It’s beginning to look a lot like business

Two new shops open in Malverne

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Venturing to the mall lately is kind of like putting on a suit of armor and marching alongside your brethren to combat the crowds, the parking, the rush, and lack of personal assistance. It’s enough to leave your head aching and your soul searching for a better way.

Luckily, locals don’t need to venture far to purchase gifts in Malverne or West Hempstead any longer.

The village recently welcomed two new gift shops to the neighborhood: Forget Me Not Gifts on Church Avenue, and Bald Eagle, on Hempstead Avenue.

Both stores sell gifts, but are unique in their own ways: Bald Eagle concentrates on items that are exclusively American-made, and Forget Me Not on occasional gifts and novelty items.

And both carry Malverne-centric merchandise to reinforce hometown pride.

“We’ve always dreamed about doing this,” said Elynor Zarrello, of “Forget Me Not Gifts” which she owns with her daughter, Jillian. Their store, located next to Scoops ice cream parlor and parallel to the railroad tracks, sections off its merchandise by themes such as weddings, newborns, kitchens, bathrooms and more. Both mother and daughter are active in making merchandise choices for the store, thus offering gifts that are appealing to two generations.

Sitting on the opposite side of the railroad tracks is Bald Eagle, a gift shop offering exclusively American-made gifts. The store, which opened Dec. 6, replaced Fascinations in Fine Jewelry, which operated in Malverne for decades.

Jo Ann Cuchel, the sole proprietor, was married to the owner of Lynbrook Florist and always wanted to get back into business. “American-made products are important to me and, I’m sure, to many other people who want to support our country and make it a better place to live,” said Cuchel.

Though she’s only had her doors open since Dec. 6, Cuchel says certain products have already shown their popularity – like Animal Warmers. “They come in all different animal shapes like sheep, dachshunds, moose. People use them for their backs, their hands, their neck.” She also sees her alpaca merchandise – namely boot warmers, socks, hats and scarves - flying off the shelves. Cuchel, who rushed to be open for the canceled Holiday Lighting, says that despite it, she’s been experiencing a very brisk bit of business prior to the holidays.

While this is great news for new businesses in Malverne, there are still some storefronts that remain empty — but not because they’re failing to attract businesses. Owners of the former Tri-Color photo lab are still looking for a buyer, something that’s been in progress for years. Once Upon a Time, owned by the Canzoneri family, is not seeking renters, and a juice bar that was given a permit by the village months ago has not proceeded to begin construction on the new store.