■SUNNYSIDE SHINES BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO On this year’s Small Business Saturday, one business improvement district made sure residents kept it local. The Sunnyside Shines BID celebrated Small Business Saturday on Nov. 29 with a kickoff event in Bliss Plaza, one of two new pedestrian plazas under the elevated No. 7 train, and with the release of Sunnyside’s first-ever Shop Local Holiday Gift Guide. “We really want people to reengage with the local businesses here in Sunnyside,” said Rachel Thieme, executive director of the BID. “There are just so many opportunities and we do have a good variety of retail in Sunnyside and we really wanted to highlight that in this guide and showcase that there are so many different types of ideas here.” The guide, which was created in partnership with students at LaGuardia Community College, is a full-color, printed brochure that features holiday gift ideas from 22 local shops. Residents that live in the area the BID covers received the guides in the mail. Czarinna Andres, owner of Bing’s Hallmark, located at 45- 15 Greenpoint Ave., said she is delighted the holiday gift guide will help promote local businesses like her own. “Every bit of publicity helps local businesses. Launching the gift guide on Small Business Saturday is a perfect way to make the community more aware of the importance of shopping locally,” Andres said. Seda Bagdasarya, owner of the jewelry shop That’s Incredible at 45-21 Greenpoint Ave., also hopes this guide will help improve business and bring more customers. “It’s going to be very good,” Bagdasarya said. “It could be very helpful for business and I hope it continues every year.” The Small Business Saturday kickoff event featured free giveaways including the guide and Small Business Saturday-branded tote bags. There was also live music from the Sunnyside Social Club. “Resources like the Sunnyside Shines Shop Local Holiday Gift are creative, important tools to help promote local businesses and engage residents as they start shopping for the holiday season,” said Maria Torres-Springer, commissioner of the city’s Department of Small Business Services, who encourages New Yorkers to shop locally this Small Business Saturday and beyond. Photos by Angy Altamirano Rachel Thieme, executive director of the Sunnyside Shines BID, hopes the first-ever Shop Local Holiday Gift Guide will encourage residents to shop locally for the holidays. SHOP LOCAL Sunnyside BID debuts first-ever holiday gift guide
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