08.06.09
american towns
I’ve been a fan of AmericanTowns.com for a while and have enjoyed watching so many local organizations and businesses sign up and get involved. When I visited the site today, I fell in love with their new look which resembles a bulletin board posted with all kinds of useful information about Huntington.
If you’re not familiar with AmericanTowns, the site is a virtual town square. Type in your zip code and you will be brought right into your own neighborhood where you will find an events calendar, news and announcments, blogs, pictures, videos and more. The thing that makes the site so great is that the members themselves add the info and the result is a community center filled with useful and informative information. Just today for example, you can find out about the Huntington Farmers Market, check the date of the next Town Board Meeting and find somewhere to see live music this weekend in the village.
Visit www.americantowns.com/ny/huntington to join the community.
07.17.09
you’re invited
I just sent out an invitation for the one-year anniversary celebration of La Piele Skincare Studio and it made me think about how starting a business in this economy is surely a leap of faith. Every day as I drive into Huntington Village, I sadly notice the “for rent” signs popping up with alarming frequency. Because of my work in the village, I have become friends with many of the owners and I remember the excitement of their own beginnings as well as the stress of their struggles. There are many different reasons behind a decision to close, but each business takes its unique personality with it when it goes.
Celebrating a one-year anniversary in this climate is a milestone that anyone should be proud of. It’s hard to understand just what goes into starting and running your own business unless you’ve been there, but it definitely does take a certain kind of personality to see it through. La Piele’s owner, Michelle Kelly, is a perfect example of the type of person it takes to survive and thrive. Since meeting her I have been impressed with the non-stop energy that she generates, not just for her own business, but also for the many others that she reaches out to in an effort to build a foundation of strength in numbers.
If you want to witness cooperative marketing and networking in action, you should stop by the La Piele one-year anniversary party taking place at Mac’s Steakhouse, 12 Gerard Street in the village, next Tuesday, July 21 beginning at 6:30 pm. Local businesses have donated raffle prizes and money raised will be donated back to the community through the Junior Welfare League. Mac’s is providing free appetizers and bartenders Anna and Gina have created special “skinny” cocktails which are super low calorie and made with all natural ingredients. They also happen to be amazingly delicious, which I discovered while doing research for this blog post 
E-mail me at JeanneM@live.com and I’ll send you an invitation. Whether you’re a business owner, resident, local politician, or just someone who loves the village, stop by and wish Michelle a happy anniversary while you mingle with some of the people who add the character to this community. – Jeanne
07.09.09
village connection weekly
I had mixed feelings when I decided to leave my job as associate publisher of the Village Connection magazine last summer. There were parts of that job that I loved – mainly the freedom of creativity. With my brother as owner, we pretty much did whatever we felt like doing, and the result was a magazine that our readers and advertisers loved…..so, even though I left to pursue my own interests, I am still doing what I can to promote the magazine and help with the marketing efforts.
One of my recent contributions has been the creation of a weekly e-mail supplement to the mag. A lot of work goes into putting out a monthly magazine, but there are always last minute events and promotions that we just didn’t find out about in time. The second edition of Village Connection Weekly was sent this morning. We are already getting thanks and positive feedback about our new way of getting the word out about all of the great things going on in Huntington.
E-mail villageconnection@live.com to sign up for our mailing list or to share your own news with the Huntington community. – Jeanne
07.04.09
imac feedback
There are so many differing opinions and thoughts about the closing of the IMAC Theater in Huntington Village. My recent involvement helping with PR for their last gala fundraiser has prompted e-mails sharing some of those thoughts with me. The following e-mail was sent to me by Michael Meehan, owner of Meehan’s Restaurant which is located directly across the street from the now empty theater. I share this with Michael’s permission…
Hey Jeanne, thanks for the mention. To be honest, re: the closing of the IMAC, not enough is being made of it. Our town “leaders” really dropped the ball on this one. Pat and I spent a couple of hours w/ Mike and Kathy Rothbard a few days before they closed up. It’s really a sad story. These two people really busted their ass to make that place work. Every business owner in town owes them a debt of gratitude. No other entity in town brought in as many people as did the IMAC. If you were to try and calculate the sales tax alone that the IMAC generated, it would be astounding! Think about it, customers purchase the tickets, anywhere from $30 to $50. Dinners before the show in any one of the many restaurants $35 to $100 depending on the restaurant. Drinks/refreshments in the theatre. And after the show drinks/ice cream/pizza/whatever…. The exposure of the record store, photo gallery, furniture stores, dress shops etc. etc. Mike and Kathy were a God send for Huntington. When Mike went to town hall for help, he was actually asked by Petrone, “what are you going to do for the town if we help you!” You’ve got to be kidding me! This guy was the heart of Huntington’s reputation as the cultural center of Long Island. We cannot make that claim anymore! If they can find $1 million to buy the “Coltrane House” and spend $7 million on an ice rink in Dix Hills, I’d bet there’s money available that would have been much better spent in the village. It’s a disgrace. Petrone has assembled a “task force” to try and find a new tenant. Good luck. The horse has already left the barn. – Mike
06.25.09
auto expo
Used car salesmen often have to deal with “trust” issues from the second a potential buyer first steps onto the lot. “Would you buy a used car from this man?” is a question that is used to suggest that the subject has less than honest intentions. That’s why I wanted to give a shout out and say thank you to Cliff and Julio over at Auto Expo on Jericho Tpke in Huntington. After buying a Jeep Grand Cherokee there recently, I found myself with a sunroof that was stuck in the open position just when we were hitting rain day number ??? (seriously, i lost track). If you passed a green Cherokee on the Northern State Parkway this morning and were wondering about the blue tarp that was blowing in the breeze, well, that was me driving to Huntington in the rain so that they could take a look at it as a courtesy, even though I knew that it would not be covered by warranty. I left it there for the day and was thrilled to go back at 4:30 to find out that it had been fixed and for NO CHARGE. Of course, I did the right thing and tipped the mechanic, but with the bad reputation that used car salesmen have to endure, I just wanted to say that there are some honest business people who care about doing the right thing and preserving their reputation. So, if you find yourself in the market for a used car, check out auto expo and give them the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes people can surprise you.
closed!
06.24.09
toast
Michelle Kelly of La Piele Skincare Studio invited me to attend a meeting of the Huntington Referral Network this morning. They meet at 7 am for breakfast at Toast in Huntington Village. Considering that I need 1/2 hour drive time, it was just a little bit early, but I figured I would give it a try. A group of about 16 arrived and ordered breakfast while they caught up with each other and waited for the meeting to start. They then went around the table and each member talked about the business of the member to their right. I thought it was a great idea. Networking events can be very self serving and it was immediately clear that this group took time to get to know about each member. They also talked about their recent fundraising event which raised several thousand dollars for Island Harvest, whose mission it is to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island. You can find out more about the organization at www.islandharvest.org.
It was obvious that the members had become friends as easy laughs were shared throughout the meeting. It was nice to see some familiar faces and also to meet a few new people when everyone broke off into casual conversation after the meeting. I had a nice conversation with Alex Borg, who, it turns out, has recently started writing for my brother’s magazine, The Village Connection. All in all it was a nice group of people and I even made a few possible business contacts. I guess I’ll attend another meeting before I decide if I want to commit to 7am EVERY Tuesday…
06.22.09
behind the headlines
The recent closing of Huntington’s IMAC Theater is what prompted me to start this blog. Not the closing exactly, but one of the behind-the-scenes stories leading up to the closing that most people would never hear about. To most people who first read the story on Newsday’s website on June 16, or who picked up a copy of the paper the next day, it was just another sad news story about the impact of the lack of funding for the arts in our current economy. It’s not like everyone on Long Island even knew what the IMAC Theater was. On more than one occasion I’ve heard people confuse it with the IMAX, especially in the under-30 age group. But apparently there was a large enough group of fans that the theater had been voted “Best Concert Venue on Long Island” for two consecutive years in the Long Island Press “Best of Long Island” readers poll.
The impact close to home was pretty sad. I had the experience of getting on board to help promote a fundraiser which took place at the end of March. Minutes after hitting SEND on an e-mail press release, I started getting replies. From raffle donations to press coverage, people wanted to help – even when some of their own businesses were being negatively impacted by similar circumstances.
One story in particular that stands out involved Meehan’s restaurant, located directly across the street from the theater. I had mailed a promotional brochure with an announcement about the fundraiser and the fact that so many local restaurants were going to be on hand serving donated food. Meehan’s was not one of the restaurants that was involved, so when I heard a voicemail from Pat Meehan asking me to call back with details about the event, I have to admit that I was honestly expecting a problem. I assumed that they were going to be upset that they hadn’t been contacted or included and maybe complain about this gala event taking place across the street with food from all of these other restaurants…..Well, I am embarrassed to say that I could not have been more wrong. Pat Meehan was calling to offer one of his catering rooms for the night of the event, helping the IMAC manage the overflow crowd that had purchased tickets.
Chris Vlahos of La Bonne Quiche, who seems to be at every fundraiser in Huntington Village, took over when all of the loose ends of planning the event seemed to be out of control. Nobody would have known that he was dealing with stress in his own business at the same time as he was donating his time and money to try to save another. In the end it was a sell out crowd, but sadly it wasn’t enough to save the IMAC from closing.
There are so many more stories like this that I see every day in Huntington Village. Business owners who are there time after time at every event and every fundraiser to support local charities and other businesses as well. I am lucky enough to know many of these local business owners and I hope to use this space to share some of their “behind the headlines” stories.
IMAC Theater, New York Avenue, Huntington
