The Business Association of the South Wedge Area (BASWA) is an active organization with many projects underway throughout the year.

BASWA's primary missions are to improve and promote the neighborhood to enhance the commercial district. We've been working on these goals to achieve a revitalized South Wedge area since 2003. To that end, we have purchased and installed street benches, fkower planters, street banners, bicycle racks, and decorative trash receptacles throughout the commercial district. Our 501c3, the South Wedge Area Neighborhood Council (SWANC) manages the beautification projects we undertake each year: care and maintenance of Nathaniel Square Park, Star Alley Park, and the public parking lot at 713 South Avenue.

We've also maintained a constant media presence since we began our first marketing campaign, "Savor Our Flavor" in 2003. We produce the full color map & business directory brochures distributed throughout the region; the South Wedge Quarterly magazine which is published by us 5 times annually; and our website www.southwedge.com which is our business directory website. We hold several events annually which bring hundreds to thousands of people into the neighborhood every year: the Rochester Real Beer Expo, the Harvest Hootenanny, the It's A Wonderful Life Holiday Festival, the Night of the Living Wedge Pub Crawl, the Third Thursday Concert Series in Star Alley Park, and other events, such as South-Wedgucation which is a partnership with City Newspaper.

We have a great selection of retail merchandise relating to the South Wedge (SWag) that we sell out of our BASWA office, "The Swedge Shop". We have t-shirts, coffee mugs, travel mugs, bottle openers, water bottles, and a great selection of local history books and maps. Plus work by local artists.

We've also embraced public art projects. Our Bicycle Rack totems are located throughout the South Wedge, a total of 16 of them have been installed since 2009. We commissioned artists to paint nine of the electrical boxes throughout the neighborhood. In 2013, we partnered with Wall\Therapy to bring public murals to walls all over the commercial area. 

We fund these projects through a variety of methods. We are supported by the City of Rochester's Economic Development Department, we are awarded grants, we hold an annual membership drive, and we produce The Rochester Real Beer Week & Expo to help us maintain the projects listed above. The money raised at these events is reinvested in the South Wedge community.

We hope you will consider supporting these events and the South Wedge. Thanks!