Shopping on the sidewalk rain or shine

Forecasts for stormy weather weren’t enough to keep shoppers away from the 30th annual Cedarhurst Summer Sidewalk Sale, held along Central and Cedarhurst avenues in the village’s bustling business district on July 25, 26, 27 & 29.

Scattered rain showers marred day one, but storeowners said that it barely affected business. “We had people lined up with umbrellas before we opened,” said Alicia Cascio, who owns Sox World Plus with her father, Charles. “The first day of the sale is almost always the best day.”

Stores had set up tables and racks full of merchandise along the sidewalks, giving shoppers an opportunity to peruse what they have to offer as they walked by. Thomas Wong, owner of Five Towns Gifts and Crafts, said that he noticed that the weather had likely hurt the turnout a bit, but the rain was more a nuisance than a major problem. “We had to drag everything inside once the rain picked up,” he said. “I just hope the rest of the week is nice.”

Some shoppers showed up knowing exactly what they were looking for, while others were just window shopping. Reizy Kramer, of Far Rockaway, pushed her 1-year-old son down the street. A veteran of the event, this year she said she had one thing on her mind.

“I’m looking for baby clothes,” she said, pointing to her child, who sported a teal polo shirt. “He’s growing out of everything and I was able to get about $100 worth of stuff for $10, so it was definitely worth it.” Kramer added that she likes the event because not only does it give people an opportunity to mingle, but she’s also discovered a couple of stores that she said she would otherwise likely walk right past.

Rita Levenson, another Far Rockaway resident, had a different approach to the sale. “I just came to look around,” she said, “see if anything catches my eye.”
Aside from raising awareness of some stores and bringing more customers to the area, Cascio said that the sale has another upside for a majority of the businesses. “Not only is it a fun event for the town,” she said. “It also gives us an opportunity to clear out some of our stock.”

Teri Schure, executive director of the Cedarhurst Business Improvement District said, roughly 90 businesses participated in this year’s event. She added that it’s tough to gauge exactly how many shoppers attended this year, but she estimated that there were more than 10,000 last year. “One only needs to drive by during the event to see that every store and restaurant is flowing with customers,” she said.