Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland

(November 06, 2023, Brooklyn, NY) — The weather outside may be frightful. However, thanks to Bed Stuy Gateway Business Improvement District (BID), the streets along its business corridor are about to be quite delightful, as it celebrates Small Business Saturday with the launch of its annual Winter Wonderland Popup Holiday Marketplace and Open Streets. Presented by Wells Fargo with support from Van Alen Institute, this festive fresh air holiday shopping experience showcases the diverse and vibrant businesses that make the neighborhood a great place to live, work and shop.

The festive holiday marketplace kicks off Shop Small, Shop Local Saturday, November 25, and will run Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays 12 noon to 6:00 PM, through December 23 at Marcy Plaza, Marcy Avenue at Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY. An official Ribbon Cutting ceremony is scheduled to take place at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 25, in celebration of Small Business Saturday. In addition to a festive open space marketplace, complete with environmentally safe greenhouses, a dedicated trolley will travel throughout the shopping corridor providing plenty of opportunities for visitors to shop locally. For additional information, please visit us at www.ww-bk.com.

“It’s truly an honor to once again uplift and celebrate the Bedford-Stuyvesant community this holiday season,” shared Dale Charles, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID’s Executive Director. “Our gratitude extends to our sponsor Wells Fargo, partners, and supporters who continue to support in making Winter Wonderland a treasured affair for generations to come.”

Winter Wonderland was founded in collaboration with Neighborhoods Now, the 2020-22 initiative from the Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute. Supporting partners include Con Edison, TD Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Van Alen Institute, Urban Design Forum, Buro Happold, Dash Marshall, Moody Nolan, Fried Frank, Gretel, Block by Block, New York City Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS).

“As the Bank of Doing, we truly believe that small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities – here in Brooklyn and nationwide,” said Krissy Moore, Senior Vice President – Community Relations Northeast Region at Wells Fargo. “The Bed-Stuy Gateway BID’s Winter Wonderland open-air holiday market has given local small business owners and entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to showcase and promote their brands and products to a larger base of customers right here in the heart of the Bed-Stuy community. Wells Fargo is proud to continue our support of Winter Wonderland for the third year in a row.”

Bed-Stuy Gateway BID annually shares its platform with local community stakeholders. Programming this year will include Community Thursdays, dedicated to non-profit and community organizations, and Caroling in the Plaza on Fridays featuring yule-tide sing-alongs with local houses of worship. Seasonal highlighted, activities will include a Holiday Lighting Ceremony 5:00 PM, Thursday, November 30, a winter fashion showcase featuring the latest creations from Brooklyn-based, iconic designer Moshood, Saturday, December 2, along with family friendly activities that include pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music, gift giveaways, and much more.

“Winter Wonderland celebrates the very best of Bed-Stuy,” said Deborah Marton, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “Showcasing the neighborhood’s exuberant creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and deep communal roots, the festival has quickly become a beloved annual tradition. Van Alen is honored to continue our partnership with Bed-Stuy Gateway BID and Wells Fargo to bring this community-led festival to life each holiday season.”

“The highlight of my holiday season is always Bed-Stuy’s Winter Wonderland,” said Daniel McPhee, Executive Director of the Urban Design Forum. “Dale Charles and the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID team have rallied some extraordinarily small businesses to sell unique gifts this year. We were honored to help make the market possible with our partners at Van Alen Institute and are excited to come back for the best year yet.”

Additional supporters include NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, New York State Senator Jabari Brisport, New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie, City Councilman Chi Osse, Brooklyn District Attorney Gonzalez.

About Van Alen Institute

Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through community-led inclusive design. We partner with leaders of historically disinvested communities to support their immediate needs and long-term visions with our network, knowledge, and resources. We shape diverse interdisciplinary teams, build cross-sector public/private coalitions, and invest our own funds to support neighborhood priorities. By centering community in everything we do, our inclusive design method responds to the urgent need for social justice in citymaking. For 129 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, arts and culture, community organizing, preservation, and public policy. See all work at vanalen.org.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is the leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management.

Wells Fargo ranked No. 37 on Fortune’s 2021 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter: @WellsFargo.

About the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID

Centrally located in Brooklyn, the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID has proudly stood as one of the borough’s most prominent commercial and cultural focal points. Since 2009, the agency has partnered with local neighbors, and stakeholders to enrich its community through economic development while promoting its rich history of cultural diversity. Through a wide array of programs and services, the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID is committed to seeing the community thrive and blossom into the popular destination for all things Brooklyn.

Press Contacts

Bed-Stuy Gateway BID: Keith L. Forest, keithlforest@gmail.com

Van Alen Institute: Alisha Kim Levin, press@vanalen.org

Wells Fargo:  Jacqueline Hlavenka-Sansone, jacqueline.hlavenka-sansone@wellsfargo.com