Another shop opens on Merrick Road

While Baldwin is still struggling to overhaul the fire-ravaged remains of Merrick Road near the Grand Avenue crossing, there are distinct signs of life stirring along the once-quaint small-business corridor. Openings and re-openings have become, if not frequent, then at least more frequent in the area, and now a new presence — a women’s clothing boutique called Amused — has opened its doors.

The force behind Amused is Reneé Cholmondeley, a demure but focused fashion professional who has been involved in the retail garment trade for more than 30 years. Cholmondeley is originally from Rock Hill, S.C., but grew up primarily in Queens Village. She moved to Baldwin in 2001 and has twins, a boy and a girl, who both graduated from BHS and went on to careers in journalism.

Amused had a “soft” opening on Nov. 5, but Cholmondeley said that last week was the first time she had been able to keep regular business hours for seven consecutive days. Asked what motivated her to open in Baldwin, she said, “I live here in Baldwin, and it’s important to me for my community to thrive. I also wanted to open a shop where women could feel comfortable. I want my customers to be able to see what they’re buying, not have to comb through huge racks.”

True to her vision, Amused has an open floor plan that showcases its wares individually. Small racks of upscale coats, blouses, dresses and knits are scattered across a hardwood floor, and there are a smattering of accessories on a minimalist rack along one wall.

Presiding over her shop in a corner lounge area, Cholmondeley spoke to the Herald about her resume in the fashion world. “I’ve spent almost my whole life in fashion,” she said enthusiastically. “I attended Fashion Industries High School, then [the Fashion Institute of Technology], I did internships, then I was assistant designer, and then head designer, at a sportswear company. I designed the kinds of things I’m selling here. I’ve also worked in wholesale as a product development specialist. I created lines and line concepts for large markets.”

Asked why she decided to go into business for herself, she said, “I’ve been watching retail trends for over 30 years. When I started out, mom-and-pop specialty retailers were very big. They contributed to the overall strength of the garment industry. Then supercenters put a lot of those small businesses out of business. I opened this place because when I moved to Baldwin, I noticed there weren’t a lot of places to shop within the community. There was a Mandy’s, which closed, and a few other places that came in and then left. People were always telling me how they couldn’t stand going to the mall, so I thought I’d provide an alternative.”

Cholmondeley said that, thus far, she has felt welcomed by her fellow Merrick Road merchants as well as members of the community. “Customers who’ve come in all say they’re happy we’re here,” she said.

And she is looking to sink her roots even deeper in Baldwin in the future. “One thing I really want to do is to support local designers,” she said. “I currently sell products from two independent designers. One of them is recovering from her fourth round of breast cancer treatments, so she can’t really go out into the world to work. But she makes beautiful things and I sell them in my shop. The designers I work with now aren’t from Baldwin, but I’d like to set up relationships like that here. I’d also like to offer discounts in the future to women who serve our community — nurses, teachers, people like that.”

Amused, at 840 Merrick Road, is currently open Tuesday through Thursday from 10 to 7, and Friday and Saturday from 10 to 8. A website will be online soon at www.amuseddesigns.com.