Bed-Stuy Gateway BID, Neighborhoods Now, and Wells Fargo Present Winter Wonderland 2.0, A Holiday Experience
Following its success last holiday season, the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business Improvement District (BID) is bringing Winter Wonderland 2.0 to the village of Bedford-Stuyvesant. An open-air holiday market supporting local Bed-Stuy small businesses, Winter Wonderland 2.0 is a collaboration between the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID; the Neighborhoods Now program organized by Van Alen Institute and the Urban Design Forum; and Wells Fargo’s “Hope, USA” initiative. The effort is being supported by Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.
In celebration of Small Business Saturday, this family-friendly, fresh air affair launches on Saturday, November 27 with a ribbon cutting at Restoration West Plaza, 1368 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY. Winter Wonderland 2.0 operates from 11 am to 6 pm every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“We are truly thankful to Neighborhoods Now and Wells Fargo for providing a safe, sound space for our merchants and community to come together to shop, explore, and celebrate the holiday season,” said Lynette Battle, Deputy Director, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID.
“With this generous support from Wells Fargo, the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID brings its beautiful and strategic vision for community gathering to life,” said Deborah Marton, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “Small business health and community wellbeing are one and the same, especially in a community like Bed-Stuy where most local business owners live right here.”
“We can’t wait to be back in Bed-Stuy to shop and spend time with family and friends at Winter Wonderland 2.0,” said Daniel McPhee, Executive Director, Urban Design Forum. “New York’s small businesses need our support more than ever this year, so we’re glad to partner with Bed-Stuy Gateway BID and Wells Fargo to bring the holiday market back and make it better than ever.”
“Small businesses have been through so much over the past two years due to the pandemic and other hardships,” said Krissy Moore, Senior Vice President, Northeast Community Relations for Wells Fargo. “That’s why this holiday season – and year-round – Wells Fargo is involved in initiatives that support and provide hope to business owners to assist them during these difficult times. The additional funding for Winter Wonderland will provide local residents with the opportunity to shop local from businesses in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood.”
This holiday season, through its “Hope, USA” campaign, Wells Fargo is beautifying business districts in 16 cities across the country, including Brooklyn, and encouraging everyone to join in giving hope a hand by supporting small businesses and shopping locally this holiday season. In Bed-Stuy, the “Hope, USA” support will allow Winter Wonderland 2.0 to double vendor space from last year, create an outdoor dining experience, and provide a safe staging area for families to meet, greet, and take photos with Santa.
Wells Fargo volunteers will help to prepare Restoration Plaza and Marcy Plaza for the Winter Wonderland 2.0 by participating in graffiti removal and engaging in some holiday beautification efforts. Architecture firm Moody Nolan created this updated design of Winter Wonderland 2.0; Moody Nolan has been collaborating with the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID since last year as part of Neighborhoods Now.
“Not only are we able to bring a world-class holiday tradition to our community,” said Dale Charles, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID’s new Executive Director. “Merchants within our business corridor are getting the support they need to build back better.”
This moment also highlights Wells Fargo’s commitment to Neighborhoods Now. Launched in May 2020 by the Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute, Neighborhoods Now partners with local organizations leading their communities’ recovery by building coalitions of architects, designers, and engineers. With a grant from Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund, Neighborhoods Now will continue throughout 2022 in Bed-Stuy, Chinatown, Jackson Heights, Kingsbridge, the Lower East Side, and Washington Heights.
About Bed-Stuy Gateway BID ↓
Centrally located in Brooklyn, the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID has proudly stood as one of the borough’s most prominent commercial and cultural focal points. Since 2009, the agency has partnered with local neighbors, and stakeholders to enrich its community through economic development while promoting its rich history of cultural diversity. Through a wide array of programs and services, the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID is committed to seeing the community thrive and blossom into the popular destination for all things Brooklyn.
About Neighborhoods Now ↓
A collaboration between the Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute, Neighborhoods Now connects New York City neighborhoods hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic with design firms in our collective network. Since May 2020, Neighborhoods Now has mobilized more than 85 firms to support hundreds of restaurants, small businesses, and cultural organizations across New York. Nearly all of the initiative’s neighborhood-based teams continue to collaborate and are advancing plans for recovery on a wider community scale. For more information, visit vanalen.org and urbandesignforum.org.
About Wells Fargo ↓
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is the leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 37 on Fortune’s 2021 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. Additional information may be found at
wellsfargo.com | Twitter: @WellsFargo.
Press Contacts ↓
Bed-Stuy Gateway BID: Keith Forest,
keithlforest@gmail.com
Urban Design Forum: Janrey Serapio,
janrey@urbandesignforum.org
Van Alen Institute: Alisha Kim Levin,
press@vanalen.org
Wells Fargo: Kevin Friedlander,
Kevin.Friedlander@wellsfargo.com