Occupants sought for vacancies

Higher taxes, excessive rents, a bad economy and a changing community are the main reasons there are more than the usual number of vacant storefronts in Woodmere’s business district, according to store owners in the community.

Dr. John Santopolo, the president of the Woodmere Merchants Association, said there are several vacant storefronts in Woodmere, including two completely empty buildings. The problem, Santopolo said, is high taxes.

“The higher the taxes, the more difficult it is to rent stores,” Santopolo said. He noted that the high cost of living is motivating many people to leave Nassau County, but he said he remains optimistic that more young people will move into the area.

Steve Giannousis, the owner of Laurette Couturier Inc. on Broadway, has been in business in Woodmere for 60 years, and said that one reason there are so many empty stores is because rent is high and no one is trying to reduce it. “It’s been happening for a long time,” Giannousis said of businesses going under. “The neighborhood and the people are good, but the economy is the biggest problem.”

Barbara Schnaible, of Heavenly Treasures Thrift Shop at the Woodmere-Lawrence Methodist Church on Broadway, has lived in the Five Towns for 50 years, and she disagrees with Giannousis. “The neighborhood is changing,” Schnaible said. “People are moving in and out. Unless you’ve been here for most of your life, you wouldn’t notice the different kinds of people who are now living in the neighborhood.”

In Hewlett, Joseph Gelb, the president of the Hewlett Merchants Association, said that Hewlett does not have many empty storefronts. “We only have four or five current vacancies,” Gelb said. “We seem to be attracting merchants that are doing very nicely. Hopefully something can be done in Woodmere so the village can attract merchants.”

The Woodmere Merchants Association goes to great lengths to attract attention to the downtown area. Its first attempt was the inaugural Fall & Fair Festival on Halloween weekend, noted Santopolo, who wants to make the festival an annual event.

“We’re also looking into doing an antique car show, maybe in the summer, like Lynbrook is doing, and possibly bringing the Memorial Day parade back to Woodmere,” Santopolo said. “The only thing we can do is to bring attention to Woodmere because it’s a lovely place to shop.”

Carmine Russo, who owns Gaetano Florist Inc. on Franklin Place, said vacancies have been a problem in the past couple of years, and that Woodmere is a neighborhood that shuts down at night. Russo added that the main reason businesses are leaving the area is because of the economy.

Cedarhurst Business Improvement District board members echoed Russo’s comments, and said that the economy has created vacancies in all downtowns and shopping areas, not just in Woodmere. The board members recalled that students from Cedarhurst schools helped to paint and decorate the storefronts many years ago, when the village had a large number of vacancies, and suggested that perhaps some of the local students in Woodmere could help beautify the storefronts that are vacant.

Asked what types of businesses he would like to see come to Woodmere, Santopolo said the area has many successful food establishments and attorneys and seems to attract physicians and dentists. “We welcome anyone with open arms,” he said.

Giannousis said he is thankful that his business is doing well, but many businesses that are still open in Woodmere are not, which shouldn’t be the case. “The Woodmere Merchants Association is trying to get businesses to come to Woodmere, but they should be doing more to attract people,” he said. “They need to keep the neighborhood and the streets cleaner and deal with the parking problem. With today’s economy, everything counts.”