Bohemia brothers put LI businesses on the map

In the world Mark Snider and his brother, Doug, create, cars are larger than buildings. A single tooth is the size of a man. Airplanes glide just inches over busy roadways.

This zany universe is all on the maps the brothers -- partners in the Bohemia-based company MapToons Inc. -- create of Long Island's downtowns. The brothers often use the word "whimsical" to describe their maps, which are drawn by Oceanside artist Ed Manel.

But in reality the maps are advertising vehicles for downtown merchants and chambers of commerce.

This week the Snider brothers are in Farmingdale, just having gotten the backing of the local chamber there. They go door-to-door, signing up merchants whose stores will appear on a map. The price to be included ranges from $395 to $995, depending on the size of the display. The maps are distributed to the public by businesses, chambers and libraries.

The chambers pay nothing, and for each merchant who signs up the brothers donate $50 to the chamber. "It's wonderful for us," said Jo Wider, assistant to the Farmingdale chamber's board of directors.

Can a business be made of this? You bet, say the Sniders. Annual sales, they say, are between $500,000 to $750,000. They have been in business since 2003. Mark is a former Long Island disc jockey and spent nearly 20 years promoting records for Time Warner and other companies. Doug was a mechanic. Doug, 48, started the business. Mark, 50, joined him soon after. They are president and vice president, respectively.

Doug said he got the idea after looking at wall maps in restaurants. "I thought they would be more valuable if they could be folded and distributed," he said. The Sniders say they can never run out of downtowns to map, since they redo a map every five years. They admit they have seen many more empty stores these days than in years past.

But they have done about 50 maps since 2003, and local stores seem eager to sign up.

"Literally speaking, it puts you on the map," said Tony Kathreptis, who opened a Mexican restaurant, CaraCara, in Farmingdale only six months ago. "I've seen this done before, and I just want to be part of it," Kathreptis said.

The Sniders acknowledge the maps are not pinpoint-accurate representations of the downtowns. "We know the roads don't go this way and that," Mark said. "But it's a cartoon." The company's website is maptoonsinc.com.