Contact: Sunny Mindel/Curt Ritter (212) 788-2958
Bernadette O'Leary (EDC) 212-312-3523
Branded Leather will renovate the approximately 17,500-square-foot building and develop the 6,000-square-foot land parcel at 951 Brook Avenue and East 163rd Street to establish a facility where it will manufacture such products as military gloves, sheepskin jackets, motorcycle jackets, vests and other accessories for men, women and children. Through a land sale negotiated by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), Branded Leather's new Bronx facility will create approximately 20 full-time jobs and up to 10 construction jobs.
"I am always pleased to see a New York City-based company taking advantage of the great resources our City has to offer," said Mayor Giuliani. "By restoring under-used City-owned property for commercial use, Branded Leather is generating a new source of revenue and jobs for the City."
Headquartered in Long Island City, Queens, and with a showroom in Los Angeles, California, Branded Leather services clients from around the world with its all-American-made products. Renovations at the new Bronx facility recently began and are expected to be completed within six months. The company will remain headquartered in Long Island City.
"In about six months, we'll be supplying New York City's Highway and Mounted Police with specialty gloves, in addition to supplying our other clients across the country," said Branded Leather owner Leslie Farkas. "We 'glove' New York!"
"Branded Leather is a terrific New York City success story," said EDC President Charles Millard. "This growing company is maximizing its productivity by tapping into the City's various communities and accessing some of our City's greatest resources -- a diverse economy and workforce."
The transaction with Branded Leather is part of Mayor Giuliani's overall efforts to revitalize communities by privatizing under-utilized City-owned land. Other projects initiated by EDC in the Bronx on behalf of the Mayor include: a retail development at Baychester Plaza in Co-op City; a mixed-use complex at Bathgate Plaza; and a retail center at Peartree Plaza in Bronxchester.