TODAY! Small Business Saturday and Tree Lighting!

It's finally here! Today is Small Business Saturday, the big day to #shopsmall for the holiday season!

The Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District (Dean - 18th Street) is the place to be, with over 500 small stores, bars and restaurants to explore!  The Daily News agrees! Come on down to Fifth and support our local businesses!

Make sure to stick around for our annual tree lighting ceremony at the corner of 5th Avenue and 3rd Street (S'Nice). The event starts at 6:30 and includes, music, treats, crafts and more!

**FREE - FREE - FREE**

Hot Chocolate from S'Nice

Cookies donated by Tabeel

Marshmallows from Du Jour Bakery

Songs by Amy Miles and Caroling by Opera on Tap

Puppet performances and activities by Puppetry Arts

Ornament making with NY Kids Club

Popcorn by Popcorn Love

Belgian Mini-Brownies from Le Pain Quotidien

Plus a special visit from Santa Claus and Frosty!

We hope to see you there!

When Black Friday Comes...

Count us among the folks skipping the crushing crowds and "sales" at big box stores today. After all, tomorrow is Small Business Saturday, the perfect day for shopping on Park Slope's Fifth Avenue! Still, if you want to spend today strolling along an interesting, vibrant commercial street filled with amazing stores, bars and restaurants, Fifth Avenue has everything you need! 

While most merchants are gearing up for Small Business Saturday, there are a couple of specials that you should be aware of:

SWEET FRIDAY at Pink Olive (167 5th Avenue): Now THIS is the way to celebrate Black Friday. Their Park Slope location is going to have yummy chocolate dipped pretzels from Fatty Sundays (a Brooklyn based company!) as well as 10% off the entire store.  

Also, if your pants are feeling a little bit tighter after yesterday's big Thanksgiving meal, Body Reserve (207 5th Avenue) has a GREAT deal for you!

We hope to see you on Fifth today and tomorrow for Small Business Saturday and our annual Tree Lighting Ceremony !

Happy Thanksgiving!

-from the merchants along Fifth Avenue and the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID. We'll see you on Small Business Saturday!

Here are some last-minute Thanksgiving ideas on Fifth.

Last-Minute Ideas for Thanksgiving

In between getting our new lights and holiday tree up, we managed to travel along the BID and find some things happening in the for Thanksgiving on Fifth! The list will probably grow, but here goes:
 
200 Fifth: Hosting their annual  Thanksgiving Buffet Dinner

Alchemy (56 Fifth Avenue): Serving their regular menu plus a turkey dinner, 12-9

Benchmark (339 2nd Street): Serving a 3-course prix fixe menu, $70

Los Politos 2 (148 Fifth Avenue): Serving Brunch 11 - 4 and prix fixe dinner (wine, appetizer and entree' for only $22)

Brooklyn Porridge Co. (741 Union Street): Making a lot of great sides and desserts for Thanksgiving. It might be too late to order but maybe there is extra to pick up last minute?

The Chocolate Room (51 Fifth Avenue): it's too late to pre-order their fabulous desserts, but that doesn't mean you can't pick something up today before hitting the road!

Picado Y Vino (327 Fifth Avenue): Open 12-3

ACME Wine and Spirits (487 Fifth Avenue): Open 11- 3. Offering a special Thanksgiving 4-Pack of wine for $49

Both Fleischers  (192 Fifth Avenue) and Russo's (312 Fifth Avenue) were offering turkeys by order, but it might be too late. Check with them, just in case, if you are interested. They have the good stuff!

Plus, many of our bars will be open all night. Freddy's (12 pm - 4 am) and South (7 pm - 4 am) will be available to turn the South Slope's Thanksgiving into a party!

If you are visiting a friend's house, don't forget the flowers from great 5th Avenue shops like ZuZu's Petals, Blooms on Fifth and Jasmine Floral Designs.

Dining Small at Bogota Latin Bistro with the SBA

 

The federal Small Business Administration (SBA) will be promoting Small Business Saturday today with visits to an independent shop in Manhattan (#shopsmall) and Bogota Latin Bistro for lunch (#dinesmall). SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet will be joined by SBA Regional Administrator Kellie LeDet, NYC Deputy Mayor Alicia Green and others for a special meal and tour.

Congrats to George and Farid for this honor! Go Fifth Avenue! #theother5th

This Week: Small Business Saturday and Tree Lighting!

This Saturday, November 29th is Small Business Saturday, the big day to #shopsmall for the holiday season!

The Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District (Dean - 18th Street) is the place to be, with over 500 small stores, bars and restaurants to explore!  The Daily News agrees! Come on down to Fifth and support our local businesses!

Make sure to join us for a special tree lighting ceremony at the corner of 5th Avenue and 3rd Street (S'Nice). The event starts at 6:30 and includes, music, treats, crafts and more!

• Hot Chocolate from S'Nice 
• Cookies donated by Tabeel 
• Marshmallows from Du Jour Bakery 
• Songs by Amy Miles and Caroling by Opera on Tap 
• Puppet performances and activities by Puppetry Arts 
• Ornament making with NY Kids Club 
• Popcorn by Popcorn Love 
• Belgian Mini-Brownies from Le Pain Quotidien 
• Plus a special visit from Santa Claus and Frosty!

Check out the video that American Express created about last year's events:

News Round-Up

Aperitivo Closes, Henri on Fifth Moving In [Here's Park Slope]

NuNu Chocolates Cafe Tap Room Now Open on 5th Avenue [Park Slope Stoop]

4th - 9th Subway Station Pop-Up Installation Moved Because Scaffolding is Coming Down [South Slope News]

Tree Lighting Announcement [NY Daily News]

Just over a week until the 5th Avenue Tree Lighting ceremony!

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Pies at Freddy's?

What's Thanksgiving without pie, right? If you eat gluten-free, this Thanksgiving you'll have lots of tasty pie choices, thanks to Levine's General Store, Krumville Bakeshop and Freddy's Bar!

Choices include:

*Maple Pumpkin Pie
*Apple Cranberry Pie
*The Chana Chickpea & Curry Yum Pie appetizer empanadas
*The Knishka Potato & Kale Yum Pie appetizer empanadas
Gluten-Free. Taste-Full.

Order online by Friday, November 21, 2014 and pick up your pies Tues. Nov. 25 or Wed. Nov. 26 at Freddy's Bar (627 5th Avenue), Storefront below Idlewild Books (12 West 19th Street Manhattan) or Espresso 77 Cafe (410 7th Avenue Park Slope Brooklyn)!

Interested? Hurry and order your gluten-free pies here.

Reminder: Holiday Tree Lighting November 29th!

Join us for a special tree lighting ceremony at the corner of 5th Avenue and 3rd Street (S'Nice). The event starts at 6:30 and includes, music, treats, crafts and more!

Hot Chocolate from S'Nice

Cookies donated by Tabeel

Marshmallows from Du Jour Bakery

Songs by Amy Miles and Caroling by Opera on Tap

Puppet performances by Puppetry Arts

Activities by NY Kids Club

Popcorn by Popcorn Love

Plus a special visit from Santa Claus and Frosty!

Tonight: Businesses meeting Business Services

Tonight (Tuesday 18th November 2014 6.30-9:00pm) at The Old Stone House, the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID, NYC Business Solutions and Park Slope Parents will be bringing local store, bar and restaurant owners and Park Slope service-providers such as lawyers, website designers, graphic designers, social media services for a social event! Exchange cards and find new ways to collaborate! Interested? RSVP Now! http://bit.ly/1CWdpfR

Holiday Trunk Show at Pink Olive

This Saturday, don't miss the Tane Organics Holiday Trunk Show at Pink Olive (167 5th Avenue)! They'll have a gorgeous selection of Tane Organics products and the designer will be on hand to answer questions. Guests will receive 15% off their Tane purchases and the first 10 people to RSVP and arrive between 12 and 1 will receive a FREE GIFT!

RSVP at potaneorganics.eventbrite.com

News Round-Up

Open For Business: Nuteria, 82 5th Avenue [Here's Park Slope]

New Dry Cleaner Opens in Former Cozbi Space [Park Slope Stoop]

South Slope Weekend Events Spotlight: November 13-16 [South Slope News]

The Brooklyn effect: Cities around the world eager to be crowned the newest hipster paradise [Daily News]

Don't forget: Small Business Saturday and Fifth Avenue's Annual tree lighting ceremony take place on Saturday, November 29th. Just two weeks away!

Live Band Karaoke and Opera: Tonight at Freddy's!

Looking for a night of music and laughs? Do the pre-holiday blues have you down? Are pre-holiday blues actually a thing? Anyway, don't worry, Freddy's Bar has a cure for what ails you tonight!

At 8:00, come down to see Fortress of Attitude, a touring comedy/rock band from NYC. Then at 9, catch some amazing, funny and dramatic opera performances by Opera on Tap.

Following their show, pick your favorite song and play rock star with the live house band, the Dirty Sexy Ensemble, backing you up! The band features Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID Executive Director, Mark Caserta.

Don't miss it! Smoke machines and bubbles included!

Wonderland Holiday Art Show and Sale!

Signs of the holiday season are everywhere! We don't mean the Christmas decorations that were on drug store shelves at the beginning of August. We're talking about great gift ideas and festive decorations that are popping up in Fifth Avenue boutiques this week! Plus, we hear that the avenue's new holiday lights will be up next weekend! It's beginning to look a lot like...ok, we're not ready to say it quite yet.

Anyway, our friends at Ground Floor Gallery will be making the transition after the end of their Gowanus Wild show this Sunday. On Friday, November 21st from 6:00-8:30 pm, join them for the opening of "Wonderland" their Holiday Art Show + Sale! Drop in for an original and affordable gift by over 15 local artists!

Vote for the Best of Park Slope!

Time Out NY is taking your votes for their "Time Out Love New York Awards" for best shops, bars, restaurants and more! Click here to choose Park Slope and vote for great Fifth Avenue BID businesses like The Monro, Brooklyn Blue Ribbon, Cafe Regular, Gorilla Coffee, Flirt, Pony and Union Hall!

Voting closes on Wednesday!

Upcoming Business Events

Here are a couple of upcoming events that local merchants and business owners may be interested in. We hope to see you there!

Wednesday, November 12th

Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store (232 Fifth Avenue) will be hosting a "Shop Small Pep Rally" on Wednesday, November 12th from 6-8 pm. Drop by for goodies, drinks and a little pre-holiday fun as Fifth Avenue prepares for Small Business Saturday (November 29th).

Tuesday, November 18th

Join local business owners for a networking opportunity. Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID merchants will have an opportunity to meet some local services; such as lawyers, website designers, graphic designers, social media services and others. 6:30-9:00 pm at the Old Stone House SIGN UP HERE: http://bit.ly/1CWdpfR

Walter Martin at Hiho Batik

Here's a cool little event coming up at Hiho Batik (184 5th Avenue):

Walter Martin of The Walkmen will be performing tunes from his fun solo album We're All Young Together on Sunday, November 16th from 11 AM - 1 PM.

Interested? Make sure to RSVP via info@hihobatik.com or 718-622-4446 and get ready to dance!

Save the Date: Tree Lighting!

Small Business Saturday, the big day to Shop Small, takes place on November 29th. Come on down and do some holiday shopping at Fifth Avenue's amazing stores, bars and restaurants and then, at 6:30, drop by our tree lighting ceremony. We'll have music, treats, carolers, Santa Claus, Puppets, activities and more!

The Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID has ordered at real 20' tree this year! Don't miss it!

Align yourself on 5th!

Pamela and Christopher Brown, long term residents of Park Slope, recently opened Align Brooklyn. A yoga based fitness studio on 5th Ave in South Slope.

Pamela Brown

Align is about a holistic approach to fitness which comes partly from Christopher's background as a chiropractor.  Hence the business name, Align. His belief that when injured it's about changing your body, not just adjusting to the problem, through the right balance of functional exercise and nutrition.

This warm, inviting, modern studio provides Yoga, Pilates, TRX, Barre and the Yoga Wall classes, or the Great Wall as it's called.

The Great Wall

On my visit, Pamela personally greeted customers by name. She also struck up conversations with them and myself about blood type and fitness, detox and biomarkers, and the need to balance exercise and lifestyle. This studio is more than what you see; there appears to be some real expertise and experience.

Barre Classes

As local residents, Pamela and Christopher know the neighborhood well. They like to eat at Sidecar and treat themselves at Culture but they use many of the South Slope stores for their daily living.

As a new Studio they do have some special offers. They also have  add ons to membership like therapeutic Pilates and a Wellness Package which focuses on nutrition and holistic care.

Align Brooklyn, 579 5th Ave (2nd Floor) at 16th Street. 718-788-3940. Check out the Website and Facebook pages.

Joanna Tallantire
#theother5th

Your Mission for Today...

Then, come on down to Fifth Avenue (#theother5th) for lunch, have a drink at one of our bars and get some shopping done at one of our many unique boutiques!

Help Opera on Tap Grow!

Opera on Tap is a great local non-profit organization that makes opera more accessible and, in the process, introduces the art form to a whole new audience. You can find them performing in bars (they got their start in Freddy's back room), festivals and even in local public schools!

If you haven't had a chance to catch one of their amazing opera shows, you may have seen them perform last December as Fifth Avenue's Christmas carolers. They'll be returning to Fifth this year in mid-December but in the meantime, they are working hard to expand all over the country and they need our help!

Check out their IndieGoGo page, watch the video, learn more about their fundraising campaign and help in any way you can!