By Prem Calvin Prashad
The Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce is aiming to bring family-friendly nightlife to Flushing while celebrating the small businesses that have made the neighborhood flourish.
The event, Flushing Night Out, a “night market” for the community, is scheduled to take place on two dates this summer—July 16 and Aug. 21—at Flushing Town Hall, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Electronic DJ Black Maroon is scheduled to headline the first night. The organization is hoping to promote “cultural diversity and equality, support local artists and small businesses and a vibrant Flushing community,” according to its campaign page. The event will feature local food, fashion and music, according to organizers.
The Chamber’s executive director, John Choe, hopes that FNO will also create space where families and young people can hang out with friends and neighbors. “Our goal is to bring together an inter-generational group of people from all backgrounds to support local businesses,” he noted.
The chamber is looking to partially crowdfund for the costs of this event, launching a campaign on the fundraising platform Indiegogo. With a modest goal of $3,000, the organizers hope to fund entertainment, banners, equipment and insurance for the event. “Perks” for giving at certain levels include T-shirts, promotional considerations and even a free acupuncture session.
The sponsoring organization, the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, was founded in December 2014, to represent small businesses in the area. Choe cited “lack of infrastructure investment, targeted enforcement by government agencies, escalating rents, and displacement by major development projects” as all reasons that necessitated a Chamber of Commerce to support mom-and-pop businesses in Flushing.
The chamber is an “outgrowth of the One Flushing community organizing project,” according to the organization’s website. One Flushing had previously crowdfunded the painting of a mural at the LIRR station on Main Street and 40th Road, in Flushing.
Choosing to hold the event at Flushing Town Hall is a symbolic choice. Choe noted that the town hall was in the center of the community when Flushing was an independent town. “We hope to connect newcomers to the history of Flushing,” Choe said, and recapture a sense of community that was lost after consolidation with Manhattan.
The organization is confident that it can put on a successful event due to its small, but focused team and the chamber’s network with local business that can contribute to the event. Choe said that the event already has “Italian pizza, Indian samosas, and Chinese nougat-makers confirmed,” but additional vendors are welcome.
The project is a few hundred dollars away from its goal and the campaign ends July 15. To contribute, visit https://igg.me/at/fnonightmarket/. On July 3, a local business will match donations made to the campaign on that day. For more information, or to sign up as a vendor, visit fnoni
For more information on upcoming events and other programming from the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, visit flushingchamber.nyc
