Bellmore-Merrick businesses see signs of hope

Holiday-season retail sales across the country rose about 5 percent over their 2008 levels, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And there are signs of recovery in the Bellmore-Merrick area as well. Many businesses have seen their sales improve since the bleak climate of 2008, but few have matched the level of activity five years ago, a Herald survey indicates.

As the warmer months approach, business owners hope that sales -- and profits -- will continue to climb. They also remind residents that local businesses add character to downtowns and are often willing to cut deals with local residents.

For Tom Valenti, former Bellmore Chamber of Commerce president and owner of Piccolo Ristorante on Sunrise Highway in Bellmore, December brought an increase in revenue as well as the opening of a new restaurant, Piccolino, in Carle Place. There was no shortage of holiday spirit in his eateries, Valenti said: He had private parties booked nearly every night from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.

"People are going to celebrate the holidays regardless of their financial situation," Valenti said, adding that his restaurants offer a discount rewards program for frequent customers.

Valenti's desire to treat his customers well is a common theme among local businesses. Gary Hudes, another former Bellmore chamber president, a Town of Hempstead councilman and president of Gennaro Jewelers on Bedford Avenue in Bellmore, reminds shoppers that local business owners rely on residents for their survival. "In many of these cases, the local store is willing to bend over backward to give you that extra value, that extra service," Hudes said. "You're not at a faceless, nameless entity. You're their customer. You're somebody they want to see again, and it's very important to them to make you happy."

As for his own business, Hudes said that sales were up moderately, and while people hadn't refrained from buying this holiday season, they had scaled back from what they might have purchased in better times. "It's not only about sales; it's also about service," he said, "so we're finding that people are remounting a lot of their jewelry, in essence taking the value that they already own and making an investment in that value and changing it around, changing in up, restyling it."

Even new businesses saw an improvement at the end of the year. Steve Lazar, owner of Nature's Museum Store on Merrick Road in Bellmore, opened his doors last April. Nature's Museum sells nature jewelry, museum replicas and other collectibles directly from its factory, which has been in operation for 40 years. Lazar said that December made up about 20 percent of last year's sales. "We met our goal," he said of the month's target, $75,000 in sales.

Doug Mills, former president of the Merrick Chamber of Commerce and owner of Printing Emporium on Merrick Avenue in Merrick, attributes rising sales to business people looking for ways to recreate themselves. Printing Emporium, which focuses on business printing, has seen business owners who are looking to give their companies a fresh start, Mills said.

"They need to do something to go out there to generate their own new business," he said, "and they realize it's going to start from within." This includes ordering new business cards and constantly self-promoting through brochures and Web mailings.

"You need to have a fresh look, you need to have a crisp, clean image, you need to have a very concise message, and you really need to make sure your business is branded," Mills said, to be successful in today's economic climate.

Printing Emporium, which saw a 4.5 percent increase in sales from December 2008 to December 2009, continues to operate in the black. After December, sales tend to be slow until March, but Mills said that the store's momentum from the end of 2009 carried through to January, and sales continue to rise. He attributed his success to being able to help his clients far more quickly than an Internet company or a large chain. Businesses that can answer their customers' needs immediately are those who will ride out the recession, he said.

"We're all busy -- everyone's busy, there's not enough time in the day -- so people need people that can do it now," Mills said. "Those people are going to be successful going forward."

Comments about this story? DKrasula@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.