www.krvcdc.org
Marble Hill
Merchants
Merchant Meetings
Local Resident Discount Programs
Merchant & Shopper Surveys
Business Directory
& More
Marble Hill
Merchant Organizing Initiative
KRVC received a grant from the NYC Small Business Services to do merchant organizing in Marble Hill! We are
thrilled to launch this initiative, which will include merchant meetings, a Local Resident Discount Program, a Marble
Hill Business Directory and a Merchant and Shopper Survey. This packet includes more information and additional
materials about all these elements of our merchant organizing initiative. Our website and eblasts will include regular
updates. The meetings will also include updates on the elements described in this package.
Merchant Meetings—KRVC will host 8 merchant meetings from September 2014 through June 2015. The main
purpose of these meetings will be to build a foundation and develop the infrastructure for a Marble Hill Merchants
Association. At the meetings, we will identify merchant leaders and elect officers, draft a mission statement for the
association, establish goals and form committees. We will also develop bylaws for the Association and begin the incorporation process. The meetings will also include updates on our activities such as the Local Resident Discount
Program, a Marble Hill Business Directory and a Merchant and Shopper Survey. All Marble Hill merchants, interested residents and community leaders are invited and welcome to attend the meetings. See the back of this packet
for the meeting dates and be sure to check our website—www.krvcdc.org—for updates or changes to the schedule.
Local Resident Discount Program—The best customers are regular customers. The best chance to develop a regular customer base is to appeal to the local residents. A good way to bring in local residents as your best customers is
to offer them discounts. The more special customers are treated the more likely they are to become regular customers. Businesses can opt to participate in this program by offering local residents any sort of discount. The shopping
incentive or discount can be a percentage off, buy one get one free or half off, discount coupons or whatever sort of
special offer they wish. KRVC will provide participating businesses with decals and signs for their stores, which
identify them as in this program and flyers that will list all the participating businesses. KRVC will also promote the
program and its participants online via our website and eblasts. The mechanics of the program are simple: Residents
will show proof of their Marble Hill address to participating merchants and the merchants will offer their local resident discount to the local shoppers. See enclosed enrollment form for interested business owners.
Marble Hill Business Directory—KRVC’s website features a business directory. The business entries include logos, photos, addresses and contact info. and descriptions. KRVC will collect the information from businesses that
are interested in being featured in our directory. The Marble Hill directory will be promoted online and in a printed
brochure which will also include a business listing. See enclosed directory information form for more information on
getting your business featured in KRVC’s Marble Hill Merchant Directory. This is a great FREE way to promote
your business!
Merchant and Shopper Survey—In order to collect information on the needs of the Marble Hill commercial corridor, KRVC will conduct a survey of shoppers and merchants. The information we gather from these surveys will be
used in our meetings to shape the mission, goals and committees of the Association we will help the merchants form.
These surveys will be a very important element of and help shape this entire initiative. The surveys can be completed
by using the forms enclosed or they can be completed online. Merchants are asked to complete the merchant survey
and to keep copies of the shopper survey in their stores for shoppers to complete.
www.krvcdc.org
Founded in 1981, the KingsbridgeRiverdale-Van Cortlandt Development
Corporation (KRVC), a not-for-profit
organization, aims to encourage and
support local initiatives that will build and
enrich our community through social,
cultural, environmental, health, housing, educational and business enterprises. Our target area is the business and residential community
comprised of Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, Riverdale,
Spuyten Duyvil, Fieldston, Woodlawn and Van Cortlandt Village. KRVC
expands our work to other programs and communities when appropriate. KRVC has and extensive merchant organizing record. The organization was instrumental in the formation of the Kingsbridge Business Improvement District, the North Riverdale Merchants Association
and the Woodlawn Heights Merchants Association. KRVC has also
worked with the South Riverdale Avenue Merchants Association.
The Department of Small
Business Services (SBS)
makes it easier for businesses in New York City to
form, do business, and grow
by providing direct assistance to business owners, fostering neighborhood development in commercial districts, and linking employers to a
skilled and qualified workforce. SBS’s Avenue NYC Grant Program
funds Community Based Development Organizations (CBDOs), like
KRVC, in low- to moderate-income , such as Marble Hill, across the
five boroughs to implement commercial revitalization activities, including merchant organizing, that benefit businesses local residents. SBS
recently awarded and announced its 39 recipients of $1.4 million in
Avenue NYC funding for FY15. KRVC was one of the recipients and
the grant award was for Marble Hill merchant organizing.
Marble Hill Merchants
2014-2015 Calendar of Meeting & Events
Merchant Meeting
Topic: Benefits of and Introduction to the Mechanics of the Formation of a Merchants Association
Tuesday, September 30, 2014, 7pm at Applebees, 76 West 225th Street, Bronx, NY 10463
Merchant Meeting
Topic: Review Guide to Formation of Merchants Association, Start to Brainstorm
on a Mission and Goals for Association
Tuesday, October 28, 2014, 7pm at Applebees, 76 West 225th Street, Bronx, NY 10463
Launch Event
Holiday Shopping Discount Program for Local Residents
Tuesday, November 18, Details TBA
Merchant Meeting
Topic: Analyze Preliminary Survey Results, Refine Survey, Mission Statement and Goals,
Discuss Recruitment and Engagement Strategies
Tuesday, November 25, 2014, 7pm at Applebees, 76 West 225th Street, Bronx, NY 10463
Merchant Meeting
Topic: Pass Association Mission and Goals, Develop Draft Bylaws (using mission and goals),
Establish Committees, Nominate Officers
Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 7pm at Applebees, 76 West 225th Street, Bronx, NY 10463
Event to Release Merchant and Shopper Survey Results
Tuesday, March 24, 2015, Details TBA
Merchant Meeting
Topic: Elect Officers, Refine and Finalize Bylaws, Review Survey Results,
Nominate Committee Chairs
Tuesday, March 31, 2015, 7pm at Applebees, 76 West 225th Street, Bronx, NY 10463
Merchant Meeting
Topic: Pass Bylaws, Elect Committee Chairs, Hold Committee Meetings
Tuesday, April 28, 2015, 7pm at Applebees, 76 West 225th Street, Bronx, NY 10463
Merchant Meeting
Topic: Hold Committee Meetings, Plan Directory Launch Event
Tuesday, May 26, 2015, 7pm at Applebees, 76 West 225th Street, Bronx, NY 10463
Event to Release Marble Hill Merchants Directory
Tuesday, June 23, 2015, Details TBA
Merchant Meeting
Topic: Discuss Next Steps for Association—such as Meet the Merchants Movie and Events
Tuesday, June 30, 2015, 7pm at Applebees, 76 West 225th Street, Bronx, NY 10463