WINDSOR TERRACE — Small shops in Windsor Terrace are banding together to host the neighborhood's first-ever "holiday shopping event" on Thursday.
Stores will stay open until at least 8 p.m. and offer discounts. Some will serve sparkling wine and have musicians add a festive flourish.
Business owners hope the promotion will bring foot traffic to Windsor Terrace, a quiet neighborhood tucked "between a park and a cemetery" that some New Yorkers don't seem to know about, said Deborah Capone, owner of the Juice Pedaler, located on Prospect Park Southwest near Vanderbilt Street.
"The businesses can’t survive on Windsor Terrace alone — we need people to come from other neighborhoods," Capone said. "We're just not big enough. The goal is to get not only people from our neighborhood, but also to get people from South Slope, Greenwood Heights, Kensington and Sunset Park."
Capone teamed up with Rebecca Rubel, the owner of Windsor Place Antiques, to organize the shopping night. There's no business improvement district or merchants association in Windsor Terrace, so Capone and Rubel simply contacted merchants they knew and liked. They're hoping to expand the list next year and turn the shopping night into an annual event.
Participating shops include Black Bear Vintage & Handmade, on 16th Street off Prospect Park West, which sells vintage clothes and gifts, some created by neighborhood artists, such as illustrator Maya Edelman and candlemaker Lucie & Lacie.
At Juice Box Wines, customers can partake in a bourbon tasting while listening to an "Americana" band, and there will be hot chocolate, a percussionist and a vocalist at Juice Pedaler.
Other participating businesses include restaurants Le Paddock and Brooklyn Commune, The Gifted Putterer, City Owl, Terrace Books, Cynthia King Dance Studio and Smart Hair Studio.
"Not too many people know we’re here, so we’re trying to get the word out," Rubel said. "Windsor Terrace is tucked away, which is part of its charm, but that can also make retail challenging."
