A Rockaway Avenue revival

A clothing boutique. A full-service eyeglass store. A trendy coffee shop. An Italian café. These are all new businesses that have recently opened, or will be opening soon in Valley Stream’s downtown.

Though some vacant stores still remain on Rockaway Avenue, that number has gone down in recent months as business owners have decided to take a chance in the downtown. Claudia Myers, of Queens, is in her third month running a clothing store that features her own designs, Claudia Myers Boutique.

Myers said that about 10 to 15 customers come into her store every day and while she doesn’t necessarily make a sale each day, she is making enough money to cover her rent. She said for a upstart business, that is a good sign and she hopes to turn a profit as her store becomes more well-known.

“I have absolutely no regrets coming here,” she said. “I’m looking forward to bigger and better things.”

Howard Braunstein had a small eyeglass practice on South Central Avenue for 17 years, but decided to open up a full-service store, Howard Eyecare, on Rockaway Avenue after partnering with a pair of optometrists.

Braunstein said Valley Stream’s downtown was the only location he considered for his expanded business. “You’ve got to keep this place healthy,” he said. “Rockaway Avenue has to come back and we’re very happy that we’re a part of it.”

Sip This is set to open this weekend in the same storefront that once housed the well-known Slipped Disc Records. Owners Stephanie Pontillo and David Sabatino said they signed the lease for the space back in December and have been working to get the coffee shop ready ever since.

Pontillo said that Sip This can fill a much needed void on Rockaway Avenue. “It needs it,” she said. “You can see the other business owners are getting excited about it.”

“Rockaway Avenue is such a unique downtown,” added Sabatino. “We wanted to be a part of that.”

After being closed for nearly two years, Caffé Napoli is set to re-open this weekend. Adrian Coppola, a Central High School graduate, said he wanted to make an investment in Valley Stream’s downtown by taking over the business.

Coppola said he worked there as a teenager for the original owners and said it was a great place back then. He hopes to recapture that magic and said he expects to draw customers from not only Valley Stream, but the rest of Long Island and New York City, as well. It is his expectation that they will not only make Caffé Napoli a success, but also shop at the other businesses on Rockaway Avenue.

“I definitely see the avenue coming back to life,” Coppola said. “Valley Stream has a lot of people still willing to go out and spend their money. We need to provide them with something.”

Getting a business started

A long-time criticism has been the village’s stringent regulations for new businesses. Many business owners must go through the zoning board for a change of use variance if they will be using a storefront for a different purpose. Sip This had to do just that to switch the space from retail to eatery.

And all businesses downtown need a parking variance, because few stores on Rockaway Avenue have their own parking lots. Rather, the businesses share on-street metered parking and a handful of municipal lots.

Vinny Ang, assistant to the Board of Trustees who is heading up the downtown revitalization project, said that a soon-to-be released Master Plan will recommend lessening some of these restrictions. He said the code will be more user-friendly, and hopefully eliminate some trips to the zoning board for prospective business owners. “It costs people a couple thousand dollars to go through that process,” he said, “and it could take months.”

Braunstein said that while the permits did take a while to get, it was not a very difficult process to open up his store, though he admits he heard “horror stories” from other business owners. He said village officials were actually thankful that he was looking to move into a storefront on Rockaway Avenue.

Sabatino said the waiting period for a permits can be a bit onerous, but overall the process wasn’t too bad. He said he didn’t know what to expect when appearing before the zoning board, but fortunately he said they were excited about Sip This opening up. “I think there’s certainly room for the code to be lightened, to be changed,” Sabatino said.

“The hardest part is you’re ready for the next step,” Pontillo added, “but the next step isn’t ready for you.”

Helping each other out

Sabatino said that Sip This will have coffee, tea, espresso and a variety of frozen drinks and smoothies. There will also be pastries and desserts, plus plans to host live entertainment, art displays and trivia nights.

Caffé Napoli, one block south, will have Italian pastries and desserts, a bar, live entertainment and outdoor seating. Coppola said it will be a good place to go for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.

Both Sabatino and Coppola admit that their businesses will have similar concepts, but are not looking to compete with each other. Coppola said that the two businesses will have different “feels” and together both should draw more customers to Rockaway Avenue.

Plus, Coppola said, he would never want to see a fellow merchant close up shop. “I can’t stand the vacancies,” he said. “I don’t like to see the stores out of business.”

Braunstein noted that the more stores that are filled, the more customers will come out to Rockaway Avenue. “One business will help another business,” he said. “That’s just the way it is.”

Taking a chance

Myers, who has been designing her own clothes for the past five years, decided she was ready for her own store. After considering Merrick Boulevard in Queens, she chose Valley Stream. “I just drove down here, saw a sign ‘For Rent’ and called the number,” she said.

Also an accountant, she never planned to be working in the store herself, but she’s glad she is. Myers said she loves the diversity of Valley Stream and enjoys interacting with a multi-cultural customer base.

Myers said she also believes she fills a niche for shoppers, with her unique fashions that also come in plus sizes without the label of a “plus-size” store. “They’re looking for clothes that are not cookie-cutter,” she said, “and I think they find it here.”

Braunstein said he bases his business on personal service and quality. “When people come in,” he said, “I’m calling them by name. We’re here to make new friends.”

He took a chance on the downtown and said it has been a positive experience. Some days are busier than others, especially when the doctors are in and there are numerous eye exams scheduled. Often, he said, people have just popped in to compliment how the new store looks. “We’re just happy to be here,” Braunstein said. “What we want to sincerely do is provide a much needed service to the community.”

Chamber of Commerce President Debbi Gyulay said she was pleased to see how many more stores there are on Rockaway Avenue today, then when she took over leading the Chamber four years ago. “I think it’s encouraging to see the street filling up,” she said. “It makes me glad that stores are opening. I wish them all success.,”

Ang said the next step in the downtown revitalization project will be to build more housing units, such a condominiums and apartments, in the area. With the proximity to the railroad station and shopping, Ang said there is a need for that type of housing along and just off of Rockaway Avenue.

“There are people who really love that,” he said. “They’re not interested in the house and the backyard and the picket fence.”

Ang said the Master Plan should be finished by the end of this month, and then it will be reviewed by the village’s business committee. Then, he said, the village will have to seek out developers.

Noting that Rockaway Avenue has always seemed to survive even during tough economic times, Ang said he is excited by the wave of new businesses, even without the downtown revitalization project having started yet. “The word is out,” he said. “I think people are realizing that the village is now serious about Rockaway Avenue.”