Brooklyn's Progress
March 2003

By Chris Abbate

Brooklyn’s design world will take center stage this June, when the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce presents Brooklyn Designs - the first-ever Brooklyn design show.  According to Kenneth Adams, President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, “Brooklyn is becoming known worldwide as a dynamic center for design and craftsmanship.  Our idea is to focus on this emerging sector of Brooklyn’s economy and bring together some of our best contemporary furnishings designers and manufacturers under one roof for a three-day exhibition.  We want to show a design-savvy Metropolitan New York audience the level of creativity and excellence that thrives in our borough.”

The show will take place in DUMBO at St. Ann’s Warehouse at 38 Water Street from June 13-15, 2003.   The juried exhibitors will all be Brooklyn-based, manufacturers and designers with products that range from furniture to lighting, linens, rugs, and decorative accessories for home, office and garden.   Exhibitors will include companies like:  City Joinery, Rico Espinet, Kea, Lights Up and Robert Martin Designs. 

On Friday, June 13th, the show will be open to design professionals and buyers only from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The show will then open to the general public for evening hours from 5 – 8 p.m.  The general public will also be welcome during the weekend hours, which are Saturday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.  Also planned are shuttle buses from the NY Design Centers as well as a series of lectures on contemporary design.

A steering committee, commissioned by the Chamber, has already secured high-profile cultural and corporate sponsorship.  The Brooklyn Museum of Art will have a membership booth at the show, and Pratt Institute will have a booth exhibiting recent work. In addition, Interior Design Magazine, known for its design-forward content, has signed on as the official trade media sponsor while the DUMBO-based home furnishings retailer West Elm has agreed to be the show’s first corporate sponsor.

The Chamber’s efforts to celebrate Brooklyn’s place on the design map have already paid off; there’s been tremendous interest from the design, city and shelter media. The Daily News is the first local paper to publish a preview article on the show.

Brooklyn Designs is supported in part by a grant from the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York State Legislature in cooperation with NYS Empire State Development Corporation.  For more information visit www. Brooklyndesigns.net, http://www.ibrooklyn.com/ or contact Karen Auster at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce at 718-875-1000 x113.