DOWNTOWN — Maybe the "L" in LES BID should stand for lucky.
The Dow soared more than 400 points Thursday after representatives from the Lower East Side's business improvement district rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
About 15 board members and staffers from the Lower East Side BID shared the honor after getting picked at the last minute to perform the morning ritual, signaling the start of the trading day amid a particularly painful stretch for the markets.
“We brought the luck of the Lower East Side to the stock markets, which are up greatly today,” said Tim Lemberger, director of marketing for the BID.
At the end of trading, the Dow was up 423 points, capping a series of series of spikes and plunges over the past few days that followed Friday's 500-point crash.
The BID had asked to ring the opening bell last year and was chosen to do the honors Thursday after another group unexpectedly cancelled the day before.
“We were also excited to increase exposure for the Lower East Side logo worldwide, as the opening-bell ceremonies are seen by millions of people every day," he said.
BID president Mark Miller, who owns Mark Miller Gallery on Orchard Street, personally pulled the trigger on the opening bell and said he hoped the internationally-observed act would make more people notice the neighborhood.
“I was especially thrilled by the positive market uptick today and all the international exposure the LES BID will get,” he said.
“It is my hope that people from around the world will notice our neighborhood branded by the acronym LES and consider visiting our unique boutiques, cool galleries and amazing restaurants and museums on their next trip to NYC."
The BID, founded in 1992, covers properties along Orchard and Allen streets between East Houston and Canal streets, as well as a few blocks on Delancey, Broome and Grand streets.
The organization is pushing to expand the district west to the Bowery, east to Clinton and Attorney streets, and south to East Broadway, which would triple its current size.
