Busy November and December News! | A Word from our President
Busy November and December News!
A Word from our President – By Jamaal Jackson, President of Mission Hills BID and Branch Manager / Assistant Vice President U.S. Bank – Mission Hills
Thanks to the generosity of host Briana Robinson, owner of BUJU Tattoo at 914 W. Washington Street, the Mission Hills BID’s Annual Meeting, Election and Mixer, beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5 will take place at BUJU Tattoo. In addition to the normal business of the BID, two directors and four officers will be elected during the meeting. Nominees include Jessica Dolliver, Mission:Fit, Sarah Church Mattia, Pizza e Birra and Amra Mulic, All American Tailors. Mattia and Mulic are running for re-election and received the Mission Hills BID board’s unanimous endorsement at their October meeting. If you pay a business license fee in our BID, you are eligible to vote. A list of qualified businesses prepared by the treasurer of the City of San Diego will be on hand. Official photo identification may be helpful. The Mixer follows from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. The generosity of Mission Hills’ retailers promises a bountiful raffle. Cash and credit will be accepted for the raffle. This event is open to the public. Please join me and feel free to bring a friend.
Again, this year, the BID has committed to helping less fortunate families with children, by collecting new, unwrapped toys, through the Toys for Tots holiday collection program. Please, no stuffed toys. Participating collection locations include: Mission Hills Library, 215 W. Washington Street, Mail Station, 325 W. Washington Street, Suite 2, US Bank Mission Hills, 610 W. Washington Street, Communion and Paradis, 901 West Washington Street, Salon Sloane, 1605 W Lewis Street, and Lewis | Fay, 1614 W. Lewis Street. Bins will be available for toy donations beginning the first week of November and picked up on Friday, December 12. Please donate today!
We honor and thank all veterans and active-duty service members this and every year on November 11th.
Whether you are a Thanksgiving holiday host or guest, please remember the fine items available at our local retailers. From farm fresh and delicious to prime and organic, every culinary item you may wish for a lovely holiday weekend of meals is available right here in Mission Hills. Think Mission Hills Liquor, Hills Wine & Spirits, Ibis Market, Lazy Acres, and Pavilions, our local purveyors of wine, to help you with the perfect pairing for your meal. Need a rest from meal preparations? Consider ordering deliciously prepared take-out or enjoy a meal at one of our local Mission Hills restaurants. If you are a guest, there is no better neighborhood of shops than ours to find a unique hostess gift in every price range.
Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and in Mission Hills the charm and character of our nearly 500 small businesses enliven our neighborhood. Each of them has chosen to open their doors in Mission Hills. We invite you to join us in celebrating the 16th Anniversary of Small Business Saturday, on Saturday, November 29, by starting your holiday shopping in Mission Hills. An average two-thirds of every dollar ($0.67) spent at a small business stays in that local community. Please commit to shopping small for the holidays and invest in bettering our Mission Hills neighborhood throughout the year. Local business specials will be promoted on social. Follow @missionhillssd on Instagram to make sure you are up-to-date on the latest offers, and tag us if you know of any. When we choose to dine local, shop local and keep our precious financial resources local, we contribute greatly to our neighborhood’s ability to survive and flourish. I am so very grateful to be part of this vibrant Mission Hills community.
As we go to press in late-October, we just learned the Mission Hills Library Shop at 925 W. Washington will officially open on Monday, December 1. This December news includes a press conference on December 1, sometime after 10am with our Councilmember present to launch the Shop.
I cannot pass up the opportunity to re-cap the 13th Annual Taste of Mission Hills! Attendees enjoyed incredible tastes offered at 28 Mission Hills venues, danced to San Diego Rock & Soul music of The Tighten-Ups, and rode taste trolleys through our hills and valleys. This year’s taste captured the attention of first timers curious about Mission Hills’ food offerings as well as many who regularly dine in our neighborhood.
Thank you, if you attended! Thank you, if you were one of this year’s 28 participating venues offering tastes or a 13th Annual Taste of Mission Hills sponsor: Title Sponsor, US BANK; Trolley Sponsors, Harley Gray Kitchen & Bar, La Puerta Mission Hills, Sushi Deli 1 and Communion. Additional support from the State of California and City of San Diego helped keep ticket prices affordable and sales robust.
Online ticket sales and in-person sales at All American Tailors, Salon Sloane and US Bank Mission Hills, helped us reach our goal of selling every ticket! The line-up of 28 restaurants included the return of the completely renovated Starlite restaurant. We thank every taste venue for their continuing generosity and delicious offerings. Together, we earned highest praise, including, “Mission Hills’ taste included truffles!”
As a “business improvement non-profit” we are excited it was a well-attended evening! In addition to tracking sales, we also measured success based on data and metrics collected from attendees who purchased tickets online. During this year’s Taste:
- 42% of online purchasers were from outside of the city of San Diego
- 53% identified as first-time tasters to our Mission Hills event.
- Those in the 30-39 category comprised the largest age group at 35%, with the age group 40-49 following with 23%, and 50 -59 representing 20%.
- Those traveling the farthest were out of state tasters from Las Vegas, Atlanta and Bloomington.
- Seventy ticket purchasers were from California cities including Los Angeles, San Jose, Hayward, and several cities in nearby Orange County.
From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving and this year may the wishbone snap in your favor!