Directed by David Teague, Edited by Kathryn Schubert, Produced by Jen Watson

Our Purpose:

The purpose of the ReStore Red Hook fund is to help reopen the doors of our community based businesses quickly as possible and to reinvigorate and ReStore our extraordinary neighborhood. Therefore, ReStore Red Hook funds are to be used solely for the purposes of rebuilding/reassembling your business so that you can reopen, and continue to be a vital part of the community.

This fund was established by members of the community who feel that ReStoring Red Hook’s community-based businesses is not simply important to the individuals businesses, but is crucial to the neighborhoods vitality as a whole. We feel that our strength is in the synergistic relationships we enjoy as a community and that we are stronger and are all better served collectively rather than separately.

What is a community-based retail/small business?

This project has been designed to ReStore the community by preserving and ReStoring the businesses that serve, engage and interact with the public on a daily basis-- whether it’s by creating a draw to the neighborhood, such as The Red Hook Winery and Steve’s Key Lime Pies, or by providing the daily essentials we all need, as our bodegas and convenience stores do.

Our definition includes:

A brick and mortar storefront open to the public with regular hours
Location in Red Hook proper
Annual revenues under $2 million
Damages/Discontinuation of businesses suffered as a result of the storm

Distribution of Funds:

Working with very rough estimates, we believe most of the small businesses will require $50,000 each or more to repair and restore their businesses as whole.

As ReStore Red Hook collects donations, our goal is to redistribute them back to the businesses in need as quickly as possible. In December 2012 we were able to award grants of 4,000.00 each to approximately 50 local businesses. We anticipate a second round of grants in February 2013.

Rolling Membership Enrollment:

It is our goal and intention to enroll every interested and eligible business in the community as soon as possible. However, due to current challenges in communication given the ongoing power outages and other infrastructure damages, we recognize that it may not be possible to reach every business that would be an appropriate member of the ReStore fund, before disbursement of initial funds. Therefore, we will accept applications on an ongoing basis during the first phase of funding, and newly enrolled businesses will be eligible for equal fund participation from the time they join the fund. (This will not however, be retroactive.)

Outside Fundraising Endeavors:

Given that our primary objective is to get all of Red Hook's businesses back open again as soon as possible, we do not want to restrict any potential streams of donation and/or contributions, and we fully recognize that there may be donors who wish to give to a specific business rather than to the overall fund.

Therefore we encourage individual businesses to raise as much money as possible both individually and as a group within the fund.

Opting Out:

We encourage every community-based retail/small business to be part of the ReStore Community, even if you do not require the assistance from the fund.

There are businesses that may have other resources or may not need the funds or understand that there are others who need them more. We deeply appreciate the integrity of those who opt out of fund distribution, while remaining an active member of ReStore Red Hook and are eager to include these members in our communications so that we may all stand together in the creation of a better, stronger, Red Hook.

Partner Responsibilities:

As a part of the fund we ask that each member commit to the promotion of the fund, through social media, email signatures, public relations, word of mouth, etc. in order to maximize the potential of the organization and it’s ability to make a profound difference in Red Hook community building, and the restoration of the small businesses that make our “town” so vibrant.

We also ask members to think of cross marketing opportunities that can both highlight your business, and bring attention to the fund. For example: Baked has created a ReStore Red Hook Red Velvet Cupcake, and a percentage of proceeds are being donated to ReStore Red Hook. The opportunities are huge and limited only by your imagination…

The following is a partial list of businesses in the area.