16 SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
City studies biz on R.H., Ozone Park corridors
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
In an attempt to help revitalize the
commercial corridors along Liberty
Avenue in Richmond Hill and 101st
Avenue in Ozone Park, the Queens
Economic Development Corporation
(QEDC) is gathering surveys from
local business owners and consumers
as part of a Commercial District
Needs Assessment.
As a way to assist the QEDC in
reaching as many consumers as possible
with their survey, state Senator
Joseph Addabbo, who has a large
portion of the Liberty Avenue and
101st Avenue commercial strip in his
district, has agreed to help spread the
word about the group’s plans for the
commercial strips.
“Small and local businesses are critical
to our local economy and are the
bedrock for successful communities,”
Addabbo said. “If I can help in any
way to make the Liberty Avenue/101st
Avenue commercial area even more
vibrant and successful, I will do it because
our business owners deserve it,
our residents deserve it, and our communities
deserve it.”
The New York City Department
of Small Business Services selected
QEDC’s application for Liberty Avenue
The Queens Economic Development Corporation is launching a consumer
survey for the Liberty Avenue and 101st Avenue commercial corridors.
and 101st Avenue between the Van
Wyck Expressway and Woodhaven
Boulevard to be part of its Avenue
NYC Commercial Revitalization grant
program. These grants provide multiyear
commitments aimed at building
the capacity of partner organizations
to better understand neighborhood
needs, develop impactful programs,
and sustain their work in the community
for at least three years.
“Queens Economic Development Corporation
is happy to receive the support
of the New York City Small Business
Photo courtesy of Cushman & Wakefi eld
Services in working to strengthen the
business environment in the South
Richmond Hill and Ozone Park area,”
QEDC Deputy Director Ricardi Calixte
said. “Thriving local retail corridors
embodies the vibrancy and economic
fabric of a neighborhood. Through the
Avenue NYC commercial revitalization
program, QEDC will engage local
partners and community stakeholders
to conduct a comprehensive analysis of
neighborhood strengths, needs, and
opportunities; these fi ndings along
with community input will help shape
planning and program development
strategies to help area businesses and
enhance the shopping experience for
local residents.”
Those who shop along Liberty Avenue
and 101st Avenue are encouraged
to fi ll out a survey detailing where
they currently shop, how much time
they spend in the commercial district,
what they would like to see added to
these shopping areas, and other questions
that will help the QEDC and the
SBS gather information about the
commercial districts and customers’
spending habits.
Members of the QEDC will also be
going door-to-door along the commercial
district to hand out their
merchant surveys to acquire information
from the businesses in order
to better understand the challenges
they face and how to properly address
those concerns.
“I encourage all those who shop on
Liberty Avenue and 101st Avenue to fi ll
out the consumer survey to give QEDC
and Small Business Services the most
accurate information so they can get
a better sense of what the area needs,”
Addabbo said.
If you shop along Liberty Avenue
or 101st Avenue and want to
participate in the anonymous consumer
survey, visit https://cutt.ly/
RichmondHillConsumer.
R’wood artists’ studio showcase aims to set them apart
BY MAX PARROTT
MPARROTT@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
A group of about Ridgewood
artists tired of being isolated
in the lesser-traveled northeast
corner of the Bushwick Open
Studio Tours for over the past decade,
have fi nally broken off the neighborhood
that has come to be known as
the center of the city’s art scene in
recent years.
About 70 neighborhood artists
banded together over the summer
to create their own local
art event.
The open studios event, described
by the group as an
“old-fashioned, DIY” affair, will
consist of 15 exhibitions that will
go on display from Oct. 4 to 6. It’s
designed to encourage people to
explore a map of home studios,
group shows and gallery exhibits
scattered from around the Myrtle-
Wyckoff L-stop to the Fresh Pond
Road M-train stop.
Nao Matsumoto, an artist
specializing in sculpture and
3-D Fabrication who runs the
Lorimoto Gallery, took the reigns
in organizing the show. For him,
it was a chance to bring together
a community of artists who might
not otherwise have an opportunity
to meet each other.
“I’m always dying to support
local artists, but it’s hard to
meet them. For me this type of
event is good because I’m really
digging into the front lines,”
Matsumoto said.
Matsumoto said the event also
provided the opportunity to explore
the neighborhood’s abundance
of home studios, a trait that
he said distinguishes Ridgewood
from other artist communities in
New York. But while this level of
intimacy brings a more raw, exposed
view of an artist’s process, it
has also created logistical hurdles
for the organizers.
“So open studios means that
you’re opening up your living
quarters, and some people don’t
want to do that. Totally understandable,”
Matsumoto said.
As a solution, the artists organized
four group shows throughout
the map. This also allowed
artists from surrounding areas
like Maspeth and Glendale to join.
In addition to those shows, four
studios will also be showcasing
collective exhibits
For the inaugural year, Matsumoto
said he was shooting
for a very straightforward,
old-fashioned event. He hopes
that a minimal online presence
will help make the experience
more special.
“When I came to New York in ‘97
and went to open studios, there
wasn’t any internet. There were no
apps,” Matsumoto said. “You kinda
figured it out. I kinda like that. It
was a mystery. Going to an open
studios event back in the day was
way more exciting because you
didn’t know what to expect.”
That being said, the map of the
exhibits and artist bios are online
for participants to explore at
https://ridgewoodopenstudi.wixsite.
com/ridgewoodopenstudios.
A group of Ridgewood Open Studios artists hold a meet-and-greet at the
Bridge and Tunnel Brewery. Photo: Max Parrott/QNS
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