Brooklyn's Progress
April/May 2008

BY JILL D’AMICO

Focusing in on a niche has been the rise of some of the most successful small businesses, and the ones in Brooklyn are no exception.

“What we know is that as people get more innovative, they find micro niches within a particular industry,” said Clifton Clarke, an economics professor at Brooklyn College. “They try to fill those gaps, or niches. But the concept is not new – that’s the way that you have business expansion: from innovative, creative expansion.”

Brooklyn itself acts as the niche for some entrepreneurs. The same local pride that emblazons sweatshirts with “Brooklyn” across the front and brands everything from locally made coffee to locally showcased minor-league baseball gives consumers something that they won’t find anywhere else.

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce has two initiatives – the Think Brooklyn! Gift Guide, a source for Brooklyn-centric gifts, and REAL BROOKLYN™, targeted to celebrating Brooklyn-made products. Among the featured retailers are Artez’n, a gift shop that features locally handcrafted items, and Wine Cellar Sorbets, a Greenpoint outfit that makes and distributes wine sorbet.

Leonard Shostak of Box of Rain, LLC consults with businesses in marketing and streamlining their processes. One of the things he has seen in his work is how Brooklyn makes a name for itself.
 
“Brooklyn has a lot of things to offer a small business,” he said. “It’s a cachet.”

Do One Thing Well
One of the ways businesses can take advantage of that is to do one thing, and do it well.

“We tell them to focus – a small business can’t look at approaching distribution to every supermarket in the country,” said Mr. Shostak. “We’ll focus on a niche market and try to build the brand locally.”

“If you want to build your brand with a Brooklyn name – by virtue of Brooklyn and the people that come from there and what they stand for – it’s a lot easier to sell that product in Florida and Texas, because it’s from Brooklyn.”

Food and retail have been especially adept at harnessing the power of a niche.

“Green” is a niche buzz word with special power as of late, and companies are using it to their advantage. One needn’t look far to see businesses throughout the borough capitalizing on the trend.

Restaurants from Greenpoint to Bay Ridge are hyping their local, sustainable offerings, retailers are offering local artisan made products, and even the cleaning business is going green – Go Green, Inc. on Atlantic Avenue went from using industrial-strength cleaning agents to a kinder, gentler process.

Restaurants, in particular, are able to cater to local niches.

“Although it is also in retail, you notice that restaurants cater to particular niches of a cultural group,” said Professor Clarke.

By serving the local population, businesses have the opportunity to work with a built-in niche, and they can expand upon that to grow.

“The other thing we are seeing is a lot of combinations,” he said. “You find a lot of these small restaurants, they do Hispanic food, but also do Caribbean, things that will be popular in the neighborhood.”

Strategies like that help businesses to expand their market while still working within their successful niche market. It also uncovers new, even smaller niches that can be capitalized upon as demand grows.

“This is going to continue as people become more innovative,” said Professor Clarke, “and as they find micro niches they can fill.

What Sets You Apart?

Businesses share what makes them competitive

"I compete. I do the best I can. I worry about what I am doing for my customer and not about my competition."
 – Thomas Verdillo, Tommaso

"Our niche market."
 – Jessica Sequinot, Tot Shop

"We are very hands-on as a company and we keep things small so that we have quality control. We also like to add a personal touch to everything we do."
 – Thea Grant, BAZZdeGRANT

"My service, the customer service."
 – Elizabeth Lehmann, Adam's Fresh, Inc.

"Incredible food. There is no other restaurant like this anywhere. We have dynamic staff...we [the owners] are hungry for success and expect nothing short of that from ourselves and our staff."
 – Farid Ali, Bogota Bistro

"I wouldn't know, it's unusual."
 – Emilio Oribe, Eau de Brooklyn

                                          – Compiled by Zainab Aslam