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As its name suggests, Picnic Hill Market Café is a gourmet market and a
full-service cafe. It’s also a meal kit delivery service called Picnic Fresh Home
(think a locally owned Blue Apron).
From the get-go, Brown and Miller worked closely with the City’s
Economic Development Department. “I was a lobbyist for 15 years and one
of the things I learned was that the more people you get involved at the
beginning, the better your chances of accomplishing your goal,” says Brown.
“We did our best to involve them every step of the way.”
This included partnering with the City to secure Picnic Hill’s location
in Fairmount Circle and navigating the City’s permitting and inspections
processes for the build-out of the space (formerly a yoga studio). Picnic
Hill was also a recipient of the City’s Storefront Renovation Program,
which provides financial support to businesses for signage and ot her
exterior improvements.
More recently, Brown and Miller have been working with the Department
on a Bingo card-inspired marketing campaign to encourage residents to
patronize local businesses.
“Shaker has been amazingly helpful,” says Brown. “Whatever we’ve
asked for, they’ve done.” Last summer, this included a regular Saturday BBQ.
“They helped us figure out how to get the BBQ up and running, including
some new outdoor seating,” says Brown.
Visit picnichillmarketcafe.com to learn more, including about regular
events like Picnic Hill’s popular Drag Brunch and live music events, peruse
the menu, or sign up for the meal-kit delivery program.
m dernizing a historic city: economic development
Shawn Brown and Michael Miller
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