Residents Prefer To Shop Local In Fort Greene And Clinton Hill, Says Report

A survey of 477 people in parks and other public places in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill found that the majority of them (68.4 percent) were residents between 25 and 54 years of age, and over a third of them (39.5 percent) are visitors who specifically come to shop at local businesses over the weekends (54.2 percent) and on weekdays (49.1 percent in the afternoon and 49.6 percent in the evenings).

The Consumer Needs Survey (CNS) and Neighborhood Shopping and Dining Report, conducted by Fulton Area Business (FAB) Alliance and Pratt Area Community Council (PACC), with grant funding from the city Department of Small Business Services, also found that a whopping 74.8 percent of all respondents preferred to walk to stores and restaurants.

The most popularly frequented areas are DeKalb Avenue (around 35 percent), Myrtle Avenue (~32 percent), and Fulton Mall (~31.5 percent).

“The neighborhood is changing so fast that we wanted to get information to take to our businesses and let them know what people are asking for,” explained Phillip Kellogg, executive director of the FAB Alliance. “This way, they can use that information to respond to changing market conditions and be in a better place to take advantage of that.”

The CNS survey data – as well as a comprehensive Commercial Retail Market Study – will also help new businesses understand the shopping and dining needs and habits  – the collective buying power – of Clinton Hill and Fort Greene consumers.

“Some things reinforce what people know about customer service and quality, but also – particularly in Clinton Hill – this showed how much people want things available to them within a few blocks,” said Kellogg. “They just want more choices.”

Butcher shops, fashion/retail stores, fitness/health spots, footwear, and green grocers were the top 5 things on the list of businesses that people want to see, according to survey results.

Specific stores that respondents said they would welcome included Trader Joe’s (54 people), drug stores like CVS and Duane Reade (23 people), and Target (20 people).