WOULD YOU LIKE WINE OR BEER WITH THAT?

Enjoy a glass of wine or a beer with your dinner at Old Brick Cafe. To help Old Brick get a wine and beer license, please support its application to the State Liquor Authority by signing the petition.

Old Brick Cafe Lounge
507 Church Avenue, between E. 5th Street and Ocean Parkway
(347) 425-8391

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS!

SHOP AROUND THE WORLD ON CHURCH AVENUE

The international nature of our neighborhood makes people in other neighborhoods envious! "Eat Globally, Shop with the Locals: Kensington's Church Ave." advises readers to "Visit Church Avenue in Kensington for a chance to shop for a world of food in 11218, a zip code that is often cited as the most diverse in the country." But we don't have to visit--we're already there!

The article describes Church Avenue as "a paradise of high quality ethnic food shops." Four stores--Bastek Deli, Dinosha Albanian Village, Golden Farm, and Mexican Grocery & More--are singled out for praise.

Bastek Deli
321 Church Avenue, between E. 3rd and E. 4th streets
(718) 437-1081

Dinosha Albanian Village
319 Church Avenue, between E. 3rd and E. 4th streets
(718) 851-9773

Golden Farm
329 Church Avenue, corner of E. 4th Street
(718) 871-1009

Mexican Grocery & More
326A E. 2nd Street, between Church Avenue and Albemarle Road
(718) 871-6882

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS!

HUGE SALE AT RICH FROG TOYS!

Moms! Dads! Aunts! Uncles! Cousins! Grandparents! Friends!

There's no need to go all the way to Toys 'R' Us or to any store in another neighborhood to buy toys and other gifts for kids. A wonderful children's store is within walking distance--Rich Frog Toys!

Rich Frog Toys has a wide selection of toys and other gifts, including

• dolls
• books
• cars and trucks
• wooden games and puzzles
• educational toys
• stuffed animals
• rainy day outfits
• Kettler tricycles and other fun vehicles
• wooden kitchen sets
• puppets
• strollers
• etc., etc., etc.!

Check out the great buys from manufacturers like

• Melissa and Doug
• Under the Nile
• Haba
• Kaloo
• Hello Kitty
• Kettler
• and others.

Print out a copy of this blog post to get 20% off any item in the store through December 24, 2009 - or mention KARMA when you're in the store!

Rich Frog Toys
"Where children learn to use their imagination"
Educational Toys for Boys and Girls
211 Church Avenue, between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets
(866) 371-1858
http://www.richfrogtoys.com

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS!

BUSINESS RECORDKEEPING (FREE)

Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Free seminar on Business Recordkeeping, designed to inform small business owners about their recordkeeping responsibilities and answer these questions:

• Why are good books and records necessary for the success of your business?
• How will well-organized records help you if your business is audited by the IRS?
• What types of records are generally accepted by the IRS?
• How long should you keep your business records?

Register by calling (718) 797-0187 or e-mailing sbdc@citytech.cuny.edu.

Brooklyn Public Library Business Library
280 Cadman Plaza West, first floor conference room

Presented by the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation, Brooklyn Public Library Business Library, Internal Revenue Service, New York State Small Business Development Center, City Bar Justice Center-Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project.

SMALL BUSINESS TAX PLANNING SEMINAR (FREE)

Thursday, December 3, 2009, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Free Small Business Tax Planning Seminar for small business owners.

Topics:

• Business Legal Structures for Existing and Emerging Businesses
• Tax Tips for "Start Up" Businesses

Reservations required. Call (718) 522-4600, extension 10, or send an e-mail to n_sampayo@bedc.org.

Location:
Capital One Bank
356 Fulton Street, Brooklyn

Presented by the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation and the Internal Revenue Service.

IRS COLLECTION AND TAX PAYMENT OPTIONS FOR FINANCIALLY DISTRESSED SMALL BUSINESSES (FREE)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

A free workshop about IRS Collection and Tax Payment Options for Financially Distressed Small Businesses will provide information about various options for payment of outstanding income tax liabilities. The collection process will be reviewed, electronic payment options will be explored, and installment agreements and offers in compromise will be discussed in detail.

To register, call (718) 797-0187 or send an e-mail to sbdc@citytech.cuny.edu.

Sponsored by Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation, Brooklyn Public Library Business Library, Internal Revenue Service, New York State Small Business Development Center, City Bar Justice Center-Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project.

Brooklyn Public Library Business Library
280 Cadman Plaza West, first floor conference room

THANKS, CONNIE'S CAFE, FOR YOUR COMMUNITY SPIRIT

THE KENSINGTON AREA RESIDENT/MERCHANT ALLIANCE DAFFODIL DAY

COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD

IS AWARDED TO

Connie's Cafe

THANK YOU FOR KEEPING KENSINGTON
GREEN AND BEAUTIFUL
BY SPONSORING DAFFODIL DAY

OCTOBER 25, 2009

THANKS, OLD BRICK, FOR HELPING TO BEAUTIFY CHURCH AVENUE

THE KENSINGTON AREA RESIDENT/MERCHANT ALLIANCE DAFFODIL DAY AWARD FOR

MOST BEAUTIFUL
TREE PIT

IS AWARDED TO

Old Brick

THANK YOU FOR KEEPING KENSINGTON
GREEN AND BEAUTIFUL

OCTOBER 25, 2009

CALL OR E-MAIL TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES SURVIVE!

From The Coalition to Save Small Businesses:

The Coalition to Save Small Businesses urges everyone to help end the crisis faced by New York City's small businesses. Join the phone and e-mail campaign directed at New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

If the Small Business Survival Act isn't voted on during the last City Council meeting of the year (December 21st), the bill will automatically die. It will have to be submitted all over again in 2010.

Until the bill gets passed, thousands of hard-working small business owners will continue to pay unreasonably high rent and continue to pay money to the landlord under the table in order to get their leases renewed. And New York City will continue to lose successful small businesses and tens of thousands of desperately needed jobs.

What can you do to help get the Small Business Survival Act passed this year?

Beginning Monday (tomorrow), from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Call Speaker Quinn's City Hall office to "demand that the Small Business Survival Act be immediately voted out of the Small Business Committee and voted on by the full city council."

Repeat the calls on Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Friday, from 9 a.m. to 11a.m.

Ask everyone who cares about the future of our city to get involved. Only public pressure will lead the City Council’s leadership to do the right thing and end the crisis. Regulating property owners who donate to politicians and have influence over them won’t happen without public pressure.

Speaker Quinn’s telephone number: (212) 788-7210

Fax: (212) 788-7207

E-mail: Cquinn@council.nyc.gov

This is the last chance this year to get a vote on this bill. The Mayor and Speaker Quinn have stalled and formed worthless programs that they claim will assist small businesses in the hopes their actions and words will draw attention away from the crisis and the Small Business Survival Act. A real solution is needed to save small businesses and jobs.

Please see http://karmabrooklyn.blogspot.com/2009/10/slip-me-cash-to-renew-your-lease.html for more information about the Small Business Survival Act.

66TH POLICE PRECINCT AND OUR CONGRESSPERSON'S REP AT ANA MEETING

A representative from the 66th Police Precinct will address neighborhood issues at this month's Albemarle Neighborhood Association community meeting. Please be there to voice your concerns!

Also speaking will be Eli Slavin, Constituent Liaison from the Office of Congressperson Yvette Clarke. He will discuss some of the issues that Ms. Clarke is addressing, such as health care reform, immigration reform, and cyber-security.

Refreshments provided by Foodtown and ANA will be served after the meeting.

Thursday, November 19th
7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Flatbush & Shaare Torah Jewish Center, 327 E. 5th Street, corner of Church Avenue

CRIME AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE

Dahill Neighborhood Association (DNA)
and
West Kensington Action Group (WKAG)

invite you to their first joint meeting.

Monday, November 16th, 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Guests:

• a representative of the 66th Precinct
  
• our incoming City Councilmember, Brad Lander
  

Your input and observations are crucial to making this a successful meeting.

Make Kensington a safer, cleaner, better place to call home.

P.S. 230
corner of Dahill and Albemarle roads, in the auditorium

Please pass this invitation on to others.

OLD BRICK APPLYING FOR BEER AND WINE LICENSE

Old Brick Cafe Lounge is applying to the State Liquor Authority for a beer and wine license. Please support this effort by signing the petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/OldBrick/index.html.

Old Brick's owners are community-minded. They have been hosting KARMA's meetings, and they have fixed up the tree pit in front of the cafe to make it attractive. They're good neighbors!

Old Brick Cafe Lounge
507 Church Avenue, between E. 5th Street and Ocean Parkway
(347) 425-8391
Menu: http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/old-brick-cafe-lounge/menu

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS!

HALF-PRICE DEAL AT OAK AND IRIS CAFE

Buy one dinner and get the second one for half price at our local family-friendly cafe, The Oak and The Iris. Check out the delicious entrees on their dinner menu on MENUPAGES, including

• grilled chicken cutlet with portobello mushrooms and choice of mashed potatoes or vegetables,
• stuffed chicken roll with asparagus with grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes,
• grilled salmon fillet with grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes,
• and several newly-added entrees!

Read more about O&I on our blog at http://karmabrooklyn.blogspot.com/2009/08/free-wi-fi-and-tasty-food-oak-and-iris.html.

The Oak and The Iris Cafe
2826 Fort Hamilton Parkway (corner of E. 4th Street)
(718) 208-7713

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS!

KENSINGTON, BROOKLYN CONSIDERS ITS FUTURE

Kensington is Andrea Swalec's beat for the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism's New York City News Service. Andrea has immersed herself in learning about Kensington, including by attending KARMA meetings. In the process, she's grown quite fond of our neighborhood.

Andrea interviewed several local merchants--Namaste Yoga of Kensington, Pizza & More Dahill Halal Gourmet, Rahman Fashions, Bangladesh Hair Dresser, Foodtown, and Rich Frog Toys--and got their take on Kensington's future.

NEW YORK STATE DIRECTORY OF SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS

The New York State Directory of Small Business Programs was updated in September 2009. The directory helps small business owners find resources for business planning, operations, and growth. Almost all of the programs listed in the directory serve established businesses. Some of the programs also accept start-up businesses that have been in operation for less than a year.

Topics include

• Information Resources, such as Permit Assistance and Licensing, Starting a Small Business,Tax Guidance, and Property Casualty Insurance,
• Technical Assistance, such as Entrepreneurial Assistance,Small Business Development Centers, and Minority and Women Business,
• Funding Incentives, such as Community Development Financial Institutions,
• Tax Incentives, such as Recruiting and Training Employees,

and much more.

KARMA'S NEXT COMMUNITY MEETING, NOVEMBER 3RD

The next community meeting of Kensington merchants and residents who are interested in the future of Church Avenue will be on Tuesday, November 3rd, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Old Brick Cafe Lounge, 507 Church Avenue, between E. 5th Street and Ocean Parkway.

Our guest speaker, Rick Miranda, is the President and CEO of the Brooklyn Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He will tell us about the availability of loans to small businesses, something that many businesses need to think about in these difficult economic times.

KARMABROOKLYN SUPPORTS LOCAL BUSINESS!

SLIP ME CASH TO RENEW YOUR LEASE

For years, commercial landlords have been demanding cash "under the table" from their tenants in exchange for renewing their leases.

"These fees, which merchants are expected to pay on top of rent in order to renew their leases, are common" in ethnic communities. The Asociacion de Bodegueros de los Estados Unidos, a national association of Hispanic merchants, reports that "one in three merchants in New York City must pay these fees."

"A survey confirmed what immigrant owners already knew: It's almost routine for landlords to demand 'cash money' under the table to negotiate a new lease."

KARMABrooklyn supports the Small Business Survival Act. Outrageously high rent hikes, in addition to the extorted cash, mean that "An estimated 48,000 Hispanic small businesses will close in five years without the protection of the Small Business Survival Act." "Nearly 60 percent of the city's small businesses are owned by women - and they will not survive without the Small Business Survival Act."

DAFFODILS PLANTED!

Thank you to all of you who worked so hard planting daffodil bulbs today. Church Avenue and the vicinity will have beautiful yellow flowers in the spring when the daffodils bloom.

"LIVING IN KENSINGTON"

"Living in Kensington" takes a look at our neighborhood's

• Housing,
• People,
• Safety,
• Parks and Recreation,
• Pubs, Clubs and Entertainment,
• Shopping and Eating, and
  
• Transportation.

Author Kirsty Henderson describes Kensington as "a taste of a non-gentrified Brooklyn" with a "slower pace" and a "wonderfully diverse neighborhood and cuisine."

She praises several local businesses, including Shenanigans Pub, Denny's Steak House (a bar, not a restaurant), Foodtown, Old Brick Cafe (Italian, Balkan, and Mediterranean), Kabir's Bakery (Bengali and American), Dinosha Albanian Village, Taqueria Los Poblanos (Mexican), La Flor de Santa Ines (Mexican), and Shayna's (West Indian and American).

ACCESS TO FINANCE THROUGH MICRO LENDING

The Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation
The Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC)
Accion USA
Project Enterprise
Capital One Bank

Presents

A free workshop
for new and existing small business owners:
Access to Finance through Micro Lending

Are you aware of the lending options that are available to you? Want to learn how to obtain a loan or line of credit for your small business? This is your chance to learn how to:
Obtain financing
Understsand the lending process
Improve cash flow

Thursday, October 29, 2009, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Capital One Bank, 3345 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Take the J train to Crescent Street or the B13 bus to Crescent and Fulton streets.

Registration is required, as seating is limited.
Call Carlos or Mildred at (718) 647-8477, extension 112 or 115
or send an e-mail to carlosq@cypresshills.org.

DAFFODIL DAY NEXT SUNDAY!

Daffodil Day was rained out. It'll be this Sunday, October 25th, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. See you there!

DAFFODIL DAY RAINED OUT?

If it ISN'T raining tomorrow, Daffodil Day will be tomorrow, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

If it IS raining tomorrow, Daffodil Day will be on Sunday, October 25th, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

We're hoping it doesn't rain tomorrow!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

PICK UP A SHOVEL AND MAKE KENSINGTON BEAUTIFUL!
WATCH CHURCH AVENUE BLOOM!

Sunday, October 18th, is Daffodil Day in Kensington.

Join your neighbors as we plant daffodil bulbs on Church Avenue and its side streets. In the spring, watch the flowers that we planted bloom!

From 9:00 a.m. to noon, volunteers will

• loosen soil in tree pits
• plant daffodil bulbs
• go to Connie's Cafe for free coffee and a muffin!

Wear clothing and shoes that you don't mind getting some dirt on. If you can, bring

• a hand cultivator
• a trowel
• a bulb borer
• anything else that's useful for digging and planting
• extra gardening tools, if you have them, for your neighbors to use.

We'll meet at 9:00 a.m. in front of Astoria Federal Savings, at the corner of Church and McDonald avenues.

Connie, the owner of Connie's Cafe (corner of Church Avenue and E. 5th Street), has graciously agreed to donate coffee and muffins for the volunteers.

This neighborhood event is sponsored by KARMABrooklyn (Kensington Area Resident/Merchant Alliance) and WKAG (West Kensington Action Group).

OLD BRICK CAFE LOUNGE: GOULASH GALORE

Do you love goulash? Tried it but didn't like it? Never got around to trying it? Enjoy a delicious bowl of chicken (pictured) or veal goulash, served with a heaping helping of mashed potatoes, in the relaxed, old-world atmosphere of Old Brick Cafe. A mixed salad and a big, puffy pita round out the meal. After you're done, you won't need to eat again for a long, long time!

Old Brick serves Italian, Baltic, and Mediterranean cuisine.

Old Brick Cafe & Lounge
507 Church Avenue, between E. 5th Street and Ocean Parkway
(347) 425-8391
Open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 pm.
Free delivery.
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/old-brick-cafe-lounge/menu

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS!

FREE MAT PILATES CLASS AT NAMASTE YOGA

Have you tried Mat Pilates yet? Namaste Yoga is offering a free introductory class next Sunday, October 18th, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Bring your own mat or rent one for $2.00.
Class maximum: 20 (first come, first served)

Registration for Mat Pilates classes has a 10-class card minimum. The card can be used for all classes offered.

Namaste Yoga of Kensington
482 Coney Island Avenue, 2nd floor (The main entrance is on Church Avenue. Walk up the red staircase with the red door, behind the corner pizzeria and next to the car wash service center.)
(347) 533-6226 or (347) 533-6227
http://www.mynamasteyoga.com

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS!

DAFFODIL DAY IN KENSINGTON

PICK UP A SHOVEL AND MAKE KENSINGTON BEAUTIFUL!
WATCH CHURCH AVENUE BLOOM!

Sunday, October 18th, is Daffodil Day in Kensington.

Join your neighbors as we plant daffodil bulbs on Church Avenue and its side streets. In the spring, watch the flowers that we planted bloom!

From 9:00 a.m. to noon, volunteers will

• loosen soil in tree pits
• plant daffodil bulbs
• go to Connie's Cafe for free coffee and a muffin!

Wear clothing and shoes that you don't mind getting some dirt on. If you can, bring

• a hand cultivator
• a trowel
• a bulb borer
• anything else that's useful for digging and planting
• extra gardening tools, if you have them, for your neighbors to use.

We'll meet at 9:00 a.m. in front of Astoria Federal Savings, at the corner of Church and McDonald avenues.

Connie, the owner of Connie's Cafe (corner of Church Avenue and E. 5th Street), has graciously agreed to donate coffee and muffins for the volunteers.

This neighborhood event is sponsored by KARMABrooklyn (Kensington Area Resident/Merchant Alliance) and WKAG (West Kensington Action Group).