As Williamsburg continues to evolve, iconic businesses that have been in the neighborhood for decades are facing new challenges. One of the most significant is a decline in foot traffic.

This is one of the key findings of the surveys that are part of the Commercial District Needs Assessment (CDNA) conducted under AvenueNYC, a three-year commercial revitalization program administered by the city’s Department of Small Business Services (SBS) that awarded grants to the Grand Street and Graham Avenue Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in 2025. The initiative is part of the East Williamsburg Avenue NYC Revitalization Program, which defines the neighborhood as the “triangular area bordered by the BQE along the northwest, Broadway along the southwest, and Bushwick Avenue.”

Among the 308 merchants surveyed, 31% identified low foot traffic as one of their biggest challenges. Amid their other top concerns were transportation issues, particularly bike lane configuration on Grand Street and the need for better multimodal transportation options. Business owners also cited the rising costs of marketing and advertising, public safety concerns, and lease instability as key challenges.

Their main demand, for which they hope to receive support from city agencies, is the implementation of marketing campaigns to help them attract younger customers. They also said they needed access to financing, storefront and space improvements, help with regulatory compliance, new equipment and lease support.

The survey also shows that 44% of merchants reported that their sales had fallen in the last year. Still, 80% said they intended to stay in the neighborhood, reflecting many businesses’ deep roots in East Williamsburg: 44% of merchants surveyed have operated in the neighborhood for more than a decade, while nearly 25% have been there over 20 years.

Ki-Sang, AvenueNYC Program Manager at the Grand Street BID’s Revitalization Program, presented the survey results in May at a meeting of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The findings are based on more than 900 responses collected from the merchants, residents and visitors across the area’s six main commercial corridors: Broadway Avenue, Graham Avenue, Montrose Avenue, Grand Street, Metropolitan Avenue, and Bushwick Avenue.

Among the 618 residents and visitors surveyed, 50% reported shopping in the commercial corridors included several times a week. But a key finding—and one that highlights the potential value of the marketing campaigns merchants express they need—is that 72% said they shopped mostly online or in other neighborhoods.

The survey also found that 73% of respondents typically shopped within just one commercial corridor, suggesting an opportunity to strengthen connections among East Williamsburg’s main streets. Asked what improvements they would like to see in the neighborhood, respondents most frequently cited community events, followed by landscaping and beautification, sanitation and safety.

Based on data collected from the CDNA, the organizations leading the initiative have put together an initial list of revitalization projects, which are open to community input and voting. Proposals include adding street trees and large planters along and between key commercial corridors, as well as rehabilitating Macri Triangle, potentially transforming it into a dog park.

Other recommendations include advocating for the redesign of Grand Street and Metropolitan Avenue, potentially making them one-way to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. Another proposal calls for activating the pedestrian underpass of the BQE at Metropolitan through lighting installations to better connect the two sides of the neighborhood.

The list also includes a pilot Legacy Business Recognition Program to formally recognize and help protect long-standing businesses. Finally, the list proposes strengthening the neighborhood’s cultural and historical identity through improved signage, themed maps, landmark designations, walking tours and public art.