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Read the press release here.

City Ads Send Shoppers to Businesses Suffering Since Sandy

By Jesse Lent | December 9, 2012 5:19pm
 Workers at One Girl Cookies, a cake and cookie boutique in DUMBO that was impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
Workers at One Girl Cookies, a cake and cookie boutique in DUMBO that was impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
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DNAinfo/Jesse Lent

DUMBO — City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has a message to small businesses struggling in the wake of Hurricane Sandy: Help is on the way.

Early Sunday afternoon, Quinn made a Brooklyn appearance in one of the waterfront districts hit hard by the hurricane's destruction.

At One Girl Cookies, a handmade cake and cookie boutique in DUMBO, she announced the launch of “Support NYC Small Business,” a promotional campaign to drive shoppers to businesses in areas like DUMBO that are still suffering from the storm's aftermath and expensive toll.

One Girl Cookies was forced to remain closed for two weeks following the storm, missing out on important revenue for the small company. 

“We need to drive people to these neighborhood small businesses so they shop here,” Quinn said. “We’re kicking off today a major promotional campaign to get the word out and to encourage shoppers to shop local this holiday season and beyond.”

The campaign will feature ads citywide run on television and radio, as well as in taxis and on buses, urging shoppers to support businesses affected. It will also feature a new website where businesses that have reopened amidst post-Sandy struggles can be added to an interactive map.

Yelp.com has been enlisted to drive traffic to the map, which can be found at www.supportnycsmallbusiness.com.  

“So many New Yorkers are looking for ways to help those impacted most by Hurricane Sandy, and one easy way is to shop this holiday season and beyond at the small businesses in areas around the city who were hit hardest but have been able to reopen their doors,” Commissioner Robert Walsh, of the Department of Small Businesses Services, said.

Quinn was joined by Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Carlo Scissura, as well as councilmembers Domenic Recchia, Diana Reyna and Margaret Chin.

For Recchia, supporting local businesses affected by the storm is the most effective way for residents to help the city fully recover.

“We get small business up and running, we get people back to work, we get the economy running again and we can get back to normal,” he said.