3 Lower Manhattan Small Businesses Honored With Prestigious Award

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Small businesses are the heart of every neighborhood, and State Senator Brad Hoylman recently honored three Lower Manhattan establishments that kept their doors open during the pandemic.

On Friday, Hoylman presented the Empire Award — the New York State Senate's highest award for local business — to Lower Manhattan's C.O Bigelow Chemists, Madman Espresso, and Mikey Likes It Ice Cream.

The award signifies the "excellence" of the work the small businesses do within their communities.

Here's a little bit more information about the three honored Lower Manhattan shops.

C.O. Bigelow (Greenwich Village): The shop at 414 6th Avenue is the oldest apothecary in America and has served customized formulas and healing therapeutic natural preparations to customers for nearly two centuries.

Madman Espresso (Greenwich Village): The coffee shop at 54 University Place is known for its fantastic cups of joe, its friendly team of baristas, and its laid-back and relaxing environment. They also source the best available coffee from more than 11 countries.

Mikey Likes It (Lower East Side): Inspired by his late Aunt Lucy, Micael "Mikey" Cole opened his Lower Eastside ice cream shop at 199 Avenue A in 2013. Mikey works with all-natural dairy and vegan flavors to dish out tasty ice cream helpings, while also taking the time to volunteer and hand out free meals to residents in the Lower East Side.

“These small businesses never closed over the last year, continuing to serve New Yorkers even during the pandemic’s darkest days — even though some big national chains shut their doors and abandoned Manhattan," Hoylman said in a news release. "I’m honored to present the Empire Award for Small Business to these local establishments and encourage New Yorkers to continue to shop local and help me identify their favorite ‘mom and pops’ worthy of recognition."

The different small business owners were honored to receive the award.

"My son Alec and I are extremely honored and proud to accept this prestigious award on behalf of our amazing team here at C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries. In true spirit, they have been here on the frontlines every single day since the pandemic began. They are incredibly passionate about their patients and the community at large and felt a deep responsibility to be here for them," said Ian Ginsberg, an owner of Greenwich Village's C.O. Bigelow.

If you want to nominate a small business in Senate District 27, which includes Lower Manhattan, Midtown, and the southern part of the Upper West Side, that fits the criteria, you can email hoylman@senate.gov with "Empire Award Nomination" in the subject line.