October 22, 2020
Progress Continues Downtown
The leaves may be falling, but our cityscape continues to rise.
Autumn is a great time to enjoy a walk in our beautiful city. While the changing leaves certainly add some beautiful color, the many construction projects around town add their own sense of awe.
This week, full apartments were lifted onto the building site at 387 Huguenot. Last week, glass “skins” of windows were put on three different buildings and the shell of a swimming pool was delivered to the roof of the new Standard apartment building.
Teams of workers in hard hats and bright yellow vests are working hard every day to bring these construction projects — and the exciting vision for Downtown — to life.
Take a walk and see for yourself. Click here for a mini map of this week’s good spots for viewing the live action.
Come for the view and more. Our many shops and restaurants are open and ready to serve you.
It’s Pumpkin Spice Time
The smell and taste of pumpkin is in the air — and in our stores and eateries!
There is no shortage of wonderful products and dishes that pay homage to that classic October fruit, the pumpkin. (Yes, it’s a fruit, not a vegetable!)
Below are just a few of the pumpkin-centric things you will find downtown. Take our quiz and see if you know where to find them.
- Pumpkin Spice Latte, Cappuccino & Coffee and Locally Sourced Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Beer with Cinnamon & Honey Rim
- Organic Butternut Squash Ravioli with Caramelized Onions, Pancetta, Bits of Butternut in a Creamy Alfredo Sauce
- Pumpkin Placemats and Tablecloths
- Pumpkin Seeds Topping Acai Bowls and in Smoothies/Juices
- Pumpkin with Floral Arrangement
- Picarones: Peruvian style fried sweet potato doughnut, covered in home-made syrup
Ready for the answers?
- R Café and Tea Boutique (302 Huguenot St / 914-358-1841)
- The Wooden Spoon (16 Division St / 914-278-9432)
- Modern Restaurant (310 Huguenot St / 914-633-9479)
- The Curtain Shop (541 Main St / 914-636-8794)
- I Got the Juice (579A Main St / 914-336-2558)
- Enchanted Flowers (296 Huguenot St / 914-576-9288)
Sutton Florist (60 Memorial Highway / 914-355-2738) - Olibar Peruvian Cuisine (583 Main St / 914-813-8426)
Oh – and if you need an actual pumpkin, just stop by C Town, Viva Farm, or any of our local florists!
Upcoming Halloween Events
Looking for some Halloween fun?
Check out some of the upcoming events to be held Downtown this month:
New Rochelle Public Library and Friends of the Library
1 Library Plaza
Various dates in October
- Children’s Reading lists for Halloween & Scary Stories and Day of the Dead
- Teen Cosplay (for more information: website and Instagram)
- Cocktails & Conversation: A Hair-Raising Conversation with Edgar Winner (and creator of TV’s “Dare Me”) Megan Abbott (for more information: website and Instagram)
Halloween Psychic Medium Event
Posto 22 / Division Street
Monday, October 26 at 5:30 pm
Fascinating entertainment plus drinks and more! Click here for reservations!
Holiday Windows
Multiple locations on Main, Huguenot, Division, and North, including the New Rochelle Public Library
Now through November 2
Sneak a peek — in a socially distanced way, of course — and view the NRHS PAVE and Honor teen artists’ Halloween Magic creations on some of our Downtown Main merchant windows.
Pet Costume Contest
Bark N Bones / 456 Main Street
Thursday, October 29 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Come on down and show off your pet’s best costume! Open to all pets!
Celebrating National Italian Heritage Month
We have wonderful restaurants that bring the authentic flavors from Italy to Downtown New Rochelle.
Click here for a list of Downtown’s wonderful Italian restaurants and eateries.
Looking for business assistance and funding?
Helpful Information for Business Owners
Finding Funding
- The Women’s Enterprise Development Center 2020 MWBE COVID-19 Impact Accelerator and Grant Program will accept grant applications for $7,500 grants from October 20-26. Eligible businesses must be at least 51% owned by one or more persons of color or women, as defined by Section 308 of the County Charter. See here for more information.
- Westchester Putnam Workforce Development Launches Program to Help Small Businesses Hire or Rehire Staff. The WPWD Board has received CARES Act funding to assist employers in hiring new staff or bringing back laid off staff through its “Experience Works” Program. This program provides paid employment to each participant from the agreement activation date until Dec. 30, 2020. Click here to learn more.
- Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) recipients will now be eligible to receive low-interest loans through the New York Forward Loan Fund, according to a recent New York State Empire State Development (ESD) announcement. A conditional change will allow the Fund’s network of lenders and financial institutions to have greater flexibility when providing working capital to small businesses that need help covering expenses associated with reopening. Click here for the application and more information.
Pivoting to Online Business
- Main Street ONLINEis taking applications through October 30 for a new program powered by Google and COOP that will pair 150 small business owners with ecommerce-trained, supervised COOP students to build an optimized Shopify online store at no cost! The program will also help selected businesses reach new customers with Google tools. Program participants will get: hands-on assistance in setting up a Shopify website, free product listings on the Google shopping tab, an optimized free Business Profile on Google Search and Maps, and support on building effective Smart Shopping campaigns on Google. The Shopify websites created during the program will be free at first and then have a monthly charge afterwards. Click here for more information.
- Empire State Digital just announced a new initiative that will help New York State-based small businesses grow their online presence. It is a first-in-the-nation program with leading global e-commerce names including Shopify, Square, Clearbanc, and Etsy. You can read the announcement here. Program partners will be offering specialized solutions such as education, free resources, marketing support, and discounted pricing for New York’s small businesses. The Empire State Digital program’s website includes additional information.
Come experience all that is going on Downtown. It is fascinating and exciting. It is so much more interesting than a computer screen.
And remember that you are very important to all of our businesses in Downtown New Rochelle (#nrbid). Like us on Facebook (@nrbid) Follow us on Instagram (@nrbid)! Share our posts and tag us so we can share yours.
Karel Littman,
Executive Director
New Rochelle Business Improvement District (NRBID)