Local storeowners unite

By Denáe Brewer
Editor-in-chief

Storeowners along the Ogden Avenue corridor and throughout Highbridge are now united.

The Ogden Avenue Merchant Business Association began their incorporation process this month.

The association, made up of stores like Rite Aid, Top Hill Cleaners, Associated Supermarket and CK Beauty Supply, to name a few, have met consistently since early March. However, they have been in the planning stages since December 2002.

“We’ve seen the need for unity in this community,” said Calvin Jackson, owner of CK Beauty Supply and president of the association. Mr. Jackson said the merchants are a vital part of the Highbridge community. “We have businesses here so that means we have an interest in this community’s success,” he added. For these merchants, incorporation is the key to their success.

With its perks — non-profit status garnering a sales tax exemption—Mr. Jackson explained that the Merchant and Business Association will ultimately help the community.

“We [the storeowners] can work on any number of things that will make Highbridge even better. We can get anti-graffiti paint for the gates. We can hang holiday lights across Ogden in December. We can even throw a block party inn the summer. The possibilities are endless.”

This association is the first of its kind in Highbridge. Ann Abraham Lindsey of LTS Consultants has advised the merchants since the beginning and is pleased with the storeowners’ enthusiasm.

“You do have an obligation to the community you serve,” she affirmed in a recent meeting “You have more power as an unified group. You can make a difference.”

Although Ogden Avenue is prominently in the association name, members stress that membership is not discriminating.

“They do not exclude anyone, this is intended to build unity throughout the neighborhood,” said Terry Connolly, a community organizer for Highbridge Community Life Center. “One of the group’s leading supporters is Marie [Minor] and her hair salon is on Summit Avenue.”

Currently there are 15 members in the association, but as Mr. Jackson states, “there’s always room for more.”

If you are a storeowner in Highbridge and would like to learn more about the association and how it can benefit you, contact Mr. Jackson at (718) 538-6075.