Join Us for a Saving Small Business Forum

You may have noticed stories under the heading "Saving Small Business" in our pages recently. Every week, we get phone calls, letters and tips from readers about another beloved independent business struggling to stay afloat, and we think it's important to document not just the stories of these individual businesses, but the root causes behind why so many can't remain in the neighborhoods they helped foster and thrive. We also chronicle the long-time success stories and the hopeful new outposts, like the [opening of Birch Coffee on East 62nd Street]. To push the conversation even further, we're holding a forum on Wednesday, September 24, "Saving Small Business: Mapping a Future for Manhattan's Neighborhoods," (see our flyer below) convening smart, progressive thinkers, readers and policymakers to talk about solutions for independent small business owners. The forum will give business owners and neighborhood residents a chance to discuss how they can help each other, how the city can help, and what it is we're all seeking to preserve when we talk of "Saving Small Business." We need your help, too! If you have an idea or a suggestion for a topic you'd like to see raised at our forum, please email us with the subject line "Saving Small Business forum" at news@strausnews.com. We hope you'll join us at the event (drop an email to [RSVP@strausnews.com](mailto:RSVP@strausnews.com?Subject=Saving%20Small%20Business%20forum) to let us know you're coming), and continue to let us know when you see something happening at your local stores and restaurants. - The Editors (mailto:RSVP@strausnews.com)