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!

The Myrtle Windows Gallery will host the Prelude Exhibition of SONYA's Studio Stroll from April 29th - May 18th. Come celebrate the opening on Thursday, April 29th, on a guided stroll with SONYA artists beginning at 5:30pm at Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (417 Myrtle Avenue between Vanderbilt and Clinton), culminating at the opening reception at Tamboril (527 Myrtle Avenue between Grand and Steuben), from 6pm to 8pm, with hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar, music, and a video slide show. To RSVP for the guided tour or reception: call 718-705-4911, or email info@sonyaonline.org. Guests are encouraged to linger at Tamboril for the best in Nuevo Latino Cuisine! To make a dinner reservation, please call Tamboril at 718-622-5130.

This is the second of three Myrtle Windows Gallery exhibitions planned for 2010, and each will feature an added bonus for gallery visitors – special deals at five featured MWG businesses. Coupons for specials at Jive Turkey, Joseph Tyler Salon, Miracle’s, Kum Kau, and Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are included in the newly redesigned Gallery Guide, which will be available at participating merchants beginning April 29th, all located within four blocks:

Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (412 Myrtle); Kapellas’s (417 Myrtle); Connecticut Muffin (423 Myrtle); Karrot (431 Myrtle); Green in BKLYN (432 Myrtle); Jive Turkey (441 Myrtle); Thai 101 (455A Myrtle); Joseph Tyler Salon (456 Myrtle); Anima (458 Myrtle); Kum Kau (462 Myrtle); Miracles Unisex Barber Shop (473A Myrtle); Optimum Care Rehab (474 Myrtle).
This Myrtle Windows Gallery exhibit is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council, Inc. (BAC).

Last chance to view the works in the latest MWG exhibition, "Imprint", which will say goodbye on Wednesday, March 31st! Take advantage of the opportunity to add to your collection - many of these prints are very affordable, some at just $20!

Make sure to stop by Anima to view Nathan Catlin's piece "Knowledge is a Blessing..."(pictured here), and at Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to view "Banana Farmers" (also by the same artist). These pieces are catching people's attention.

Also, don't forget to pick up a gallery guide at participating MWG businesses, since this will also be your last chance to take advantage of specials listed in the brochure at Thai 101, Anima, Kapella's, Green in BKLYN, and Karrot.

The weather people are forecasting spring weather for this weekend - 50 degrees! That's perfect for an activity, like say, strolling Myrtle and viewing some art? The newest Myrtle Windows Gallery exhibition was installed this week, featuring prints by artists from Pratt. Twelve storefronts between Vanderbilt and Hall feature works by eight artists. Sounds like a great weekend activity!

Photo: Mabuhay Gardens by Sonya Katcher at Karrot