They’re simply the Best!
Representatives from dozens of the top businesses in Brooklyn gathered on May 31 for the 2023 Best of Brooklyn party celebrate after being voted the most outstanding companies in the borough!
The 2023 Best of Brooklyn campaign, presented by Empire State Bank, allows voters to highlight some of the most outstanding entrepreneurs and business leaders of all kinds — from restaurants and food makers, to doctors and home improvement maestros.
“I had never been in a room so full of winners,” said Philip Guarnieri, Chief Executive Officer of Empire State Bank, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, as he looked across the hall where business owners celebrated their victory.
“Small businesses make up a major part of the jobs in the country,” Guamieri added. “We would have communities falling apart without them. In the face of this inflation, we’ve seen how these entrepreneurs are fighters, they are resilient and they will come out stronger for it. That is why every one of these businesses is the perfect partner for the bank, no matter what their balance is.”
Brooklyn has seen many changes in the last few years — and some businesses have particularly flourished while staying up-to-date with trends, and weathering the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those unique businesses, atop their respective industries, earned the coveted Best of Brooklyn nod.
At this year’s celebration, business owners stood to address the room and share a little of what got them to where they are now, while trading tips and tactics with the other titans of the industry.
“Ours is a Brooklyn family-owned business, working there is a really wonderful experience, you couldn’t find a more loving and supporting group and that is shown in our work,” said Jennifer King, assistant manager at Jomart Chocolates, winners of Best Chocolatier. “In the last few years, the community has rallied around Jomart and supported us, which makes us want to give them an even better product day after day.”
From Red Oak, the best Hookah Bar, to Unifies Home Remodeling, the Best Window Company, the range of businesses that Kings County residents highlighted is a vivid representation of the variety of talent Brooklyn has to offer.
Arts and Entertainment, Automotive, Bars and Nightlife, Education, Fashion and Clothing, Food, Health, Wellness and Beauty, Home and Garden, Pets, Restaurants, Services, Shopping, Sports, Activities and Weddings were the categories used to encompass all businesses, but many more awarded specializations and subcategories really measure the pulse of all Brooklyn neighborhoods in the search for the best.
“It’s no small thing to be the best at one of the best places in the world,” said Dr. Melinda Keller from Brooklyn Spine Center, voted Best Chiropractic.
Entrepreneurs were both humbled and proud of being called the best. Exchanging business cards and shaking hands, they turned the party into a collaboration of business know-how.
Many businesses, regardless of the services or products they offer, have faced and overcome the same challenges — rising rents, inflation, and an atrophied supply chain — but they know they don’t have to go through it alone.
“Seeing the economy as it is, and yet, having people come to us and spending their hard-earned money supporting us is an honor,” said the representatives of Tivoli Jewelers, winners of Best Wedding Jewelry Store.
