Nanda Head, of Nanda Interiors, at 782 Hope St. in Providence, is among the merchants who have banded together. She says, “I don’t think people realize that we’re here. We’ve got to step up to the plate and do what we can to survive.”

The Providence Journal / Frieda Squires

PROVIDENCE — Merchants along Hope Street in the city’s Summit section are pulling together to form a business association they will use to market the area as a shopping destination.

Over the last several months, about 15 or so merchants located in that part of the city have been discussing ways to draw attention to the their shops, some of which are fairly new to the neighborhood, according to Nanda Head, the owner of Nanda Interiors. The nation’s economic turmoil has lent some urgency to those discussions.

“I don’t think people realize that we’re here,” Head said during an interview at her shop at 782 Hope St. “We’ve got to step up to the plate and do what we can to survive.”

The group is so new it hasn’t adopted a formal name yet, she said, though the self-explanatory Hope Street Merchants Association is the likely moniker.

Among the other businesses involved so far are a shoe store, a women’s accessories shop, a children’s store and restaurants.

Located in the northeast section of Providence, the neighborhood is roughly bounded by the border between Providence and Pawtucket to the north, Hope Street to the east, Rochambeau Avenue to the south, and North Main Street and Interstate 95 and the North Burial Ground to the west. Although principally a residential neighborhood, the neighborhood has two commercial corridors, Hope Street and North Main Street.

The merchants have met with some city officials, she said, who’ve been supportive.

The merchants secured $5,000 from the city’s economic development agency to gussy up the district with lighted trees for the holidays, while they’ve paid for floral pots.

“I think we’ve got the attention of the city,” she said.

A large section of the neighborhood is occupied by Miriam Hospital and the merchants are looking to the medical center for support. She expects the group will seek a matching grant from the hospital to help add trash barrels, bike racks and protective guards around the street’s trees.

The hospital already supports an annual fall festival in the neighborhood, she said.

On Dec. 12, the merchants hope to duplicate the neighborly atmosphere that October festival generates with a holiday event. The details of the event are still being worked out, she said, but may include an opportunity for pictures with Santa, street performers, holiday window displays and free package shipping.

pgrimald@projo.com