There’s been a lot of great storefront and sign work going on this past week on Myrtle Avenue. Here’s a rundown of what some of our existing businesses have done to look even better than before:

Clinton Hill Hardware (452 Myrtle, between Washington & Waverly): The family owned-hardware shop installed new roll-down security gates yesterday. The new gates, which are a high-quality open-grille design, will allow customers to window shop during off-hours. A new awning is scheduled to come soon!

Waza Sushi & Ramen (485 Myrtle, between Hall & Ryerson): This week the restaurant added an old-fashioned style awning to their storefront. The striped awning looks great and will be of great help on sunny days.

Carthage 521 (521 Myrtle, between Steuben & Grand): The hookah bar and cafe really transformed their storefront this week by adding a new awning, paired with a prominent new sign.

El Cofre Restaurant (454 Myrtle, between Washington & Waverly): Although the restaurant didn’t add anything this week, their current storefront and sign has become exposed to the avenue again after two years of sitting in the shadow of scaffolding that was used to perform work above the restaurant. We’re happy to be able to see the restaurant in the sunlight again!

Shic by Soketah (564 Myrtle, between Emerson & Classon): The hair, nail and beauty bar added a stylish awning, elegant hanging sign and replaced their old solid-panel security gates with a much more attractive open-grille design. The once bland storefront is now one of the most attractive on the avenue.

Many other businesses are planning storefront or sign work, so keep your eyes open for more improvements coming soon!

Le Petit Bakery received a $7,400 grant this week from the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project LDC (MARP) to assist with the storefront and commercial space improvements made at their new store. The money is part of a New York Main Street (NYMS) grant that MARP received from the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation in December 2011. This grant award is the first of many more to come on Myrtle Avenue with this latest round of NYMS funding. About half-a-dozen other projects are in the works on Myrtle Avenue between Washington Park and Adelphi Street.

This latest round of funding is MARP’s fourth NYMS grant award from New York State. Since 2004, MARP has awarded more than $425,000 in matching grants to local property owners and merchants to assist with improvements and rehabilitations of the avenue’s historic buildings. The grants have been matched by more than $1,500,000 in private dollars from the 25 property owners and merchants who have participated locally in the NYMS grant program.

One of Myrtle's newest businesses, Le Petit Bakery at 354 Myrtle (between Adelphi and Carlton), is set to open this Monday! The business is still looking to fill a barista/counter position. Interested applicants can send a resume off to info@lepetitbakery.com or call 718-875-650 for more info.

Learn more about the new bakery at their Facebook page.

There are still a few spots available for guests to join us at the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership BID Annual Meeting, with guest speaker NY City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. The meeting is on Tuesday, September 27th, from 5-7pm at SoCo, 509 Myrtle Avenue. Drinks and light appetizers will be served. The meeting is open to the public, but RSVP is required.

RSVP at www.surveymonkey.com/s/MyrtleBIDAnnualMeeting2011.

Loving the new signage at Five Spot, located at 459 Myrtle Avenue (corner of Washington). The above and backlit channel letters were installed this past Tuesday. The signage is part of the popular food and entertainment establishment's larger facade and storefront improvement undertaking. Read more of the details here.

Want to see it up close and personal? Stop in--enjoy great food and drinks or check out any number of the restaurant's events, including karaoke every Sunday.

Five Spot is located at 459 Myrtle Avenue and can be reached at 718.852.0202.

Announcing the 2010 Holiday Windows contest winners! First Place: LeAnne Iverson @ Gray's Studio Cafe, Second Place: Natalie Apuzzo @ Wally's Square Root Cafe, Third Place: Kathleen Hayek @ Zaytoons. Congratulations, and a special thanks to all the artists and merchants who participated this year!

Work is underway at 419 Myrtle where a lease was recently signed for the 1,800 sq ft space. The planned restaurant and pub is still unnamed, but renovations are in progress. The owners have stripped the space down to its historic bones, exposing cast iron Corinthian columns, high ceilings, beautiful brick walls and what appears to be the building’s original wall paper.

The 68-seat restaurant will evoke the inns and dining rooms found in New York during the Prohibition-era and at the turn of the century. The menu will offer 24 quality draft beers, 40 quality bottled beers, 2 highly unique Cask Ales, an extensive wine menu and delicious assortment of small plates, salads and large plates for lunch and dinner, and weekend brunch.

Work to the storefront and commercial interior will be supported with a NYMS Grant from MARP. The New York Main Street Program (NYMS) is a Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC) grant program administered by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to provide financial and technical resources to help New York communities with their Main Street revitalization efforts by: providing financial incentives for the rehabilitation of traditional building stock, fostering small business development, encouraging energy efficiency and addressing issues of code compliance. The NYC Department of Small Business Services has provided MARP with operating support to manage the program for the last 3 years.

How it works on Myrtle: Our NYMS Grants are matching, reimbursement grants available, through MARP, to property owners and merchants on Myrtle Avenue between Washington Park and Classon Avenue for façade preservation, storefront improvements and commercial interior renovations. Grant recipients employ local contractors, architects, structural engineers and preservationist (depending on the project scope) to complete the work. MARP selects and works with recipients to complete projects that: - Respect the original design of the buildings - Facilitate commercial activity on Myrtle Avenue - Ensure long-term benefits to the improved buildings - Correct immediate health and safety concerns and code violations - Positively impact the Myrtle Avenue corridor.

Work has begun at 555, 557 and 559 Myrtle Avenue (between Classon and Emerson)! Jabus Contractors erected the scaffolding last week and as of yesterday, most of the brick work had already been completed. The property owners aren't stopping at brick and masonry work, they are also working with skilled carpenters to recreate the historic upper and storefront cornices and make repairs to the storefronts.

The buildings used to be home to Hollywood Fruit and Vegetables, a business that operated on Myrtle from 1935 to 2007! Now that the shop is closed, the owners are focusing on getting the buildings in peak condition for new commercial tenants. All spaces are currently available and feature unique historic details (like spindled woodwork and original tin walls and ceilings)in remarkably good shape. If you're looking for a home for your business, call MARP at 718-230-1689 for more information.

The New York Main Street Program (NYMS) is a Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC) grant program administered by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to provide financial and technical resources to help New York communities with their Main Street revitalization efforts by: providing financial incentives for the rehabilitation of traditional building stock, fostering small business development, encouraging energy efficiency and addressing issues of code compliance. The NYC Department of Small Business Services has provided MARP with operating support to manage the program for the last 3 years.

Through a competitive process the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project (MARP) has been awarded New York Main Street funds in three previous rounds of funding. To date, we have been awarded $500,000 and as of now, almost all of those funds have been committed or disbursed!

How it works on Myrtle: Our NYMS Grants are matching, reimbursement grants available, through MARP, to property owners and merchants on Myrtle Avenue between Washington Park and Classon Avenue for façade preservation, storefront improvements and commercial interior renovations. Grant recipients employ local contractors, architects, structural engineers and preservationist (depending on the project scope) to complete the work. MARP selects and works with recipients to complete projects that: - Respect the original design of the buildings - Facilitate commercial activity on Myrtle Avenue - Ensure long-term benefits to the improved buildings - Correct immediate health and safety concerns and code violations - Positively impact the Myrtle Avenue corridor.

While you are checking out the building, take a look next door at the Emerson, a recently completed NYMS interior renovation and storefront project. Stay posted for more NYMS updates, two more interior projects will be beginning work soon!

Gone are the days of small windows and exterior gates!
Dr. Jan’s office got a whole new storefront, complete with a new sign and an interior paint job. The new, aluminum storefront was made with historic proportions in mind. The open transom windows and large display window increase transparency to the street and allow for more natural light in the waiting area. By replacing the solid, exterior gate with an interior, open grill security gate, Dr. Jan and the property owner were able to maximize the size of the window, reduce visual clutter and create a more inviting and attractive storefront that feels safer for pedestrians, day and night.

That’s not all! There were dramatic improvements to the upper façades of 334 and 366 Myrtle. We rebuilt cornices, made repairs to sills and lintels, cleaned and repointed brick, brightened up the facades, provided structural reinforcement and weatherproofed!

Both property owners were recipients of the New York Main Street Grant, a $10,000 matching, reimbursement grant designed to assist property owners and merchants on Myrtle Avenue between Washington Park and Classon with commercial interior renovations, facade improvements, preservation and energy efficiency projects.

Through a competitive process the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project was awarded New York Main Street funds, a Housing Trust Fund Corporation grant program administered by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal to provide financial and technical resources to help revitalize our Main Street.

This summer the avenue is sprinkled with sidewalk sheds and scaffolding as merchants and property owners make repairs and improvements to their buildings. Many of these projects, ranging from commercial interior renovations to cornice reconstructions to complete façade restorations, are receiving New York Main Street grant assistance through MARP.

The New York Main Street Program (NYMS) is multi-million dollar Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC) grant program administered by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to provide financial and technical resources to help New York communities with their Main Street revitalization efforts by: providing financial incentives for the rehabilitation of traditional building stock, fostering small business development, encouraging energy efficiency and addressing issues of code compliance. The NYC Department of Small Business Services has provided MARP with operating support to manage the program for the last 3 years.

Through a competitive process the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project (MARP) has been awarded New York Main Street funds in three previous rounds of funding. To date, we have been awarded $500,000 and as of this summer, almost all of those funds have been committed or disbursed!

How it works on Myrtle:
Our NYMS Grants are matching, reimbursement grants available, through MARP, to property owners and merchants on Myrtle Avenue between Washington Park and Classon Avenue for façade preservation, storefront improvements and commercial interior renovations. Grant recipients employ local contractors, architects, structural engineers and preservationist (depending on the project scope) to complete the work. MARP selects and works with recipients to complete projects that:
- Respect the original design of the buildings
- Facilitate commercial activity on Myrtle Avenue
- Ensure long-term benefits to the improved buildings
- Correct immediate health and safety concerns and code violations
- Positively impact the Myrtle Avenue corridor.

Next time you’re taking a stroll down Myrtle, stop by some of the properties recently completed / under construction!

334 (between Washington Park and Carlton) – Last year the property owner updated the building the houses Farmer, and this summer, he is doing the same for the building next door. In the scope of work: upper cornice improvements, cleaning and repointing of brick, sills and lintels, interior open grid gates and a reconstructed lower cornice and storefront.

366 – Scaffolding should go up any day now! The property owner has planned construction to repair the upper cornice, waterproofing and sills and lintels on the upper façade. Currently, the new tenant, Brooklyn Stone Boutique, is hard at work in the commercial space preparing to open her women’s clothing and jewelry boutique.

459 /461 (corner of Washington and Myrtle) – The owners of Five Spot went big – undertaking major work on both building facades and the storefront, with technical assistance and a loan from the New York Landmarks Conservancy's Historic Properties Fund. Their scope included new brownstone, cornice repairs, cleaning and repainting the Washington façade, removing exterior gates and installing a new, iron, accordion-style storefront with a corner entrance.

456 – 460 (between Waverly and Washington) – When you’re at Anima or Joseph Tyler Salon, look up to check out the newly repaired upper cornices!

561 (between Emerson and Classon) - Behind the construction fence, the Emerson (a new bar opening in mid to late September) is taking shape. The business owners are busy constructing the detailed interior and beautiful storefront for their new bar and neighborhood hang-out.

Stay tuned for more projects, beginning work any day now!