Morris Park businesses have largely flourished during the pandemic despite struggles in other New York City neighborhoods.

Morris Park Business Improvement District Executive Director Camelia Tepelus says once the coronavirus took hold of the city, they made sure to keep their local stores open.

“Many of our businesses are very, very resilient fighters,” Tepelus says. “They feel a deep engagement in the community, they will not pack up and leave at the first sign of difficulties.”

Tepelus went door to door offering shops masks, helping businesses apply for loans and grants and marketing the stores through social media.

The neighborhood did have two businesses close since the beginning of the pandemic, but the BID also added 11 new stores in that time.

“There is a sense that we are in this together,” Tepelus says. “So I feel like this is what also brings new people on the corridor.”

The Morris Park BID received an “Avenue NYC” grant in 2020 that they say will help expand their community outreach so that they can hear what the residents need in the future.