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Overcast It’s coming on a new year for new-look chamber
Lynbrook chamber was jam-packed with events in 2023
With a new president, new events and dozens of new members, it’s been a big year for the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce. And the group says it intends to make 2024 even bigger.
“People are now joining without even being asked,” said Polly Talbot, the chamber’s president. “I think we’re becoming the business organization to be a member of.”
The chamber started the year with 77 members. It’s ending it with 122 — and counting.
Leading the way in the chamber’s membership spike? Its various events throughout the year — some classic, and some new. The chamber’s “Evening of Excellence” this past January saw Talbot sworn in as president as well as neighbors honored for their service to Lynbrook. It kicked off quite a memorable year.
A year that continued in April with the chamber’s very first “Experience Lynbrook” event, a showcase of everything the village has to offer.
“Experience Lynbrook was my favorite,” Talbot said. “That was just such a nice showcase. And for the first time doing it, we had a tremendous response from our membership.”
Despite the rain, Talbot said, people came out to the Lynbrook Public Library on Eldert Street in droves to learn more about restaurants, delis, plumbers, kitchen designers, dance studios and more in the community through a number of vendor tables in a convention-like setting.
“It was a great way for them to come in and see what’s right here in the village,” she said.
Then came a jam-packed summer. The annual pre-prom celebration in June was a huge hit with Lynbrook High School students, Talbot said. The chamber shut down Atlantic Avenue so the seniors and their dates could parade freely through the heart of Lynbrook.
The chamber also decked out the street with green, gold and white decorations — including a balloon arch — as a celebratory send-off to the soon-to-be-grads.
The mayor’s golf outing in August — which the chamber helped organized — raised funds for Lynbrook’s community chest, which is a resource for neighbors in-need. It also honors people and individuals who help make Lynbrook great.
And all through the summer were Cruise Nights, where neighbors were invited to check out classic rides as well as businesses all along Atlantic Avenue.
Finally, last month, the chamber held a new event — Casino Night — raising money for a cause. The raffle even included a two-bedroom condo on a beach resort in Panama.
“It was pretty successful for our first round,” Talbot said. “We really think we’re going to do that again.”
All chamber events are opportunities for businesses and neighbors to join together to appreciate what makes Lynbrook the village it is, Talbot said.
“When you’re a businessperson, a lot of times you’re very alone,” she said. “This is a way to not be alone, and to get support to do what you need to do to grow your business.”
One of the most important things the chamber does, Talbot said, is connect people with village resources. When people are having a hard time navigating legal rules and regulations, the chamber is here to help.
“The chamber is an opportunity for people to get together with like-minded people,” she added. “To brainstorm with them, and network with them, to make change in our system.”
The Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce hopes to fill more of the empty storefronts in town, to create another new fundraiser, and to have at least 200 members by this time next year.
