Q+A: Katharina Goetz, Brooklyn Bridge Parents
If you’re a parent in Dumbo, no doubt you read Brooklyn Bridge Parents. Dumbo mom and entrepreneur Katharina Goetz is the force behind this popular Brooklyn family website. She moved to Dumbo in 2012, and was looking for a family-focused news source. When she couldn’t find what she needed, she launched her own. This year, we are honoring Katharina’s contribution to Dumbo with a DUMBO Dozen Award at our Annual Meeting on February 11. We sat down with Katharina to learn more about her journey, and what’s next for Brooklyn Bridge Parents.
Where are you from? How did you end up living in DUMBO?
I’m from Germany; I came to New York for a corporate beauty-marketing job 10 years ago. I became a mother in 2011, and decided to move to DUMBO in 2012 because it is a family friendly place! I was a new mom who found a home in Brooklyn for her family.
What led you to start Brooklyn Bridge Parents? What can we find on the site?
I didn’t think of it as a business in the beginning– I was just looking for a news outlet for local families, a place where I could find useful information as a parent in Brooklyn: what to do with my kids, where to send them to school, community issues, park news, real estate developments etc. I wasn’t finding what I wanted, so I decided to launch Brooklyn Bridge Parents, which covers all the topics I as a Brooklyn parent have been interested in. The idea was to create a platform for families, where they can engage better with the community.
It now covers neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn including Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights and BoCoCa. Families can find friends, learn more about schools, find free things to do with their kids and much more. We had 100,000+ site visits in 2018; 50% of the readers are moms and 50% are dads.
The idea was to create a platform for families, where they can engage better with the community.
Now you are also taking Brooklyn Bridge Parents offline?
Yes, I am hosting two types of events under the Brooklyn Bridge Parents brand these days. School information sessions and community events like family block parties. The idea is to make parenting in Brooklyn a bit easier and more fun!
Families with kids born in 2015 or younger: Mark your calendar for our next Pre-K and Kindergarten information session on February 12th.
Families with kids 0 to 10: Mark your calendars for our free indoor block party at City Point Mall on March 2 with free STEM activities, bouncy house, soccer, live music, arts and crafts and much more.
What inspires your website?
My kids, they are 7 and 4.
Do you have a space where you work, to separate business and home life?
I work out of the NY Media Center in DUMBO
It is also crucial for my business to talk to neighbors and local businesses to be in the know of what is happening in the neighborhood and what is on parents minds.
What is it like working in DUMBO?
It is very practical to work close by home and close to my son's school PS 307. I'm very fortunate to have a 5-minute commute in a city like New York! It is also crucial for my business to talk to neighbors and local businesses to be in the know of what is happening in the neighborhood and what is on parents minds.
How do you see Brooklyn Bridge Parents in the future?
I would like to grow it deeper into Brooklyn and cover topics for older kids – for middle schoolers and up.
Finally, What’s your favorite spot in DUMBO?
The John Street park section of Brooklyn Bridge Park!
