Village seeks downtown growth

With an eye on revitalizing Valley Stream’s commercial district, the village board joined forces on Oct. 19 with the Buxton Company, a Texas-based firm that analyzes market trends and consumer buying habits to develop retail economic strategies. The village will pay Buxton $55,000 for its services, nearly two-thirds of which will be covered by a grant secured by Assemblyman Bob Barra (R-Lynbrook).

According to its Web site, Buxton specializes in finding the best locations for retail or health care facilities and identifying the best mix of retail stores. Village Clerk Vinny Ang said that the company works with more than 5,000 individual businesses and chains. By analyzing where Valley Stream residents shop and what they buy, Ang explained, Buxton can recommend businesses or franchises that can flourish downtown. “They will marry us to various restaurant chains and retailers that will fit us and our demographics,” Ang said.

He added that the village chose Buxton in part because of its experience and its vast database. The company claims to have gathered information on more than 120 million households and as many as seven individuals per household. It breaks consumer data down into more than 75,000 customer characteristics, including brand loyalties, lifestyle choices, hobbies, buying habits and media preferences. Ang said that there is no timetable for when Buxton will complete its market trend analysis, but the village hopes to begin the process as soon as possible.

Ang noted the difference between the Buxton contract and an agreement the village signed with Frederick P. Clark Associates in February: The latter was hired to help the village construct a master plan for its downtown, focusing on zoning code changes and fitting residential housing into the commercial district. Buxton will concentrate on bringing new businesses downtown.

Mayor Ed Cahill said that village officials met with Buxton three weeks ago, and that a team from Buxton will soon survey Rockaway Avenue and begin generating ideas. “They latch the population and the surrounding area to the type of merchants that would have appeal in our community,” Cahill said. “They have a matching factor. They reach out to them for us and get us meetings.”

Cahill added that Buxton would help the village reach out to businesses it normally would not easily connect with, and he thinks this is a vital step toward commercial expansion in the village. “We want people to walk Rockaway Avenue and shop,” he said. “It’s a drawing card for the village. We want to create more pedestrian traffic.”

Danny Rakow, owner of the Valley Stream AAMCO, said the National AAMCO Dealers Association hired Buxton three years ago to conduct a market research study. The association wanted to find the best locations for new franchises, Rakow said, and AAMCO ended up altering its marketing scheme based on the information Buxton compiled.

“They’re able to target consumers,” Rakow said. “They know the buying habits of the population. It would be advantageous for the village if Buxton offers us some focus, and we can do some planning and attract companies that fit our demographics.”

Though attracting new and larger merchants to the area could help revitalize Rockaway Avenue, some officials are wary of the effects of big businesses setting up shop in the village. Chamber of Commerce President Debbi Gyulay said that Valley Stream needs to have a healthy mix of large and small businesses downtown. “I think you have to be careful not to hurt the mom-and-pop stores,” Gyulay said. “They’re going to have to balance that out.”