Hannah Kostizen and Jamie Vermeersch are employees at Periwinkle, 339 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Photo provided
By Christine Davis
The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority invites visitors and residents to “shop small” on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 25. Of the 350-plus downtown boutiques, salons, spas, galleries and restaurants, 93 percent are owned by small business owners. New retailers include The Lavender Your French Store, Delray Beach Gallery, Fly By Furnishings, Spice, Sunday State Style, Charleston Shoe Co., Brotzeit German Bakery & Café, Tommy Bahama and Whitewall Contemporary.
These new retailers joined longtime local businesses Vince Canning Shoes, Avalon Gallery, Murder on the Beach Bookstore, Petite Connection, Hands, Delray Camera Shop, Huber’s Pharmacy, Richwagen’s Delray Bike & Sport and more.
Participating businesses will distribute giveaways provided by American Express, and offer refreshments and special in-store promotions. Visit www.ShopSmall.com for a list of participating merchants and additional offers.
Also, the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative announced the arrivals of some new businesses, noting that “this season, there will be a lot going on,” said Stephen Chrisanthus, the cooperative’s associate director.
For food or drinks, he named Avant, 25 NE Second Ave.; Batch Gastropub, 14813 Lyons Road; Capital One Café, for coffee while banking, at 330 E Atlantic Ave.; Lucille’s Bad to the Bone, 9173 Atlantic Ave., Suite 120; MIA Kitchen and Bar at 7901 W. Atlantic Ave.; Sardinia Enoteca, 3035 S. Federal Highway, No. 5; and Winemakers Table at 2875 S. Congress Ave.
For culture, he suggested visiting The Heart of Delray Gallery, an evolution of Artists Alley, on 1440 N. Federal Highway, and Arts Warehouse in Pineapple Grove. Also, he noted, Cornell Museum has just undergone a $1 million renovation.
On Oct. 26, Delray Beach was one of three South Florida cities to host the first “Downtowns Go Pink” in support of Susan G. Komen South Florida and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink lights, compliments of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, adorned Atlantic Avenue and Pineapple Grove.
This event kicked off registration for the Komen Race for the Cure, which will be Jan. 27 in West Palm Beach. To register, go to www.Komensouthflorida.org.
Komen also encourages a visit to the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum to see “Shades of Pink,” an exhibit by photographer Michiko Kurisu featuring the personal journeys of nine local African-American women who are breast cancer survivors. The exhibit runs through Nov. 11. The Spady Museum is at 170 NW Fifth Ave., Delray Beach.
The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority has two new board members who were appointed by the City Commission. They are Mavis Benson and John Conde. Benson, who also will serve as secretary, owns Avalon Gallery and is the chairperson of the Downtown Merchant & Business Association. Conde, owner of the Conde Center for Chiropractic Neurology, is a board-certified chiropractic neurologist, as well as a Chairman’s Club member of the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce.
The Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative and Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce won gold medals from the International Festivals & Events Association during its annual Pinnacle Awards presentation in September in Tucson. The Marketing Cooperative won for the Best Newspaper Insert for its annual Christmas Tree. The chamber won for its Seek in the City Scavenger Hunt promotional video. The association also recognized the South Florida Garlic Fest, which is produced by Festival Management Group, with a gold award for its radio ad and a bronze award for its e-blast newsletter.
The city of Boynton Beach received 10 awards for its marketing and programming initiatives. They included a second-place Silver Circle Savvy Award from the City-County Communications & Marketing Association for the city’s annual report and calendar. The city also won six SUNsational Awards from the Florida Festivals and Events Association for its Yappy Happy Hour, K-9 Competition, and Recreation & Parks events.
From its submissions to the Public Relations Society of America’s Palm Beach Chapter Palm Awards, the city received a first-place Excellence Award in the products category and a second-place Quality Award for its Yappy Happy Hour program.
The Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce honored three award recipients at its Luminary celebration in October at the Delray Beach Marriott. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Frances Bourque, founder of the Old School Square Center for the Arts. Its Business of the Year award went to the Conde Center for Chiropractic Neurology, which was founded in 2006 by Dr. John Conde. Its Business Person of the Year award went to Pedro Andrade, general manager of Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza Delray.
In October, the Realtors of the Palm Beaches and Greater Fort Lauderdale donated items, along with $10,000, to benefit the Florida Realtors Disaster Fund for Hurricane Irma relief efforts in the Keys.
“We are very pleased to do what we can to help our Realtor community and many of those affected by the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Irma,” said Dionna Hall, CEO of the organization.
Kaufman Lynn Construction, which has its corporate office in Boca Raton, held its annual back-to-school backpack drive, which benefited nearly 850 children at Florence Fuller Child Development Centers. Philanthropy and community involvement are important parts of the company’s culture, and this year marks 20 years of the company’s support to nonprofit organizations.
Marc Julien Homes’ annual food drive is underway, through Project Thanksgiving, a campaign hosted by the United Way of Palm Beach County, CBS12 News and the Palm Beach County Food Bank. To drop off canned fruit and vegetables, boxes of stuffing and macaroni and cheese, or bags of potatoes and onions, go to Marc Julien Homes’ office, 755 NW 17th Ave., Suite 107, Delray Beach, or call 954-200-7758 to arrange for a donation pickup.
Art in Public Places
‘Cavalcade’, a sculpture by Albert Paley, is installed in front of 500 Ocean, a residential and retail complex under construction along Federal Highway in Boynton Beach. Paley is an American modernist metal sculptor. The work was created specifically for the city. It is one of six Paley sculptures included in a yearlong exhibition. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Douglas Elliman Real Estate’s reports for the third quarter note that in Boca Raton over the year, luxury condo median-sales prices moved higher, 12.5 percent to $800,000, as inventory declined 9.6 percent. Luxury single-family prices declined 11 percent to $1.55 million, while inventory expanded 7.1 percent. Among luxury properties in Delray Beach, condo median-sales prices lost 4.5 percent to $590,000, while single-family median sales prices rose 15.6 percent to $1.535 million. The market east of Federal Highway showed a shift in the mix to smaller but more sales.
Third-quarter declines in closings in Boca Raton and Delray Beach were a result of the disruption in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
New Jersey-based National Realty Investment Advisors bought two waterfront parcels in Gulf Stream for $13 million, according to property records and news reports.
The parcels are a 1-acre lot at 2929 N. Ocean Blvd., for $6.5 million, and a 0.77-acre lot at 3565 N. Ocean Blvd., for $6.5 million. Records also show that the company received an $11 million loan from Gamma Real Estate, a New York City commercial real estate firm.
Corcoran Group agent Candace Friis represented both sides of the deals.
In 2013, sellers bought the property at 2929 N. Ocean Blvd. for $5.8 million, and the property at 3565 N. Ocean Blvd. for $4.5 million. The property at 2929 N. Ocean Blvd. was listed for $12 million this August. The property at 3565 N. Ocean Blvd. was listed for $10.75 million in November 2015.
The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County will host a luncheon with special guest Suzanne Cabrera, the president/CEO of the Housing Leadership Council of Palm Beach County, who will speak on the topic of the county’s workforce housing. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Atlantis Country Club, 190 Atlantis Blvd.
Cabrera previously served as executive director of The Lord’s Place. An experienced grant writer and administrator, she has written grants resulting in more than $50 million in successful awards.
Tickets are $25 per person until Nov. 8, and $35 after. RSVP at www.lwvpbc.org or by calling 968-4123.
The Palm Beach Poetry Festival launched its annual Palm Beach County High School Poetry Contest, in partnership with Old School Square in Delray Beach. Through Dec. 1, Palm Beach County high school students can submit original poems for consideration.
The winner will receive $200, and four runner-up high school poets will each receive $100. They also will receive tickets to the Poetry Festival’s Sizzling Spoken Word event in January, and they will read their poems at the festival’s award ceremony in January.
For contest rules and more information, visit www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org.
In response to a challenge from Gov. Rick Scott to provide bachelor’s degrees in high-demand fields, Palm Beach State College’s new incentive program will ease eligibility requirements for earning one of the college’s bachelor’s degrees.
Effective Jan. 5, Florida students can opt into the $10,000 incentive program without needing to apply or fill out forms provided they: maintain Florida residency, complete associate’s in either arts or sciences at the college, maintain overall 2.5 grade-point averages, complete both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees within six years of enrolling at the college, and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid each year.
For more information, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/Programs/Bachelor/10k-degree.aspx.
Representing the first endowed professorship in Florida Atlantic University’s School of Accounting, accounting and advisory firm Daszkal Bolton will reward faculty teaching and research excellence at the university’s College of Business by establishing a fund with a gift of $50,000.
The fund supports one faculty member each year, who can use $5,000 to support his or her work. Daszkal Bolton has an office in Boca Raton.
Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.
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