AS 2009 COMES TO A CLOSE, THE
Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership wishes its members and friends all the best for the upcoming year. Thank you to all of our partners, sponsors and supporters for your participation and help in bringing many great initiatives to fruition, such as Phase I of the Master Plan for Streetscape Beautification, numerous public events, and the continued success of the BID's street cleaning, public safety and social service programs.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, thank you again for your continued commitment to this neighborhood. Have a safe and happy holiday season.

Sincerely,

Gregg Schenker, Chairman
Jennifer Brown, Executive Director

IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY,
please remember to complete the 2009 BID Community Survey to help us evaluate our work thus far and to share your priorities for the neighborhood.

As a thank you, the BID will randomly select four respondents who complete the survey to receive a $50 gift certificate to a Flatiron district restaurant.

To take the survey, CLICK HERE.

Celebrate Flatiron Partnerships 2009

To the thump of a rocking sound system and the thwock of paddles striking hollow celluloid balls, Celebrate Flatiron Partnerships 2009 turned out to be a really swinging affair.

Some 160 members of the community found their way down to SPiN New York on the night of Dec. 1, when the Partnership held its fourth annual holiday cocktail party. There, in the basement of 48 East 23rd Street, where SPiN operates what is said to be New York's largest table tennis facility, many of the guests displayed their Ping Pong chops (as well as their spins and smashes and slices) as they helped the BID kick off another festive season.

Those who weren't swinging a paddle at one of the 10 tables could relax in SPiN's comfortable lounge, exchange pleasantries with colleagues and neighbors or enjoy the hors d'oeuvres (mushroom or zucchini pizza, grilled cheese triangles, gourmet popcorn) and a beverage.

Guests were asked to bring a new unwrapped gift to the party as part of the annual Toy Drive conducted by the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. As usual, community members came through like champs, donating $1,000 worth of toys.

'Forging Ahead': A Need for Change

The present outlook for small businesses and entrepreneurships in New York State might seem unfriendly, but a lively forum and panel discussion at Baruch College last month focused on new ways to cope with current economic conditions.

The event, entitled "Forging Ahead: Entrepreneurship and Small Business Strategies for the New Economy," was attended by some 150 community members and co-hosted by the Flatiron BID and Baruch's Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship.

A highlight was a new Field Center report comparing critical measures of entrepreneurial activity in New York State and the U.S. and offering recommendations to reverse a downward trend. It was presented by Professor Edward G. Rogoff, Chairman of the Department of Management at Baruch's Zicklin School of Business.

Rogoff's fellow panelists were Jonathan Bowles, Director of the Center for an Urban Future; Raymond J. Keating, Chief Economist with the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council in Washington, D.C.; and Steve Cohen, Deputy Commissioner at Empire State Development. The moderator was Brian Tracey, Online Editor at Crain's New York Business. The panelists touched on everything from the importance of developing an "entrepreneurial culture" to the need for changes in the critical areas of taxes and regulations.

The morning ended with breakout sessions on how to update business plans; traditional, non-traditional and federal options for obtaining financing; an overview of Web 2.0 marketing tools and how social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter can help small businesses promote themselves; and new ways of assessing resource allocation during economic downturns.

"Forging Ahead" was the latest Intersections event, part of a BID series that focuses on information, ideas and the Flatiron community.

'Flatiron High and Low': A Walking Tour

A slight drizzle failed to dampen the enthusiasm of participants in a special walking tour of the Flatiron district conducted on Nov. 14 in conjunction with the "Flatiron High and Low" exhibition at the Van Alen Institute.

The tour, led by urban archivist Miriam Berman, author of "Madison Square: The Park and Its Celebrated Landmarks" and a special consultant to the exhibition, covered many of the neighborhood's architectural and historic highlights. It began at Van Alen's headquarters, then moved through the streets around Madison Square.

"Flatiron High and Low" will be on view until Friday, Dec. 11. It is presented by Van Alen, an organization that promotes innovative thinking about the role of architecture and design in modern life, in conjunction with the Flatiron Partnership.

It includes historic and contemporary photographs, vintage postcards, artists' renderings, and architectural drawings that celebrate the district's colorful and changing architectural and urban history -- including some visionary projects that were planned but never executed. Van Alen is at 30 West 22nd Street. Gallery hours are noon to 5, Mondays through Fridays.

EVER SINCE THE STREETS OF NEW YORK ECHOED WITH THE
slapping syncopation of hooves on cobblestones, the Flatiron district has had a powerful association with horses. For much of the 20th century, it was, as one writer put it, an "equine epicenter."

In 1875, the New York Coaching Club took up the reins in the heart of Madison Square (see newsletter, February 2009). The club's members, all affluent horsemen, had stables on 27th Street, staged picturesque parades and influenced the evolution of four-in-hand driving. Show horses romped through the original Madison Square Garden, and about a furlong away, the Jockey Club ruled the world of thoroughbred racing.

The very same year the Coaching Club was born, a Prussian immigrant named Herman Kauffmann set up shop in lower Manhattan, supplying harnesses for the nags that pulled police carts and fire wagons. Almost 50 years later, in 1923, H. Kauffman & Sons Saddlery Co. opened at 139 East 24th Street and became one of the largest retailers of riding equipment in the country. It remained there until 1991, when Baruch College acquired the property.

In 1907, Russian-born Mayer Miller opened a harness shop on East 24th Street, then a hub of horse auctions as well as a market for equestrian equipment. In 1939, Miller's moved into 123 East 24th (now the site of the Algonquin Theater). It filled five floors and became a huge catalog business, with dozens of salesmen, and factories in England and India. Times change, however, and Miller's eventually downsized to 117 East 24th, a few doors away. Not long ago, it sold its name and is now an online mail-order business with no retail outlet in New York. For a time, it seemed as though the Flatiron's relationship with riders might be nearing the finish line.

Enter the Tsang family.

In 2002, June Tsang, a long-time Miller's customer, and her husband, Ben, a cardiologist, purchased the 6,500-square-foot store from Miller's as an investment and called it Copperfield's. It was renamed Manhattan Saddlery in 2006 and for a while, just "muddled through," according to their son Nick, then a student at Harvard. In 2007, when Nick graduated, his father said, "Why don't you buy the business from me and see what you can do with it?"

It was a challenge young Tsang, now 25, found hard to resist. He instituted more efficient buying and inventory procedures, spruced up customer service, focused more on foreign clients -- who now account for half the volume -- and hired designers who had worked on the Broadway revival of "Equus" to create window displays. With the help of a "really good staff" led by general manager Mike Santiago, who's been selling riding equipment for 28 years, Tsang spurred a major turnaround.

Today, Manhattan Saddlery, which calls itself the only tack shop in New York, has a main floor studded with the proper boots, clothing and equipment for disciplines from dressage to show jumping to fox hunts. The basement is a horse haberdashery, devoted to everything equine: saddles and stirrups, bridles and bits, curry combs and hoof picks. Manhattan Saddlery also operates an extensive online catalog.

"I'm a preservationist at heart, and I like to think of the store as a tangible link with the past," said Tsang. "Horses in the city are a pretty storied legacy. They are all part of the things that made New York what it is."

And, in some cases, what it continues to be.

(Manhattan Saddlery, 117 East 24th Street. Phone: 212-673-1400. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays. Website: www.manhattansaddlery.com.)

New York Cares Annual Coat Drive

With the holidays right around the corner, New York Cares again will provide warm winter coats to thousands of our neighbors who might otherwise go without.

You can help by contributing money, by organizing a coat drive on behalf of your company or other organization, by volunteering to help sort and bag the coats or, most basically, by donating a coat you no longer need.

In the Flatiron district, new or gently used coats may be dropped off through Dec. 31 at the Time Warner Cable store at 46A East 23rd Street, just west of Park Avenue South, or at the 13th Precinct, 230 East 21st Street. For other locations and additional information, click here.

Town & Village Toy Drive

Town & Village is asking readers and community residents to help spread cheer by participating in its annual Christmas and Chanukah toy drive. A tradition for this newspaper for six decades, the drive delivers gifts to children undergoing treatment at Beth Israel Medical Center. Gifts appropriate for children of all ages will be accepted, as long as they are new. (Due to hospital policy, used toys, even gently used, can't be accepted for health reasons.)

The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies is accepting toys and donations for its annual holiday toy and gift drive, which aims to serve 60,000 needy New York toddlers, youth and teens. Donations can be dropped off at the FPWA office at 281 Park Avenue South at 21st Street weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The drive ends on Dec. 18.

To donate, contact Karen Giacalone at kgiacalone@fpwa.org or by calling (212) 801-1332. For more information, click here.

Housing Works: Clothing and Furniture

Housing Works' Thrift Shops are asking for donations of gently used clothing and furniture, which enable the organization to provide services and housing for homeless people with HIV/AIDS.

Clothing can be donated directly to the Gramercy location at 157 East 23rd Street. To contact this store, call (212) 529-5955. For free furniture pick-up and guidelines, call (212) 366-0820. To volunteer this holiday season, and year-round, click here.

Citi-Habitats Toy Drive

Real estate broker Citi-Habitats is again participating in the Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots campaign at all Citi-Habitat locations, including two in the Flatiron district. They are at 27 East 22nd Street and 32 East 22nd Street. A drop-off box for new unwrapped toys donated by individuals or corporations will be available at those locations through Dec. 18. For more information, click here.

A 97-YEAR-OLD TRADITION WILL
continue on Tuesday, Dec. 8, when the Madison Square Park Conservancy's annual tree lighting ceremony takes place in Madison Square Park. Once again, the Flatiron Partnership is one of the co-sponsors.

The Mad. Sq. Holiday program will get under way at 4:30 p.m. at the park's Northern Plaza, with seasonal music provided by the New York Life Singers and by AudraRox, a rock band for children. Both groups have performed at the lighting in previous years.

On Christmas Eve in 1912, Madison Square Park was the scene of the first such event. It was the earliest community tree lighting in New York City, and one of the first in the nation. Some 10,000 onlookers were there, standing on freshly fallen snow, according to The New York Times, and thousands more came by for a musical show that entertained the celebrants until midnight. A 63-foot conifer, called the Tree of Light, was adorned by more than a thousand red, green, blue and white bulbs and topped by a glowing Star of Bethlehem. That occasion is today commemorated by the Star of Hope monument at the southern end of the park.

Famous Famiglia

The first Famous Famiglia Pizzeria opened at 96th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in 1986. Twenty-three years later, the chain has locations in 25 states and the District of Columbia, China and Mexico. Now its newest unit has opened at 668 Sixth Avenue, near 21st Street.

The restaurant seats 50. Menu options include pizza with a variety of toppings, pastas, salads and Italian specialties such as chicken, eggplant, sausage or meatball parmigiana, calzones and heroes. Store hours are Sundays to Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. To contact Famous Famiglia, call (212) 229-4737, or click here.

New York Health and Racquet Club

Manhattan's 10th New York Health and Racquet Club is now open at 270 Park Avenue South, between 21st and 22nd Streets. In addition to a full array of exercise equipment, the 20,000-square-foot, three-level club offers classes in aerobics, spinning, boxing, dance and pilates. Other amenities include a swimming pool, co-ed sauna, massage facilities, and 15 trainers.

The club is open Mondays to Fridays from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information and details about membership, call (212) 245-6917, or click here.

Cole Haan

Cole-Haan has become the latest national brand to open a store in the Flatiron district. A 4,600-square-foot unit debuted Nov. 20 at 141 Fifth Avenue, near 21st Street, featuring outerwear, footwear, handbags, accessories and small leather goods for men and women. It's Cole-Haan's fourth store in Manhattan and its first south of 50th Street.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. For additional information, click here or call (212) 677-4693.

GameStop

With over 3,000 video game titles available, the newest GameStop store has opened at 682 Sixth Avenue, between 21st and 22nd Streets. GameStop sells games and the corresponding systems, including Xbox, PS3, PSP, and Nintendo Wii. Currently the most popular games align with the most popular genre, first-person shooters, and include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Assassins Creed 2. The New Super Mario Brothers, a more family-friendly game, is also one of the most sought after. Customers may trade in their used games for store credit, or for cash if 18 years or older.

The store is open Mondays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call (212) 675-2580, or click here.

Fresh-N-Fast

The newest entry in the Flatiron hamburger stakes is Fresh-N-Fast, a walk-in, carry-out place that was opened late last month by Heath Wolfson and Igor Beyder at 111 East 23rd Street, just east of Park Avenue South.

A narrow counter along a side wall provides a limited dining area, but most transactions are "to go." The store does not yet deliver, a possibility later on. Fresh-N-Fast features a basic menu: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, french fries and cheese fries. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry shakes are available, as are soft drinks and coffee. The store is open seven days a week, starting at 11 a.m. For the time being, it will close anywhere between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

• Flatiron BID holding talk on safety, security in community
• The business of the Flatiron
• Flatiron BID honors Baruch as 'Partner of the Year'
• Flatiron BID annual meeting
• Christine Quinn to speak at Flatiron BID event
• Information booth planned for pedestrian plaza
• New York Times - Historic Flatiron walking tour
• The transformation of NYC's Madison Square (video by Streetfilms)
• amNew York: Flatiron's fanciful flight
• Click Here for More News Articles

Newsletters

• November 2009
• October 2009
• September 2009
• August 2009
• July 2009
• June 2009
• May 2009
• April 2009
• March 2009
• February 2009
• January 2009
• Click Here for More Newsletters

The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District, formed in 2006, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the area's reputation as one of New York's most vital and exciting neighborhoods. This is undertaken by maintaining a clean and safe environment for those who live, work and visit the area; by spearheading area improvement projects; and by marketing the diverse business and retail options in this vibrant and historic neighborhood.

For more information go to our Web site at www.discoverflatiron.org or e-mail us at info@flatironbid.org.

Contact Information: