BID Member Welcome Kit

Manny Gonzalez
Executive Director
[email protected]
Pedro Alberni
Projects Coordinator
[email protected]
Dear Business Owner:
The Coconut Grove BID is a Board of the City of Miami dedicated to protecting
and enhancing the vitality of Coconut Grove’s commercial core. As you know,
Coconut Grove is rich in culture and has a wealth of activity, beautiful outdoor
spaces and iconic landmarks. We aim to establish Coconut Grove as a worldclass seaside destination that is unique in character and a highly desirable place
to live, work and visit.
Natalia Grozina
Marketing & PR Coordinator
[email protected]
Our goal is to refine the Coconut Grove brand and to subsequently create
effective tools in which to communicate this message through a clear and consistent voice to various target audiences.
Kristine Marie Perez
Administrative & Marketing Assistant
[email protected]
Coconut Grove BID
3390 Mary St., Suite 130
Miami, FL 33133
P: 305.461.5506
F: 305.461.5773
www.coconutgrove.com
coconutgrovemiamifl
coconutgrovebid
coconutgrovemiami
coconutgrovebid
Inside this packet, you will learn more about how the BID can play an active
and valuable role in strengthening your business, while simultaneously promoting the Grove’s history and showcasing our signature events.
With world-class attractions, including famous landmarks and destinations such
as the Coconut Grove Arts Festival and various sailing clubs along Biscayne Bay,
Coconut Grove encompasses everything that makes it a global destination:
great architecture, culture and history, with a strong commercial heart. We aim
to promote the area as a destination of choice while supporting your business
and our visitors and residents alike.
We look forward to working closely with you as we embark on this very exciting journey.
Dear Business Owner:
The Coconut Grove Business Improvement District (BID) wishes to extend a warm welcome to you and your new
business. We believe you and your employees will find Coconut Grove to be a friendly, beautiful and rewarding place
to grow and prosper.
The Coconut Grove BID is a Board of the City of Miami dedicated to protecting and enhancing the vitality of our District’s commercial core. We offer a variety of programs encompassing security, sanitation, streetscape beautification
projects, capital improvements, parking, marketing and specials events. The BID serves out community’s needs and
helps our business succeed.
We would be happy to help you get set up in your new location. Please find attached several forms and documents
that the BID provides in order to help spread the word to the neighborhood about your opening. You can visit us at
any time between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday or you can contact us at 305-461-5506.
We wish you much success and look forward to doing business with you.
Best regards,
Manny Gonzalez
Manny Gonzalez
Executive Director
Coconut Grove BID
3390 Mary St., Suite 130
Miami, FL 33133
P: 305.461.5506
F: 305.461.5773
www.coconutgrove.com
Manny Gonzalez
Executive Director
[email protected]
Pedro Alberni
Projects Coordinator
[email protected]
Natalia Grozina
Marketing & PR Coordinator
[email protected]
Kristine Marie Perez
Administrative & Marketing Assistant
[email protected]
Coconut Grove Business Improvement District
The Grove
In the late 1800’s, this tropical
frontier village lured an eclectic
mix of pioneers, artists, intellectuals and adventurers into its
quietly breathtaking natural setting with its wild sense of bohemian freedom. To this day, this tropical oasis of Coconut Grove
thrives as Miami’s escape from the stress of city life. Best
known for its lush green landscape bordered by the shimmering
blue waters of Biscayne Bay, Coconut Grove offers a warm, laid
-back atmosphere of shady lanes, charming boutiques, sidewalk
cafes and quaint watering holes with a distinctly bohemian flair.
In the midst of a bustling world, the Grove remains a place of
secret pleasure awaiting your discovery.
What is a BID?
Since 2009, the BID has successfully developed a variety of programs to keep the district clean and secure, funded marketing projects, sponsored world-class special
events, beautified the streetscapes, made capital improvements, facilitated access to parking, fostered new business
relationships and partnered with local, state and national
organizations.
BID & City of Miami Partnership
The Coconut Grove BID works semi-autonomous with
the City of Miami with a unified and cohesive mission to
protect and enhance the vitality of Coconut Grove’s
commercial core.
Our Mission:
To help establish Coconut Grove as a worldBIDs are formed with the consent and active particiclass destination that is impeccably clean, visibly
pation of property and business owners within
safe and a highly desirable place to live,
a defined boundary. Based upon the benwork and visit. Our goal is to create a
efit assessment district concept, business
stronger sense of place with a comand property owners contribute extra
pelling retail mix so that the busimoney to form a pool of financial reFolios in the BID ness district can flourish by attracting
sources to actively address self-defined
District
high-value customers to shop, dine,
needs. Revenues from these assessand stay in Coconut Grove.
ments are then directed back to the defined area to finance a broad menu of enhanced
Coconut Grove Business Improvement District
services such as: security, sanitation, marketing, spe3390 Mary St., Suite 130, Coconut Grove, FL 33133
cial events, streetscape and capital improvements.
P: 305.461.5506 | F: 305.461.5773 | www.coconutgrove.com
241
6,864
Safety Team
Hours
5,720
Cleaning
Team Hours
A little more than one century ago, the Greater Miami area was a vast wilderness with small clusters of settlers living along the shores of Biscayne Bay.
Before there was Miami, there was Co-
The number of people visiting the Bay
conut Grove — South Florida’s most attractive, dynamic and independently-minded
community.
View House grew to include a motley collection of eccentrics and creative types, including writers, naturalists, and even the son of a
famed writer, Harriett Beecher Stowe.
During the 1870’s, settlers were lured by
the prospect of free land through federal
homestead laws and entered the region.
The most important settlers being the Pent
and Frow families, who hailed from the
Bahamas. “Jolly” Jack Peacock, keeper of
the House of Refuge for shipwrecked mariners on today’s Miami Beach, was another
prominent resident of the Grove. The settlement was sometimes called “Jack’s
Bright” for Jack Peacock and its curved
shoreline.
In the late 1870s, Jack Peacock convinced
his brother Charles and his family to leave
England for the wilds of Southeast Florida.
At the same time, Ralph Munroe, an accomplished sailboat designer from Long
Island, came to Miami on sailing vacation.
Munroe met many people living on the
bay, including the Peacocks with whom he
became friends. As the friendship deepened, they decided to open a guesthouse
in the area known for it’s ever growing
number of visitors. In 1882, the Peacocks
opened the Bay View Inn as simple wood
frame structure in today’s Peacock Park. It
was the first hotel in the area.
By 1890, Coconut Grove claimed more than
one hundred residents — ranking it among
the largest settlements on the Southeast Florida mainland. Isabella Peacock began conducting Sunday school classes in a building
constructed for that purpose. In 1889, this
structure, still standing today on the grounds
of Plymouth Congregational Church as a
designated National Register property, hosted the first public school in the country. The
Sunday school helped spawn the first
church, today’s Plymouth Congregational
Church, where blacks and whites, for a
while, worshipped together.
The Times They Are
a-Changin’
In 1917, America’s entry into World
Women’s Club of
Coconut Grove
In 1891, Flora McFarlane, the first female
homesteader and the area’s earliest
school teacher, founded the Housekeeper’s Club (today’s Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove) with the goal of “community
uplift,” which it aimed to achieve through
fundraisers that paid for amenities in the
community.
War I ushered in a new era for Coconut Grove. The U.S. Navy built one of
the nation’s first naval air stations on
Dinner Key, formerly an island favored
by picnickers. More than 1,000 aspiring
aviators trained there. Coconut Grove
citizens concerned with the noise and
pollution brought pressure upon the
federal government for its closing —
which came in 1919.
Soon after, Coconut Grove incorporated as a town. It remained a town for
just six years — after which the City of
Miami, in the midst of a real estate
boom, annexed it despite strong opposition from Grove residents.
The fame of the Housekeeper’s Club
spread quickly. Within one year of inception, Harper’s Magazine, a major national
publication, profiled the club.
Pan American Airways
In the meantime, the old naval air sta-
Millionaire’s Row
The Peacocks had enlarged their facility
to accommodate an increased number of
visitors and renamed it Peacock Inn.
Guests of the Inn enjoyed the natural
splendors so much that they decided to
build homes in the area to ensure an enduring Bohemian flavor through their
lengthy presence in the Grove. In the early 1900s, several wealthy and accomplished visitors built splendid homes on
Coconut Grove’s bay front, thereby creating a “millionaire’s row.” Their ranks included William Deering, William Matheson, David Fairchild, and others.
tion site became host to Pan American
Airways in 1929. Destined to become
the world’s preeminent airline, Pan
American maintained a seaplane base
there through World War II. The terminal and the picturesque seaplanes flying
overhead became a huge draw for curious visitors. After the war, Dinner Key
Auditorium opened at the site of the old
air base. The facility served a wide variety of roles, from hosting musical performances to being a set for popular televisions shows. Coconut Grove also became the center of the City of Miami’s
tumultuous politics once the city hall
relocated from downtown to Dinner
Key in 1954.
The Creative Class
Towards the middle and latter decades
of the twentieth century, Coconut Grove
maintained many elements of its unique
identity and continued to attract creative
types. Writers such as Marjory Stoneman
Douglas, Hervey Allen and Tennessee Williams all came to the Grove, as well as
many of the area’s most accomplished
artists and musicians. It also flourished as
the center of South Florida’s Bohemian life,
with its coffee houses, boutique art galleries, charming shops and popular gathering places such as today’s Peacock Park.
With its parades, the art festival, and Halloween parties, it has remained a celebratory neighborhood.
“For most of its existence,
Coconut Grove has been defined by an attitude of liveand-let-live.”
— Arva Moore Parks
“In 1960s, the youth revolution spawned
a generation of talented folksingers who
hung out in ubiquitous coffee houses all
across America. The place to be in Miami
was Coconut Grove. People flocked to
listen to budding folk-singers and entertainers who shared their passion for
change.” — Arva Moore Parks
Over time, through the various of decades, the Grove’s uniqueness, along
with its tolerance of a wide array of viewpoints and lifestyles, has continued to
maintain an ambiance and a vibrant
spirit unlike that of any other community
in Southeast Florida.
Coconut Grove: Signature Events
Coconut Grove Arts Festival
is one of the most celebrated fine
arts festivals in the country, with an
attendance of over 125,000 people.
The Coconut Grove Arts Festival: Now in its
53rd year, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival is
a “Celebration of the Arts” across all disciplines and mediums. Each President’s Day
weekend, this three-day outdoor event
transforms the picturesque streets of Coconut Grove into an artistic paradise where
everyone from collectors to casual observers can meet talented artists from across
the world and purchase one-of-a-kind
pieces of art.
Coconut Grove is home to a renowned
sailing community that hosts a number
of world-class regattas, which draws
over 3,000 people every season.
Bacardi Cup & Miami Sailing Week:
BACARDI Miami Sailing Week offers six days
of a remarkable sailing competition. More
than 200 boats race on the turquoise waters of Biscayne Bay. The week-long event
features an itinerary of activities — from
cocktail parties and cultural exhibits to the
final award ceremony.
Historic Bicycle Tours | 9:30 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Every other Saturday of the month, the Coconut Grove Business
Improvement District and Royal Palm Tours of Miami, offer FREE
bicycle tours through the historic sites and shady lanes of Coconut
Grove in honor of Coconut Grove’s extensive history.
Historic Walking Tours | 4:00 p.m.— 6:00 p.m.
Every 2nd and 4th Saturday in January and February, join Dr. Paul
George for a FREE walking tour of Coconut Grove and uncover
the fascinating history of Miami’s oldest community. These tours
are sponsored by the Coconut Grove BID.
Coconut Grove 4th of July Celebration:
Festivities blanket the entire district for this familyfriendly event — drawing more than 4,500 people.
The day begins at The Barnacle Historic State Park
with an old-fashion picnic and activities for children of all ages. At CocoWalk, the Hot Dog Eating
Competition attracts a lively crowd with the winners receiving more than $1,500 dollars worth in
prizes! Then, a fireworks show ignites at Peacock
Park for a bright and vibrant celebration. Bring
snacks, blankets and the whole family!
Fashion + Art + Music Nights
First Saturday | 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Every first Saturday of the month starting in
October, hear live music, explore new artists
and discover the newest fashion designers.
F.A.M. night affords all visitors encompassing
cultural entertainment, with more than 30 boutiques, art galleries, street artists and musicians
participating in this district-wide event.
Yoga at
Yoga at
Peacock Park
Mayfair Hotel Rooftop
Tuesday & Thursday
6:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m.
Saturday
8:00 a.m.—9:00 a.m.
Practicing along the Biscayne
Bay in the fresh air is the perfect
way to get into your yoga
groove. Every Tuesday and
Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in Peacock Park, all are invited to get
more focused, more in shape
and more centered — for FREE
— with yoga led by the Grove’s
very own Dharma Studio.
Namaste all yogis. Begin your
Saturday morning with a Sun
Salutation overlooking the beautiful and peaceful Biscayne Bay.
Classes will be held at 8:00 a.m.
and led by Dharma Studio.
Coconut Grove’s lush vegetation and seaside location
makes it the most scenic
and ideal backdrop for
outdoor festivals.
Coconut Grove Pumpkin Patch
Kick off each Autumn with a family
celebration at Peacock Park with
interactive activities for all to enjoy.
The event draws over 3,500 participants and includes carnival rides, a
hay and corn stalk maze, a scarecrow village and your pick of 5,000
pumpkins to choose from. Also on
site, adults can enjoy a pumpkin infused beer garden!
Coconut Grove’s diverse and
unique character shines in eccentric events.
The King Mango Strut: A free-spirited
parade which originated in 1982 and
began at the Grove’s offbeat response to
the Orange Bowl’s annual King Orange
parade. Every last weekend of the year,
groups corral together to spoof national
and local events — satirizing the people
and events that made headline news
during the year. It’s a hilarity that brings the
whole neighborhood together.
Mad Hatter Arts Festival
Mad Hatter Arts Festival: A comical event
at the Barnacle Historic State Park and
along the sidewalks of Coconut Grove. It
features street artists, live music, funny
and quirky hat contests and a bundle of
activities for children and adults of all
ages.
The Great Grove Bed Race: Three
decades ago, this tongue-in-cheek
race of homemade beds down the
streets of Coconut Grove became
an instant hit. Today, it is still a
Grove fixture that has the
entire neighborhood cheering.
The Great Grove Bed Race
The Grovite: A Local’s Guide to Coconut Grove
Coconut Grove — in the middle of Miami, yet completely
separate. The Grove offers a warm and laid-back atmosphere
of boutiques, shady lanes, sidewalk cafes and quaint watering
holes with a distinctly bohemian flair. Here, one can drop in
and chill out every day of the week, any time of the year.
Founded in 1873 by an eclectic mix of pioneers, artists, intellectuals and adventurers, Coconut Grove is Miami’s original
neighborhood. Today, Coconut Grove thrives as Miami’s escape from the stress of city life. Inside the Grovite, one can
find great options for what to see and do, as well as a detailed
map and expert advice from local “Grovites.”
Distributed to 35,000
subscribers and nonsubscribers in several major
zip codes in Miami, including Coconut Grove. The
Grovite is also distributed to
local businesses and hotels
in the district.
Walk. Run. Bike. Paddle.
Sail to the Grove!
Our website: CoconutGrove.com is an
information hub to find shops, restaurants,
places to stay and things to do in Coconut
Grove.
Virtual business listings are a
good way to build your website’s domain authority due to
the number of backlinks to your
website. Believe it or not, backlinks increase the website’s
search engine optimization,
which will ultimately bring in new
leads and increase the exposure
of your business.
Business listings
improve your
online visibility
and create more
opportunities.
We are always looking to update and improve our website
and to keep those visiting our site informed on the latest
events, store openings and new special offers.
Complete the BID Member Business Form to be added to
the website. Email your form to [email protected] and
we will send you a confirmation.
Copy. Paste. Share.
Social media is one of the
most widely used forms of
communication.
Growth in engagement and activity:
1,555
Twitter followers
+5262% in 2015
2,970
1m
website views
since 2014
Consumers regularly use socialmedia sites to educate themselves
about products and services, as well
as to network and find vendors.
Instagram followers
+725% in 2015
#coconutgrove
11,295
Facebook followers
Wedsite: coconutgrove.com
+71% in 2015
Twitter: @coconutgrovebid
Instagram: @coconutgrovemiami
Pinterest: @coconutgrovebid
Facebook: @coconutgrovemiamifl
Read our Weekly
E-Grovite Every
Wednesday!
With over 7,500+ subscribers,
our E-Grovite gets you the
inside scoop on where to
dine and shop like a local,
discover the newest events in
town and where to find
hidden attractions only the
Grove has to offer.
Are you interested in having
your business featured in the
E-Grovite?
Email your weekly events,
promotions and special offers
to [email protected]!
38 boards
Coconut Grove BID & Greater Miami Convention and
Visitors Bureau Marketing Campaign
The Coconut Grove BID recently partnered with the
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau to launch
a marketing campaign to drive traffic and engage visitors
on the MiamiandBeaches.com and CoconutGrove.com
websites.
As part of the campaign, several Coconut Grove BID
members opted-in with special offers which appeared on
the GMCVB website.
The goal is to ultimately highlight Coconut Grove as a
unique destination experience in order to attract and
engage visitors and local residents.
Despite being annexed by the City of Miami in 1925, Coconut Grove has maintained a strong sense of community
and a unique identity. Despite its centralized location, Coconut Grove’s verdant waterfront setting remains separate both physically and philosophically from the rest of
Miami.
Coconut Grove remains one of the most unique settings in
all of Florida and relics the oasis of tranquility in the midst of
a great bustling city — where people can find a more laid
back place to live, work and play on the tropical shores of
Biscayne Bay.
VIDEO MARKETING:
It’s not just the number of people who are watching videos that’s important, but why they are
watching it. Video marketing is a powerful advertising tool that adds a “wow” factor to your online
marketing presence. When you post an online
marketing video on your website, you have a
great chance of engaging a busy executive who
is specifically looking for a new destination to visit
or the services you offer, but might not have
reached out to schedule a meeting or chose his
destination yet.
Videos allow interactions and engagement between you and the users that is a lot more personal. It is a great way to establish an emotional connection and ensure a lasting memory. Not to mention, videos can be a lot more practical in conveying a message.
VISIT OUT YOUTUBE
CHANNEL TO VIEW ALL
OF OUR VIDEOS:
[email protected]
START
SPREADING
THE VIDEOS...
Coconut Grove has worked with Markham Unlimited, GMCVB, the Welcome Channel and Savvy
Stews to create digital and video marketing so that
you can share the videos and increase exposure of
the district.
The more exposure our district receives, the more
lively the streets will become with new and returning
visitors and locals, subsequently stimulating the
shopping and dining experience in the district and
increasing the amount of people who come to the
events hosted in Coconut Grove.
Our videos are a great way to build brand awareness (or in our case, promote our district to the rest
of the world), generate more visitors to shop, dine
and stay in Coconut Grove and facilitate online engagement so that they will inevitably return.
Coconut Grove “Shareable”
Marketing Collateral
For the last century, the romance of far-away exotic places has been
captured in the art of the vintage travel poster. Gracing the walls of
airports, train stations and travel agencies, colorful images of lush,
tropical ports of call brought these places to life in ways that made
people yearn for the warmth and luxury of these destinations.
Coconut Grove is like those exotic places of years past — an escape
from the ordinary and the every day. Life in Coconut Grove is a little
slower and a lot more comfortable. With shady lanes from the vast
tree canopies and the breeze from Biscayne Bay, the intensity of colors and flavors is just a little more vibrant than any other place.
Here, you see the beginnings of a series of graphic images that capture the essence of Coconut Grove. By blurring the lines between art
and advertising, we are able to promote Coconut Grove while enhancing its visual beauty in a nostalgic and colorful way.