BAY RIDGE — A soft September rain was no deterrent for the thousands of attendees that lined the streets along Third Avenue and the hundreds of local merchants that aimed to serve them on Sunday, Sept. 29.   

The 51st annual Third Avenue Festival, promoted as “The Biggest Block Party in New York City,” presented by the Merchants of Third Avenue (MOTA) in partnership with Councilmember Justin Brannan, went on without a hitch, spanning from 69th to 94th Streets. 

Merchants and vendors supplied a cornucopia of food and drinks, as well as a myriad of shopping options. There were also plenty of rides, games and live entertainment as well. 

A tale of two cities

“A lot of businesses make their month’s rent [at the festival],” said Daniel Texeira, president of the MOTA. However, Texeria pointed out that there is still room for improvement. 

“Of the 430 businesses on Third Avenue, about 95 of them, less than 25%, are Merchants of Third Avenue members,” he said. “We’d like to get our membership up.

“Unfortunately, Third Avenue is a tale of two cities,” Texeria continued. “From around 88th to 74th, the street is active, and then there are few dead blocks. But it is starting to pick up again down around 69th Street.”

Driving traffic

The Brooklyn Eagle spoke with a number of local businesses along Third Avenue during the festival and asked what the occasion means to them and what can be done to drive more traffic along the avenue. 

Michael Esposito, co-owner of Cebu, said he has been coming to the Third Avenue Festival since he was a boy and called it a truly great day for the neighborhood.  

“It’s a real shot in the arm for us,” Esposito explained. “It basically doubles our business. The neighborhood has grown by leaps and bounds, and the Third Avenue Merchants have been evolving with everything else. They are a big presence on social media, and their events and functions are top notch.”

Asked if he thought anything might be missing from Third Avenue that might draw more people to the strip and increase businesses’ bottom line, Esposito noted that, “While there is so much diversity and variety here on Third, it might be nice to have an antique furniture store, similar to what some small towns upstate have, and maybe an old school ice cream parlor.” 

Steve Oliver, owner of Pippin’s Pub and Chadwick’s Restaurant, also said that the festival increases his business 20 to 25%.

“In certain ways, it affects Chadwick’s differently than Pippin’s,” Oliver noted. “While dinners may be down at Chadwick’s, mainly because the streets are closed and there is no valet parking, we push the outside area with the bands. As for Pippin’s, we typically get a nice bar hit with people coming in for burgers and wings and watching sports.”

“I’d love to see even more strolls,” Oliver said. “But we have to do our part as well when it comes to bringing in business, and that includes continuing to be good and consistent and doing our own share of marketing in the area.”

Strength in numbers

Bobby Daquara, co-owner of the Greenhouse Café, explained that not only does the festival bring locals together, but it also draws people that may have left the neighborhood and are returning.

“The [summer] strolls are great,” he said, “The Third Avenue Festival is better mainly because it is longer. It’s a longer closure, and it begins in the daytime, running until the evening.” 

Daquara also pointed out that his business does experience an increase on festival Sunday.  

“While I can’t really do parties then, I compensate with more business outside. I get a lot of foot traffic off the street. It’s a really great day for us. For some businesses, it may very well be their best day of the year,” said Daquara.

Daquara urged more local businesses to join the MOTA, noting that, “there is strength in numbers.” 

“The Third Avenue Merchants genuinely care about the neighborhood and are willing to do whatever it takes to make the avenue as prosperous as possible,” he said.  

Maureen Brody, co-owner of the Green Spa & Wellness Center with Sheila Brody, explained that the day of the festival is no doubt the day they have the most traffic. 

“I would say that perhaps 10 times as many people come into our business then would come in on a normal Sunday,” Maureen said. “Being a Merchant of Third Avenue member is really well worth the investment. It’s an opportunity to garner exposure and the best time to get your info out there to the Bay Ridge community.”

Diane Giustiniani, manager of Bay Ridge Fishbar, said that as a merchant, she looks forward to the Third Avenue Festival to boost business, get the community together and get the name of the establishment out there.

“Our business goes up significantly, maybe 50 to 70%, versus a typical Sunday,” Giustiniani explained. “But there are still people that come here every day and say, ‘I never even knew you existed,’ and we’ve been here for two-and-a-half years. If I had one request, it would be to have more festivals throughout the year.”