Chelsea Market – Much More than a Food Court

The Chelsea Market gave birth to the Oreo cookie in 1912 and is now packed with specialty restaurants and high-profile offices including the Food and Oxygen Networks. You can’t just pop in on Rachel Ray, but you never know who might be roaming the halls of this New York City landmark located on the West Side in the Meatpacking District.

In this labyrinth of food shops, there are some hidden gems along with a couple of clunkers. Some places sport reasonable prices, but others could use a reality check. Chelsea Market has several bakeries, a seafood wholesaler and even a below-ten-dollar-per-plate Thai place. Many might enjoy the two-in-one restaurant/clothing store called 202. It’s a place where shoppers can browse between bites.

Need a place to chill out? Try the T Salon. The owner carries hundreds of exotic tea varieties and insists that she won’t sell any products that might “harm the universe.” Her shop features lighting actually constructed out of recycled tea bags.

Even if you’re not a seafood lover, Lobster Place is worth a peek. It has the feel and certainly the smell of an old-fashioned fish market with crab, fresh fish and you guessed it, lobsters! They have on-site seafood treats and deliver anywhere in the continental U.S.

Sarabeth’s Bakery has a cozy atmosphere and emanates an aroma reminiscent of grandma’s kitchen. Keep a sharp eye out and you could run into the actual “Sarabeth.” She’s won critical acclaim for her marmalades and baked goods. One can enjoy an unforgettable lunch there without breaking the bank.

Not every place is a keeper at Chelsea Market; the only reason to step inside Manhattan Fruit Exchange is for the blast of air-conditioning. Otherwise, you might end up paying 4 dollars for a scant handful of M&M’s or 5 bucks for an even smaller portion of jellybeans.

Eleni’s hand-painted art cookies are beautiful to behold, but in most cases, cost more than a classical painting.

Try the Ninth Street Espresso shop, but not if you’re looking for a vanilla latte. The staff will happily inform you that they don’t carry flavored syrups.

All things considered, Chelsea Market presents visitors with a chance to mingle with New Yorkers in a unique and historical setting. If you go, leave extra time for the nearby High Line Park, a refurbished railroad trestle offering a bird’s eye view of the city.

Ultra Light Startups Tackles Legal Issues Surrounding Startups

Ultra Light Startups debuted its new meeting space Tuesday night while presenting a Legal Roundtable discussion for nearly 40 eager participants. The panel was comprised of three attorneys who advise entrepreneurs including Jonathan Freedman, Sam Guzik and Stephen Chin.

Jon Freedam kicked things off by addressing the two basic advantages of becoming a legal entity:
1) Liability protection – Ensuring that your company is signing a material contract and not you as an individual.
2) Becoming an entity allows you to regulate the relationship with your business partners.

He stressed that limiting personal liability from the company is a vital step in building an organization and protecting yourself at the same time.

Sam Guzik presented some advantages of the Convertible Debt, a loan that can convert to equity under certain circumstances. The convertible debt allows an investor to recover investments through a variety of methods including asset liquidation.

Guzik also addressed some of the legal issues that can derail financing or acquisition:
1) A muddled line of ownership within the company hierarchy.
2) Not knowing or understanding what investor restrictions are already in place.
3) Missing critical documents or lost paperwork.

Finally, Stephen Chin explored the complexities of trademarks, copyrights and patents.

Regarding trademarks, Chin says that the law begins to recognize a trademark as soon a company starts using one and it is not that difficult to get. He says the trademarking process should begin when a company begins a large or costly advertising campaign.

As far as getting a copyright, he says you don’t have to spend money on that until you actually encounter someone copying your work.

When it comes to applying to a patent, hold on for an expensive and complicated process that could take 2 to 3 years to complete.

ING Direct Hosts Savvy Savers Tweetup in New York City

ING Direct played host to its first-ever Tweetup at its Third Avenue Café in New York City on Tuesday afternoon. More than 70 Twitterers, bloggers, and customers joined host Jim Kelly, the Chief Operating Officer for ING Direct, to discuss topics ranging from savings habits to the role of social media in America.

The COO told the group that there has never been a more important time for Americans to save than right now. He stressed that savings is a vital component of what makes the domestic economy work.

Kelly says that ING Direct has pulled back on commercial lending because of the current fiscal crisis. The COO says the company is focusing on consumer loans to help stimulate the economy and help people who still wish to make large purchases.

Soon the audience questioned Kelly about how and why the company started using Twitter. Kelly says that with a bank that does so much on-line business, it was hard to stay in touch with its customers. He says his institution uses Twitter to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the company’s customer base.

Kelly closed the meeting explaining that the use of Twitter to communicate with customers is not altogether self-serving.

“It’s not about making money and selling products,” Kelly said. “It’s about helping people make their lives better by making smart decisions about their money.”

Ultra Light Startups – The Critical Importance of User-Friendly Websites

Ultra Light Startups (ULS) assembled a panel of experts Wednesday night to teach critical cost conscious measures to entrepreneurs hoping to make their websites more user-friendly and profitable.

But as always, the night kicked off with 30 up-and-coming entrepreneurs making a pitch for their business models to a packed room of about 100 people. ULS encourages entrepreneurs to pitch their products to facilitate networking within the group.

There was a wide array of business models out there including medication reminders, design-your-own shirt and even a site where you can create your own wish lists.

After a short break, the night’s focus shifted to the panel of “User Interface” (UI) and “User Experience”(UX) experts including:

1) Moderator, Allen Ackerman with A-List Placement
2) Alex Kirtland with UsableMarkets.com
3) Whitney Hess with Happy Cog Studios
4) Karen McGrane with Bond Art and Science
5) David Sansone with TBWA Brand Management

Alex Kirtland says the first critical step in building a successful website is defining your vision. He says that before you begin the design process, have a good idea of what you plan to build and know your customer’s needs.

Whitney Hess says doing some research before you begin work on your site, could save you from a future of redesign headaches. Hess says one way to accomplish that is to meet with your customers beforehand and fish out what their needs and desires are.

Alex says that for the most part, user research and usability testing can be done by the individual entrepreneur. But Karen McGrane issues a warning for the business owners who wish to do it themselves.

“Your goal is to have your product work the way you expect it to work and be profitable,” says McGrane. “But if you can’t do it properly, you should probably hire someone else to do it for you.”

Whitney Hess wrapped up the discussion by advising entrepreneurs to step back and make sure that they have the right formula for success. She says sometimes, start-up business owners need to take a step back and make sure they are creating what their customers really want.