Shopping local benefits the village

Holiday shopping season is in full swing, and while some motivated shoppers took advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, many still need to check items off gift lists. Rockville Centre has a variety of gift stores with a wide selection of merchandise — from toys to decorations, baked goods to unique gifts, residents can bypass mall traffic and still finish their shopping. And while e-commerce is convenient, there’s a bigger picture for consideration before clicking “buy now.”

“If you’re planning on visiting a store, you should go to a local shop,” Brian Croutier, president of the village Chamber of Commerce, said. “Shopping local enhances the village, and not only do the businesses benefit, but it’s beneficial to everyone living in town.”

Having a vibrant downtown helps to attract both tourists and potential new homeowners, while closed storefronts prevent people from moving to the area, Croutier said.

Local businesses support charities and events, too. “They get hit up a lot, and all the causes are worthy, but there are a lot of them,” Croutier explained. “They’re giving back to the village, and we should support them back.”

This rings true for Jeannine Palladino, owner of Jeannine’s Gifts, who said the store’s mission has always been to focus on the community and give back to various local charities. The boutique, at 6 N. Park Ave., has been in Rockville Centre for 15 years, and Palladino opened Little Jeannine’s Baby Store two and a half years ago.

“For us, it doubles the love that goes into gift giving,” Palladino said. “A customer buys a gift for someone and another person in need also receives a gift. For example, Headbands of Hope is a line of hair accessories: for every headband sold they donate one to a child with cancer. Representing brands like this is our focus all year and even more so around the holidays. Our customers appreciate shopping this way and are always willing to support whatever the cause may be. This has helped us get through some of the economic downturns over the past 15 years, as well as compete with online business.”

The Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce helps promote businesses in town by holding ribbon cuttings for new businesses and sharing posts on social media. Ultimately, though, it’s up to consumers to make the choice to spend their money locally. “People should realize how important small businesses are to the village,” Croutier said, “and that the reason Rockville Centre is so vibrant is because these shop owners are willing to take a chance.”

One initiative the chamber is continuing is the annual Snow Man Hunt. Lisa Umansky, owner of Polka Dot Pound Cake and second vice president of the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce, brought the idea of the Snowman Hunt to the chamber four years ago.

“It was something I wanted to do to kick off Small Business Saturday,” Umansky said. “It’s something fun that gets people into the stores and encourages shopping locally.”

Some 30 to 35 businesses are participating in the event, which continues until Dec. 21. Each one has a stuffed snowman that kids must locate within the store. Once it’s found, participants get a sticker, and if they complete the entire hunt, they can enter a raffle to win a $200 gift card. Those who earn at least 10 stickers can also compete in a contest to win $50 prizes. Snowman Hunt flyers are available at any of the participating businesses.

“It’s grown every year,” Croutier said. “It gets people into shops they may not have visited before. The kids are engaged, and the parents might find something they want to purchase.”

American Express started the Small Business Saturday initiative 10 years ago, and communities throughout the country have incorporated it into different activities to jumpstart the holiday season. “In this day and age, it’s so easy to shop online and from our phones,” Umansky said, “so we just want to remind people how important it is to support local businesses. We want our downtown shopping areas to thrive, or else they’ll disappear.”

She said that many merchants rely on holiday sales to get them through the year, and just going in and seeing what they offer is a good first step to supporting the business. Umansky noted that one local merchant gained a new customer during the first Snowman Hunt, and that person has become one of the most loyal and consistent patrons since.

“People talk about the charm of small towns all the time, but if you don’t actually shop at the stores, you’ll lose that charm,” she said. “I challenge everyone to walk into three stores you’ve never been in before. It could make a huge difference to the local merchants.”

Palladino said that a large portion of her annual sales comes from the holiday season. “Like every retail business, the holiday season is extremely important to my small business,” Palladino said. “We prepare for the fourth quarter approximately six months ahead of time, knowing that almost 60 percent of our business can be made in two months.”

She said that preparing for the holidays is fun, though it can also be challenging. “The workload doubles and we need to hire extra employees and extend our hours,” Palladino said. “We have a lot of fun, though, and offer some great deals.”

Jeannine’s Gifts personalizes gift items and offers free wrapping. “Customers love that they can get their holiday gifts bought, wrapped and ready to give,” she said. “One of the local charities we support during the holidays is the Adopt A Family Program. A portion of a sales one day will go towards supplying meals for families from our community in need during the holiday season.”

That customer service aspect is something small businesses strive to give. Matty’s Toy Stop, at 284 Sunrise Highway, has been a longtime staple in the village. Nancy Pecorella has worked at Matty’s for at least 12 years and said the shop provides top-notch customer service.

“We cater to our customers,” Pecorella said, noting they have a strong base of regular customers. “We sell more specialty toys and have a nice selection of a lot of different things. It’s very easy to shop here. The toys are in age order and board games are in alphabetical order, so it’s very organized and easy and pleasurable to shop.”

Matty’s also offers free gift wrapping and sells greeting cards, making it more of one-stop shop for children’s gifts.

Keith Linsalata, owner of Art Flower and Gift Shoppe, at 41 N. Village Ave., said December is the busiest month of the year. To prepare for the season, he orders Christmas products in February.

“We sell so many Christmas products,” Linsalata said, “holiday gift baskets with fruits, chocolates, crackers, snacks . . . and we do custom, engraved gifts like personalized blankets.”

The store has been in Rockville Centre for 85 years, though Linsalata and manager Debbie Whitfield have had it for 29 years.

“The local shopping district is what keeps a solid community together,” Linsalata said. “It also keeps property taxes down for homeowners. The shopping district draws families into a community and makes a village community-minded.

“Not only are businesses good for community, but the families do support local business and know how important they are,” Linsalata added. “In Rockville Centre, residents strongly support it — it’s different from other places. More communities should be like Rockville Centre.”

Palladino agreed. “It’s extremely important for people to shop local,” Palladino said. “Our communities depend on it. When someone shops local, a significant amount of the money they spend stays in the community. We hire local people. We have developed beautiful relationships with our customers and have shared in their lives. You can’t get that from a big box retailer.

“Without the small businesses in our town there would be less connection, and no platform for people from all the schools and congregations to come together,” Palladino added. “There are so many great retail shops in our town, so many talented entrepreneurs — shopping local means so much more than you think.”

Briana Bonfiglio contributed to this story.