Marva Allen spearheaded The Power of One, a small business neighborhood revitalization initiative. (DNAinfo.com/ Hue-Man Bookstore)By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
HARLEM — The corner of 125th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd. in Harlem is a beehive of activity. Tour buses shuttle tourists east across the main street as a crane lifts construction material to the top floor of a condo development on the corner, and pedestrians bustle in and out of shops.
Yet many storefronts are vacant in the surrounding blocks. And few people who enter stores emerge with bags of merchandise.
Marva Allen knows first-hand how hard the recession has hit small businesses in Harlem. As the owner of Hue-Man Bookstore for the past seven years, she has watched neighboring businesses come and go, most noticeably during the recent economic downturn. The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce reports that more than 35 percent of Harlem small businesses have shut down over the past 18 months.
As Allen watched, she realized that the area's small-business owners lacked the kind of mutual support system that she had been a part of when she was building her successful book-selling business. Allen knew from personal experience that in order for her small business and others to thrive they needed to band together.
The Power of One initiative includes 40 participating small businesses in Harlem. (DNAinfo.com/ Hue-Man Bookstore)Thus was born the idea for “The Power of One,” a small business neighborhood revitalization initiative.
“I figured everyone was getting a stimulus package,” Allen said. “Even though small businesses make up 59 percent of employment in the US, we are treated like second-class citizens.
"Gentrification is a good thing when it brings jobs to an area," she said, "but something needs to be done to preserve what gives a community its uniqueness.”
Part marketing campaign, part social action network, The Power of One is a consortium of entrepreneurs and-small business owners who are urging community residents to invest in their community by supporting local businesses.
By purchasing a Power of One card, shoppers earn discounts when they shop at area stores. Participating businesses include shops ranging from cafés, theaters and museums to flower shops, electronic stores and a spa.
“Unity is what makes things work, not competition,” she said. “Together we achieve more.”
The group has set a goal of selling a million cards in the next six months. The funds it raises will go toward subsidizing the discounts provided by participating small businesses, and finance a micro-loan program for entrepreneurs.
Some of the remaining funds will go toward operating expenses, Allen said, and the rest will be used to underwrite a local beautification initiative and help out five local charities. The charities include the Theater of the Oppressed, the Amsterdam News Foundation, Opus 118, the MVP Foundation and Cool Culture.
“That’s our vision,” Allen said. “It’s large. We don’t apologize for it.”
On Sunday evening, The Power of One will kick off its initiative with a benefit event from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Riverside Church titled “Small Steps, Great Leaps.” Entertainers and speakers include Terrence J from BET’s 106 & Park, Tamara Tunie, from “Law & Order: SVU,” director and choreographer George Faison, Tony-Nominated leading actress Montego Glover of the Broadway musical “Memphis” and Three Mo’ Divas.
Tickets are $15 for students and seniors; $25 general admission; and $35 for admission and special V.I.P. reception. Tickets can be purchased at the Riverside Box Office; 866-388-4TIX; or online at www.ticketannex.com or www.theriversidechurchny.org.
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