OK, so it’s summer now, right? What’s that about 50 degrees this weekend? Whatever who cares. Summer! Which of course has us thinking about Coney Island. Almost 6 months after Sandy, the businesses there are still trying to get over the hump and get ready for the summer throngs. And sure, they could fill out a bunch of FEMA forms and hope that some lunatic Tea Party rep from backwater Alabama doesn’t get people to go along with the idea that sending the rest of the Sandy relief money is “against God’s will.” But they can also turn to us and ask for a little help, which is exactly what they’ve done.
Seven Coney Island business have partnered up with Lucky Ant, a new crowdfunding site made exclusively for small businesses, to ask people fo help rebuilding. Now, you might look at it and think that you’d rather just go to and spend money at places like Coney Island USA, Eldorado Auto Skooter or Gargiulo’s. And that’s a fair point. But the great thing about this attempt at crowdfunding is that each business is offering gift certificates for slightly more money than you donate to them. For example, a $10 donation to Eldorado gets you a certificate for two bumper car rides. Which presumably will give you extra motivation to get out to Coney. So, instead of a donation, you can look at the whole project as a chance to invest early in the summer. And that’s the kind of investment you always want to get in on on the ground floor.