|
Barbara
Tallerman and Mary Arnone are out to help
small business and make some money for their own.
The two women built a website called
www.Bronxmall.com, a directory of community events
and local businesses. For $600 a year, a business
can place an ad on the site, a picture, a phone number
and information on what a company does. The site
lists everything from artists to yacht clubs.
“We've given the Bronx the most positive message that
they could send out to the whole world,” Tallerman
said.
“The Internet has come full circle,” said Arnone. “It's
a
wonderful vehicle for not only small businesses, but
large businesses. It's not something that will replace
your other type of advertising, but it can only enhance it.”
The website went online six years ago. At the time,
the Internet was still relatively new. So, the first
challenge for the Bronx Mall was convincing small
businesses to sign up.
They spoke at rotary clubs and merchant meetings.
Anyone who would listen, they would talk.
“I was talking to small businesses that didn't have
access to the Internet,” Arnone said. “They didn't have
computers. It was tough going.”
At first, about dozen businesses took out ads. Today,
there are about 60, with 80,000 people now
logging on every month.
“We have picked up on everything positive about the
community,” Tallerman said. “The talent, the energy.
How dynamic this community is.”
The Bronx Mall is far from making phone books
obsolete, but the site continues to grow and it's
making money. Meanwhile, the entrepreneurs say as
their profitability rises, businesses in the Bronx
benefit.
--Rita Nissan
For further
information call (718) 822-4497, (718) 601-8772,
Fax: (718) 601-8642 or email: info@bronxmall.com |
community events and local businesses.
