awards as well as small business resources and legal assistance from pro bono lawyers. We look forward to supporting our longtime business owners for many more years to come.

Over the past year, we partnered very closely with City agencies including Small Business Services, Department of Transportation, Department of Sanitation, and NYPD to educate our business owners on new regulations and to ensure our streets are clean, safe, and walkable.

We engaged the brokerage community in our broker’s breakfast series to showcase all the wonderful reasons why Norwood is a good place to do business. In addition, the BID hosted a commercial vacancy walking tour where entrepreneurs and prospective business owners learned about commercial opportunities in the district. In the last year the BID welcomed 13 new small businesses to the corridor.

We hosted 15 community events, from our annual Laundry Love at Maria’s Laundromat to our 18th Annual Fall Festival on Jerome Avenue between East Mosholu Parkway North and East Gun Hill Road. In 2019, we focused events on different retail sectors, hosting a Prom and Graduation fashion show at our clothing stores and “A Taste of the District” restaurant week for our restaurants.

We worked with various community stakeholders to make these events happen, such as the New York City District Council of Carpenters union, Montefiore Health System, and our local elected officials. We strive to highlight all of the great opportunities available for community members to shop, dine, and explore in the BID and we have even more exciting events planned for 2020.

Also, we are working to beautify the BID because not only do good neighbors deserve great shopping, as has always been our motto, but they deserve beautiful greenery as they walk and shop through our stores. We partnered with Councilman Andrew Cohen, ArtBridge, and local artist Lady K. Fever in turning worn out concrete columns into works of community art. We hung street pole banners to promote our district and invested in additional planters to bring more flowers and plants to the BID streetscape.

At the core of our work is a focus on small business support. We help our small business owners get connected to business development resources, free commercial lease assistance, and city services like compliance consultations and agency walkthroughs. We assist merchants in navigating government, providing guidance with permits, licenses, and violations. In addition, we support our merchants with marketing, advertising, and social media through our newsletter, ad campaigns, local television commercials, and social media handles. We also offer a Storefront Improvement Grant that allows businesses to receive funding to complete awning and security gate projects.

We could not do this work without the fantastic partnerships we’ve established with our elected officials, particularly Cohen who not only shows up when we ask him to and advocates for the issues that affect our community, but supports us financially each year. We are grateful to our fearless State Sen. Jamaal Bailey and our Assembly Members Jeffrey Dinowitz and Nathalia Fernandez, and our U.S. Congressman Adriano Espaillat for fighting for the Bronx in Washington, D.C.

We would also like to thank our steadfast partners at the 52nd Precinct and Community Board 7. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff, merchants and property owners, Norwood has seen an increase in cleanliness, community engagement, and overall awareness of the BID’s mission and efforts. We are very proud of the work we’ve done collectively with the participation of the Board, property owners, merchants and community partners to improve the quality of life in our little slice of the Bronx. Thank you for helping to make 2019 an incredible year. We can’t wait to show you what we have planned for 2020!