That’s a Wrap | Community Proud Series

Broadway Stages is celebrating its 40th trip around the sun by shining the spotlight on the heart of our community – the local businesses and organizations that provide goods, services, and experiences that allow us to thrive and delight in this great city we call home. Just in case you missed it, today we provide a summary of our Community Proud Series that ran May thru July. 

At Broadway Stages, we know first-hand what it takes to build a business from the ground up. In 1983, we turned a dilapidated movie theatre on Broadway Street in Astoria, Queens into our first soundstage — the company’s namesake.  We have a soft spot in our hearts for the local businesses and organizations that make up the neighborhoods where we live and work, and we recognize the commitment it takes to provide goods and services to our community.  Over the last three months, we have proudly promoted some old favorites and hopefully introduced you to some new businesses that we featured in our Community Proud blog series.

We kicked off May with the renowned Peter Pan Doughnut and Pastry Shop, and continued on with a diverse group of local employers from the industrial sector, design professionals, and of course, some local favorite treats such as Davey’s Ice Cream, and a few hidden gems like Action City Comics.

In June we featured the borough of Queens with a broad sample of the businesses and organizations that make it great. We took the opportunity to show appreciation to the people and businesses who bring income and jobs to the local community. It was a joy to recognize small businesses like Geena’s Cucina and Morscher’s Pork Store in Ridgewood. But we also shared the good work being done at Queens’s County Farm Museum and the Queens Botanical Gardens.

Finally, we spent July on a tour of the places that make the economy of Staten Island strong and the people proud. And boy-oh-boy, does Staten Island have a lot to be proud of! Did you know Lois and Richard Nicotra own two social enterprise eateries — Pienza Brick Oven Pizza and Commons Café? They have gifted profits of more than $1 million in donations to the Staten Island community through grants to non-profit groups and as higher education scholarships to their employees’ children and grandchildren. And how about Enoteca Maria, the Staten Island restaurant that features cuisine from a different grandmother (‘nonna’) each week?

This is just a tiny sampling of the hard work and dedication of so many people, their businesses, and the organizations they support. We are proud to call them all neighbors. We encourage you to take some time to read over the blogs from our Community Proud series. You can find the entire series on our website HERE.

And stay tuned! Even though our Community Proud Series has come to a close, we continue with our weekly Spotlight series that features local people and places that make us proud and our economy strong!