As Jay Corn sees it, one of the biggest edges that the Village of Great Neck Plaza has over local shopping areas in Nassau County is the Village of Great Neck Plaza Business Improvement District.
“The difference between Great Neck and other towns is that they don’t have a BID, we do,” said Corn, the BID’s vice president.
Corn said the BID gives the business community a $154,000 war chest that it uses exclusively to promote business in the Village of Great Neck including the annual annual Great Neck Plaza AutoFest and Street Festival.
Every business in the village of Great Neck Plaza pays a BID tax which is no more than 20 percent of the village tax, Corn said. “That money can only be used to benefit the businesses in Great Neck Plaza.”
In addition to the Autofest, the BID also sponsors various promotions throughout the year including a Halloween parade, Restaurant week, which showcases the eclectic cuisines that the Plaza has to offer, and the Bond Street Promenade.
During these promotions the business take advantage of the increased foot traffic buy offering deals and coupons, Corn said.
“We get tremendous support from the retailers.”
Corn said the BID also enjoys a close relationship with the Village of Great Neck Plaza, three of whose members sit ont he BID board. Like other BID events, the AutoFest is joint production of the village and the BID.
Corn attributes the success of the commercial district in the village to variety of shopping in the Plaza.
”Great Neck Plaza offers unique stores that have unique items in them,” he said. “You’ll find items there that you won’t find at mall stores.”
Corn is quick to recognize the significance of the Long Island Railroad running straight through the heart of the commercial area of the Plaza.
“The train activity is a big advantage to businesses being located in the Plaza because of the constant flow of people,” said Corn.
Though there’s help from BID, the stores in the Plaza as well as the other eight villages on the peninsula have been affected by the struggling economy.
“We have to work through it,” Corn said. “There are tremendously high real estate taxes in our community. It’s detrimental to the businesses. It’s a problem that we just have to deal with.”
The best part of the Autofest, Corn said, is that it “exposes people to our town, it makes people want to open businesses here.”
Car Collector historian and author Howard Kroplick said the ambiance of the village is one of the reasons he will attend the AutoFest and showcase his two classic cars, a 1909 Alco 6 and the “one of one, Chrysler’s Chrysler,” a 1937 Chrysler Imperial, the only one of its kind.
While the Autofest is entering it’s 22nd year, there has been a street fair in existence for six years prior to that.
“We’ve been doing this for 28 years,” said Village of Great Neck Plaza mayor Jean A. Celender. “We like to give back to the community for their support through years.”
Celeder attributes the success of the festivals to the community’s affection for Great Neck Plaza.
“It’s a beautiful community,” said Celender. “The people want to celebrate their hometown, they come down from their apartments and walk to it.”
What makes the Autofest and the other events successful is the involvement of the residents, Celender said.
“They eat up these events,” she said. “They love it, it makes us want to do more for them.”
The mayor reflected on the longevity of the festival.
“It stated out small and kept growing and growing,” she said. “It’s a nice thing and I hope people enjoy it.”
