Atlas Park owner giving away $20,000

A retail developer recently brought some color to 71st Avenue and Queens Boulevard recently - red, white, blue and green - in hopes that Queens shoppers will inject some vibrancy back to the local economy.
Alongside two characters dressed as “Uncle Sam” and “Lady Liberty,” Damon Hemmerdinger, owner of The Shops at Atlas Park, doled out $200 to about 200 people in Forest Hills - several recipients managed to make away with more than $1. In total, the mall plans to give away at least $20,000, with up to $1,000 handed out through a sticker promotion.
The idea, Hemmerdinger explained after handing out the first round of bucks, is to spur shopping before the federal government’s planned economic stimulus package would go into effect. In January, President George Bush announced the plan, based on tax breaks and checks for as much as $800 to U.S. taxpayers.
Atlas organizers touted that their plan, called The Atlas Solution, as capable of infusing the economy with $342.8 million - if every shopping center in the country gives away a proportionate amount.
“What this is all about is that what we think is going to happen to the economy is going to happen,” Hemmerdinger said of the role of consumer opinion in shaping the national setting. He added, “The best scenario is that everyone starts to believe that we each can impact the future and we can turn things around.”
Hemmerdinger said that The Shops would continue to give away money until economic stimulus checks arrive in Queens residents’ mailboxes.
Along with the random giveaways on Queens streets, The Shops will hand out thousands of “I Support the Economy” stickers, which when displayed on a person or home, can win the wearer an instant cash prize from $1 to $1000. A sticker, which reads TheAtlasSolution.com, displayed on a car can also result in prizes.
Dave Kerpen, a spokesperson for The Shops, said that Hemmerdinger developed the idea after choosing an amount to give out, and then calculated that the figure equaled 5 cents for every square foot of retail space within the Glendale mall, located at 8000 Cooper Avenue.
Organizers said they computed the $342.8 million figure by gauging how much money would be doled out if owners and operators of shopping space throughout the nation all donated 5 cents per square foot - about 6.8 billion of retail room in total. Originally, The Shops forecasted the impact at a whopping $340 billion, but quickly changed the miscalculation on Tuesday, February 19.
“I think some shopping centers might step up to the plate and support the plan,” Kerpen said of the challenge put out by Atlas Park to malls nationwide.
Whatever the reasoning, most passersby on Monday, February 18 did not seem to mind the free money - only a few brushed off the giveaway as if the costumed characters were trying to lure them in to a sales pitch.
One woman, who called herself Varda, tried to convince the Atlas Park crew that they should tell people to “Vote for Hillary” as they gave away money.
And Elmhurst resident Shari Jaramillo, 23, and Corona resident Judy-Ann Roberts said that they would pick up bottled water with their bucks.
Eight-year-old Andrew Luo from Forest Hills dragged mom Quing Wang up to “Lady Liberty” and then excitedly proclaimed that with his $1, he wanted to buy a hot dog.
As part of the promotion, Atlas Park will offer free parking through June, plus giveaways for store gift certificates and Monopoly games, for kids who are not eligible to win.
For more information, visit www.theatlassolution.com.