BAY RIDGE — The Merchants of Third Avenue (MOTA) held an informative, passionate meeting at the Greenhouse Café the evening of Nov. 13, where the group discussed driving more traffic to the avenue and attracting new members.   

MOTA President Daniel Texeira told the Brooklyn Eagle that of the 430 businesses on Third Avenue, about 95, or less than 25%, are MOTA members.

“We’d like to get our membership up,” Texeira said. “But unfortunately, Third Avenue is a tale of two cities. 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.”

Texeira, addressing the crowd of 30 plus, said, “If you have people on your block that are not members, I ask you to go out, solicit them and bring them in, because we want to keep Third avenue thriving.”

Enticing merchants 

Chrisie Canny, event coordinator for the MOTA, explained that the holidays is a really important time of the year to work together and bring traffic to the avenue.

“We want to get more stores involved so that we can do more things,” Canny said. “We need everyone to join in and work as a community. But how to entice more merchants has been a challenge.” 

Texeira added that scheduling events such as the tree lighting on Dec. 2 and a winter stroll on Dec. 14 and 15 is a great way to bring in more money and new members. Daniel Soldano of Soldano Realty is one of the newer MOTA members. 

“I’m happy to be a new merchant on Third Avenue,” Soldano said. “Bay Ridge has always been home to me, and being part of the Merchants gives me an opportunity to be more involved in the community that I serve and love. But as a new member here, I have to say, a good elevator pitch is needed to reel in potential members, specifically talking about what we can do for their businesses.”  

James Vavas, president of Vavas Insurance, pointed out that there is a “misconception of what this board does.”

“The job of this association is not to drive sales,” Vavas said. “The job is to make Third Avenue a place where people want to come. Then it’s on us to have a quality product, to provide a quality service, to deliver something that somebody wants to pay for.”

Strength in numbers 

Kiki Vitale, owner of Blue Door Seafood Taverna, said that she has been a member of the Merchants for eight years but isn’t sure if MOTA has enough benefits. “Aside from the summer strolls, which has helped my business, why am I joining? What do I need it for?” Vitale asked.  

One merchant, without missing a beat, succinctly summed it up: “You should be joining the Merchants of Third Avenue for more than just the summer stroll. You should be joining it to help the community come together, so that businesses can help each other out,” she said. “There is strength in numbers.”  

Vavas also added that while Canny does a “phenomenal” job, a subcommittee of volunteers to support her would be a splendid idea.  A “block captain,” or a neighborhood leader who works to keep residents informed and involved, was suggested as a vehicle to recruit new members. In addition to a “marketing sub-committee,” a group that advises on and develops strategies to promote an organization’s mission, programs and achievements, in turn building its brand. 

The next MOTA meeting is slated to take place sometime in January 2025.