Valley Stream's downtown businesses aren't sold on village storefront revamp program, explained.

More than a year ago, brewing concern about revitalizing Valley Stream’s languishing downtown led village officials to gather with business leaders to announce an opportunity.

A federally funded program that covers up to 80 percent of the price of upgrading a business’s storefront signage would be available to Valley Stream’s downtown stores.

“This is part of our continuing, multi-faceted effort to revitalize and keep our business district active and exciting,” said Mayor Edwin Fare.

Fare trumpeted the potential of the storefront redesign and rehabilitation program to amplify the business district’s curb appeal and give patrons a clear sense of Rockaway’s vibrancy and renewal.

“The sign façade program will enhance, standardize, and beautify our business district...the grant will fund their storefront improvement for signs, awnings, and lights,” he said.

The spadework of reaching out to communicate the details of the program fell to David Sabatino and Tom McAleer, who head the village’s Economic Development Committee. Applications, Sabatino assured, would be sent “door-to-door” and posted online.

But the extent of the outreach effort appears murky, and its current results leave much to be desired.

Elissa Kyle, the placemaking director of the sustainable downtown development organization, Vision Long Island, is working together with village officials to get the program off the ground.

She says that during the program roll-out, out of the dozens of storefronts that run along the half-mile commercial strip, only about six of them “seemed interested in moving forward.”

Of those businesses, several have been bogged down by “permitting issues” that need to be resolved before moving further.

Reaching out but falling short

Kyle acknowledged that the tepid reception from business owners is partly due to their hesitancy and skepticism of the program.

“We’ve done a lot of door-to-door running up and down Rockaway, but there’s a bit of a lack of trust that this is a real program and not some sort of scam,” said Kyle, who believes such resistance will soften once merchants see for themselves the fresh, new look of other participating stores.

Some Rockaway business owners and staff do not know what to make of the program. Some stores have never heard of the program. Others say that while catching wind of it, to this day, they have not been approached by the village — despite being open and curious to learn more about it.

When Reina Buckhout, the owner of DePalma Florist, which has been operating on the avenue for more than 80 years, was asked about the initiative last year, she had initially expressed interest in signing up for the storefront grant.

“While I have no complaints about the business, hopefully, the new signs can get more customers through the door,” she said.

Only one wrinkle: she “wouldn’t know how to apply” since no one from the village contacted her about it.

Fast forward to last week, Buckhout says no village official, or personnel has crossed through her door about this offer.

She is not the only one.

Last year, Diana Carillo — co-owner of the Chicken Coop, a Colombian restaurant with over a decade on Rockaway — had said the program “sounds like a good offer.” Last week, ownership argued they have never received any guidance from the village on applying for the grant money.

Mohammed Quadri, a manager at Sam’s Steak and Grill said Sam’s was “never” contacted about the program either. Management at Itgen’s Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor says the same. The Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce could not be reached to answer questions regarding  its role in helping share news of the program with businesses.

A lack of awareness or hesitancy may not be the only reason the program is falling flat.

With high overhead costs, increased competition, and price volatility weighing heavily on the backs of small businesses, paying for improvements like revamping signage, even at a discounted rate, may overstretch their pocketbooks.

Beyond signage, create a great in-store experience

Richard Hayes, executive director of Hofstra’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute says these improvements should not overshadow or distract from the bigger picture.

As small retail stores tussle with e-commerce sites for the dollars and engagement of customers, Hayes argues physical locations must throw their energy into their biggest competitive advantage: providing a valuable in-store experience.

In the face of brick-and-mortar stores “competing with big online players (like Amazon), changing your store sign may not matter as much,” he said, particularly if stores are mobilizing their resources to provide an immersive, high-quality, novel experience.

This can mean the difference between physical stores raking in these customers or being outperformed by the ease of clickable convenience made possible by online shopping.

Revitalization needs more than a coat of fresh paint

“Where many of these mainstream downtown revitalizations found success is in becoming destination places where there was a variety of inclusive recreational and cultural options,” said Hayes.

While individual store locations can “diversify and enhance the way they serve their customers,” community stakeholders can work together to make coming to the downtown an “event” in itself.

That means offering regular experiences that tie to the cultural interests and preferences of the community.

While the village tested the waters in this regard with its annual summer car shows on Rockaway, Hayes encourages bolder, more frequent, and more all-encompassing communal events that cater to younger and older patrons alike.

“You want an ongoing rotation of events that bring people there regularly whether that’s poetry readings, jazz nights, a Saturday fresh food market, or whatever,” said Hayes.

A fresh new look takes time

Vision Long Island officials, however, are not counting out the value of the signage program. They attest that brand-new signage serves as an invitation and a promise to patrons that they are in for an engaging experience in a place that gives off a fresh and exciting atmosphere.

Similar business districts have implemented new signage programs with much success, noted Kyle. Contrary to worries that the signs will look monotonous in tone, all new storefront signs promise to look polished but not “mass-produced.”   

“We want to put together a design that complies with all village code requirements, meets federal guidelines, and one that business owners are happy with and reflects their business identity,” she said.

“Hopefully when the first batch of signs go out, we’ll reach out to more businesses to get the next batch of businesses signed up,” she said.

Additional reporting by Nora Toscano.

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