Brooklyn pride shines forth on shirts and in songs, even with catchy phrases from the borough president on the city-limit signs, but no such in-your-face attitude is found in its neighbor to the north. One young entrepreneur, however, seeks to nurture similar feelings among the residents of his northwestern Queens neighborhood.
Julian Lesser, a 28-year-old publishing newcomer, wants to bolster neighborhood pride and independence by creating a magazine about art, culture, and entertainment for Long Island City and Astoria. His magazine, titled “Boro-Magazine”, will feature articles about local merchants, artists and events, as well as offering tips to live a better life and give back to the community.
Lesser, a trained and practicing artist as well, has found the kind of love that gives people wings in this waterfront slice of Queens. But he was not always so outwardly affectionate for it. “One of the purposes of the magazine is to help boost community confidence, spirit and pride,” Lesser said.
Frequent and often snide questions and comments made by residents of other boroughs caused him anguish. He said he got frustrated by the repeated jokes about travelling to Queens, such as people “having to find their passport” or asking “if they will be safe out there.”
After dealing with some internal struggle about living in Astoria, Lesser has come to regard his residence as a true home, and now he seeks to instill that feeling in others. He said he wants people to know that it is not only safe, but fun and varied enough to be a destination as well.
He hopes to show people that the area has all the necessities, and travel to Manhattan is purely optional. “I love it here because it has everything I need,” Lesser said, “great food, entertainment, and community.”
His decision to live in Astoria was one of economics as well. “I also decided to live here because I am an artist and I need a lot of space to paint. Astoria offers a lot more square feet for the money,” he said. Art is not a new resident in northwestern Queens either. Long Island City is home to one of the largest concentration of artists in the metro area, and Astoria is the home of the famous Kaufman Astoria film studios.
But watching his hands become animated and hearing his tone of voice rise when he talks about the neighborhood or the magazine is proof that he loves his new-found home, and part of his mission is to help make that home a better place to live.
“At Boro-Magazine, we strive to make a difference in the world around us,” he said. “We supply ideas for readers to take action, to change their lives and the world around them, while having fun doing it.”
All of this and more manifests itself in his magazine. Not only will the magazine include ideas about how readers can get involved in the community, Lesser has earmarked a portion of his revenue for select local charity organizations or to fund initiatives for community betterment he plans to introduce through his publication. “By donating a portion of our monthly revenue, we can feed or cloth a person in need, help clean up an old building, and beautify the neighborhood by planting trees and flowers,” he said.
The project is, for him, a chance to combine his passion and his personal values. “Being green is a huge part of my life,” he said. “I am a vegetarian and have been for ten years, I only use canvas bags, I conserve water, and I eat locally grown produce.”
But in the end, his efforts still depend on the responsiveness of his audience and his business contacts. The online content will be available to everyone and the monthly print version will be handed out free at every local subway stop and select local merchants. That means that all the income generated, including the portion he plans to donate to local charities, will come from advertising sales.
The task appears to be quite a formidable one, but Lesser exudes optimism. He said the response he has gotten about the project has been promising. “The feedback is great, and more and more people want to be a part of it each time I turn around,” he said. “It seems like they’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time.”
With the first issue coming out in December and the website going live possibly earlier, it seems as though they do not have long to wait. Soon enough, he said, he will get to share his passion and his love – his neighborhood – with his fellow Queens residents.
With his eyes wide and his smile beaming, Lesser had a simple way of summing up his goal. “I don’t ever want another Astorian to be embarrassed to say they live here,” he said nearly bouncing in his chair, “It’s feakin’ awesome! Be proud of your neighborhood.”
