FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Crystal Bobb-Semple

Brownstone Books, 718-953-7328

Shops on Brooklyn’s Lewis Ave. hosts Third Annual Street Soiree

1,000 locals to enjoy music, food, bargains, spelling bee, chess tournament and more

The Shops of Lewis Ave. (SoLA) will take to the streets on Saturday, September 20th, from 10 am - 7pm, to once again delight neighbors, customers and the general public with a day of fun activities and revelry.

Lewis Avenue, between Decatur Street and Halsey Street, will be closed to automobile traffic, and each business will sell merchandise in front of its store. An additional 40 vendors are expected to set up booths and sell everything from all-natural juices and lemonade to hand-made collectible dolls. What’s more, there will be plenty of entertainment and activities for the entire family.

“The community looks forward to a SoLA special event each season, including our annual holiday tree lighting, our Haunted House Party and our spring wine tasting. The fall street soiree is especially popular because it’s all-day fun and it’s absolutely free,” says Bobb-Semple.

Bobb-Semple’s Brownstone Bookstore, for example, will host its annual spelling bee for children ages 7 to 14. The competition always draws a large crowd, with winners in each age group receiving $75 and much respect. Book authors will also read from their works. For its part, Bread Stuy, the popular community coffee house, will stage its annual chess tournament, along with favorite Djs spinning music as they do at the hot spot most Sunday afternoons.

Face painting and craft projects will draw the young to Lewis Gallery, a framing and gifts store, while adults will bid feverishly for one-of-a-king art.. Meanwhile, the stylish House of Art Gallery will instruct visitors on collecting and displaying art.

Speaking of style, Little Red Boutique, the trendy Lewis Ave. clothing store, will debut their fall fashion collection, while Akwaaba Mansion, the elegant Bed and Breakfast around the corner on MacDonough Street, will offer displays and a workshop on the art of entertaining with style.

“What‘s especially exciting about the merchants on Lewis Avenue is that each owner lives in the neighborhood and takes pride in serving their community in the broader sense of the word,” says Bread Stuy‘s Lloyd Porter, the current president of SoLA. Porter adds that five new businesses on the retail strip will be introduced to the community at the Soiree: Peaches Market and Café, already creating a stir with its delicious southern food with an urban flair; Creative Blossoms, a full-service florist whose owner, Estelle Harris, will cut her opening day ribbon this month; and Therapy Wine Bar, Butternut Market, and Saraghina Brick Oven Pizza, all expected to open on Lewis Avenue before year’s end. “We are truly experiencing a renaissance,” exclaims Porter.

Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church on the corner of Lewis Ave. and Decatur Street has partnered with SoLA to host the entertainment stage featuring gospel artists, poetry and more, while the newly reopened and renovated Macon Branch Public Library will simultaneously host its 4^th Annual Creative Arts Fair. The details and execution of this grand event are being carried out by The Perfect Guest Event Planning Services, a top-notch Bedford-Stuyvesant-based firm that has ensured many of the area’s happenings go off without a hitch. Indeed SoLA’s Street Soiree on September 20th will be a day of fun and pride for both residents and local entrepreneurs.

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