July 17, 2009
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
June 24, 2009
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…
