When thinking of hotspots for home and architectural design, Mount Vernon might  not be the first place that comes to mind.
But a group of designers, all within a several-block radius downtown, are trying to change that.
A group of businesses is marketing itself as the “Mt V Design District” in an effort to get the word out.
The concept was the brainchild of Lyn Peterson, president and design director of Motif Designs at 718 S. Fulton Street.
She said decorators, architects and general contractors regularly drive by Mount Vernon on their way to the D&D (decoration and design) Building in Manhattan.
“This is a real alternative to the D&D Building,” she said. “This could be a little satellite district of Manhattan.”
The D&D Building is on Third Avenue in Manhattan and specializes in residential and business interior furnishings and resource information. It is open to trade professionals only.
In addition to Motif, the other businesses that make up the Mount Vernon design district are Adams Unlimited, Amanda Floor Covering, Consolidated Plumbing, Dal-Tile, Furniture Restoration Co. and stone and tile specialist Walker Zanger.
When Motif moved from New Rochelle to Mount Vernon a year and a half ago, Peterson said she had no idea all these companies were in the same general area of the city.
“I said ”˜Wow, this is all right here.”™ These are all companies that are very well known throughout the industry and they”™re all in Mount Vernon.”
They are in a commercial area downtown bordered by Sandford Boulevard, Columbus Avenue, South Third Avenue and the Hutchinson River Parkway.
“This is an incredibly convenient area,” said Peterson.
“We going to be drawing designers not only from Westchester, but Fairfield County too,” said Karl Friberg, CEO of Motif.
Peterson said that the design district will play a part in Mount Vernon one day being considered a shopping destination on par with White Plains or Bronxville.
Historically, Mount Vernon”™s downtown shopping area has lagged behind those of neighboring communities such as Bronxville, Eastchester or New Rochelle.
But Peterson believes that is going to change soon.
“Designers are the early adaptors, the discoverers, the originators,” she said. “I would tell smart investors that this is going to be White Plains ten years from now. I definitely see a revitalization.”
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Katrina Gomez, project manager for Amanda Flooring, agreed that the area is up and coming.
“When I used to be in the Bronx, we knew Mount Vernon as a last resort in you needed something (design-related),” Gomez said. “Now it should be the first resort.”
She said with everything being “pricier in New York City” that will help Mount Vernon even more.
“It”™s great to have everything in one area like we have here,” she said of the design district.
Jane Appel, showroom manager for Walker Zanger, said the Mount Vernon design district can become “a real destination.”
“There are certain areas people usually go when they”™re shopping,” she said. “We want to get the word out about this area.”
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