The Village of Great Neck Plaza is pleased to announce the kickoff of its Shop Local/Dine Local campaign, which Mayor Ted Rosen stated “is a key component of the Village’s campaign to support our local shops, restaurants and other food establishments in this difficult time.” Rosen continued, “The campaign will feature posters displayed in local shops, restaurants and other food establishments, lawn signs placed around the village and two banners affixed to the Middle Neck Road Bridge over the LIRR tracks.”
“I have lived in Great Neck Plaza for many years and have long been a devoted customer of our local shops and restaurants,” Deputy Mayor Gerald Schneiderman said. “These establishments offer great products, delicious food, attentive customer service and great convenience to our local residents.”
The Shop Local/Dine Local Campaign had been planned in the fall of 2020 and its kickoff was pushed back to a time when it was anticipated that the impact of the pandemic would begin to lessen and that the weather would improve. The eye-catching, attractive Shop Local/Dine Local posters were designed by Sam Marksheid, a professional graphic designer, who grew up in Great Neck Plaza and who volunteered his services in designing the posters and banners. Marksheid is the son of Deputy Mayor Pam Marksheid who noted “I am very proud that my son could utilize his beautiful talents and skills to assist the village in which he grew up and which he loves very much in this most important project.”
The Shop Local/Dine Local campaign, is part of a multi-faceted village program to support existing retail shops and restaurants and to recruit new businesses to the Plaza and to the Great Neck community. Rosen explained that “the village is forming a business advisory group which will be working with a local university to provide instruction to be paid for by the Village to local Village merchants in areas important to retail success, such as marketing, social media marketing, finance and customer service. The village is also planning a commercial landlord support group to help landlords be creative and resourceful in renting their commercial space. The Village has worked, and continues to work, closely with the Village’s Business Improvement District in providing various promotions for the Village’s retail businesses, restaurants and other food establishments. The Village’s Building Department Superintendent will continue to work closely with our downtown merchants, as he did last spring, summer and fall to allow them to maximize available outdoor space for outdoor dining and merchandise displays.”
“In addition to supporting our existing merchants, the Village is seeking to recruit businesses to come to Great Neck Plaza as well as the greater Great Neck community,” Rosen said. “The Village has formed a working group with representatives of the Great Neck Chamber of Commerce and certain other government officials to develop strategies to recruit businesses to Great Neck and the Village will also seek to hire a professional downtown recruiter or advocate to bring in new businesses to the Plaza.”
“This many-sided approach the Village is taking should help our businesses and restaurants recover from this very difficult year,” Deputy Mayor Marksheid said.
—Submitted by the Village of Great Neck Plaza
