Why Washington Square?

Washington Square is a park in New York City’s Greenwich Village which has long been associated with free thinking, individuality and speaking out.

Over the years the neighbourhood has been home to such names as Mark Twain, Buddy Holly, Simon & Garfunkel, Edward Hopper, FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt.

The beatnik poets such as Allen Ginsberg hung out here, early Jazz musicians and “hippies”, including a young Bob Dylan, performed both in the park itself, and also in the iconic surrounding venues such as Café Wha? Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs were regulars in the local Minetta Tavern. Jazz icons such as Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie played in the Village Vanguard. The nearby Comedy Cellar has launched the careers of Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Louie CK among many others.

Surrounded by the NYU campus, the park is alive with bustle and street entertainers to this day. If so inclined, you can also browse the area’s many vinyl record stores in a time bubble. Unsurprisingly the area boasts a thriving vegetarian and vegan scene.

It is one of my favourite locations and was part of the inspiration for our decision and drive in 2015 to work towards creating an organisation that reflected our principles and values.

We would also like to make it clear that having started life as Prangle Financial Planning, Roger Prangle will always be an inspiration for the core values of our new brand.