‘Tis the season – the season of spending, that is!

Businesses around Huntington are well within the holiday push – which started with Black Friday last week – and while the big name stores may have a foothold in most customers’ minds, small businesses are finding ways to keep their doors open.

Read on to learn how small businesses are encouraging our community members to shop local, and also to see some of the great small businesses you yourself can shop at this holiday season to help support the town we love!

"It’s Thanksgiving alright, and there’s sure to be a whole lot of consuming going on. Sad to say, that the least tasteful part of it will happen the day after. Black Friday. If you're a parent, or just a decent human being, memories of a young man trampled by crazed shoppers will come to mind."

Read on for local resident Debbie Carbone's thoughts on Black Friday, and her tips on how to stay safe and make sure to keep thankful fronts at for the forefront during Thanksgiving weekend!

When she was young and her sister would assume custody of the doll they shared and its accessories, Lily Bergh resolved to have a full doll supply of her own someday.

“Be careful what you wish,” said Bergh, noting that for over three decades now, she has owned and operated her own doll place, Little Switzerland Toys + Dolls, making her childhood dream a reality.

Read on to learn more about Bergh's store, with its rich history, excellent toys, and service it has provided for the Huntington village community for generations!

Having made “a very spontaneous decision,” Northport Village retail storeowner Carlene Afetian has opened a second boutique in Huntington village. It will be called VR and serve as "an outlet for edgier, more specialized merchandise" to complement her Northport store, Veronica Rayne Boutique.

As Afetian describes it, her Huntington store is “new in town, a work in progress.”

Read on to learn more about VR, Afetian's plans for the store, and what you can expect from this new boutique moving forward!

Remember when the South Huntington Public Library used to be located at the corner of Depot Road and North Melville Road? The vacant building left in its wake has recently found a use - and it may not be what you first expect!

Read on to learn about the special public-private partnerships the South Huntington School District has been making with the carefully chosen organizations and businesses who now occupy the 24,000 square-foot building!

The price of chocolates may soon see a spike due to efforts being taken to stop the spread of the Ebola virus in western Africa

We recently interviewed Northport's Roxanne Browning, owner of Exotic Chocolate Tastings (a purveyor of finer, artisanal chocolates), where she gives us interesting insights into the situation - including how this damaged cocoa harvest may help to close the gap between mass-produced chocolates and finer chocolates like hers.

Read on to learn the full story!

Enter The Haunted Mansion of Melville - if you dare!

Ghosts, ghouls, gargoyles, and all sorts of other nighttime creatures are assembling at the Schmitt's Family Farm for the 20th Halloween season in a row to provide fun frights for the whole family. 

Read on to learn more, including how the business behind the spookiness operates! 

Imagine walking out of a sophisticated (such as a wedding or gala) ready for the after-party - when suddenly, a gigantic truck rolls out in front of you, filled to the brim with snack-food items like Krispy Kreme donuts, M&M's and Twinkies, White Castle hamburgers, plus much more!

The Mobile Delights company seeks to make this guilty pleasure dream a reality, by offering vans filled with all sorts of snack-food after all sorts of formal events.

Read on to learn more about the company, their offerings, and how they managed to rise to success giving the people exactly what they were craving!

With some familiar faces at the wheel, a new look and new businesses are coming to Huntington village’s Wall Street (a place known by many as the epicenter of the village’s top-flight dining district).

In fact, there will be 5 new businesses moving into Wall Street in the near future - without a doubt, big changes are certainly coming!

Read on to find out which 5 businesses are coming to Wall Street, where they will be located, and more!

After spending 60 years in the travel industry, Larry Austin’s résumé reads more like a movie script – actually, make that several movie scripts.

Comedy? His misunderstanding in Bermuda.

Action thriller? Evacuating clients of his from Iran.

Drama? Having a breath-taking surprise waiting for him at his flight gate.

Read on to learn more about Austin's amazing life and his autobiography, "...And Away We Went!"

From the road, Huntington’s Main Street Nursery looks to be just as its name suggests – a nursery, florist and gift store – but there is whimsy behind its quotidian façade.

On its grounds, behind the florist and store, are a café, a small animal farm and a butterfly zoo, and so much more!

Read on to learn about just some of the magical secrets hidden within Main Street Nursery's grounds that you can find!

On certain mornings, strollers and smiling toddlers overtake a patch of grass at Heckscher Park to take part in Fit4Mom's exercise regimen.

Instead of weights, participants in the fitness class – a class termed “Stroller Strides” – hold their babies. For one hour, mothers use their strollers and the environment for not only their babies but also their own well-being.

The Fit4Mom franchise - born 13 years ago in San Diego, and now a nationwide entity - offers mothers what founder Lisa Druxman called a “total body boot camp workout” alongside their babies.

Read on to learn how this business has not only given mothers great work outs, but also given mothers camaraderie with other mothers, and their babies new friendships with each other! 

Behind a counter covered in croissant-donuts and in front of a wall decorated by menu boards, David and Josh Cook operate Cook’s: Scratch Kitchen and Bakery in Northport. 

Next month, the brothers will expand to Huntington village as well, bringing “a little bit of an abridged menu” into Book Revue, Josh said – a move that will reopen the New York Avenue bookstore’s café, which has been closed for nearly three months.

Read on to learn the full scoop on what the Cook brothers have planned for this new, joint-venture café!

A giant, two-dimensional cupcake with cloud-like frosting is painted on the back wall of a vehicle that carries its three-dimensional counterparts.

The truck - which transports cupcakes to festivals, weddings and the parking lots of a few consenting Long Island shops - was born three years ago from Blondie’s Bake Shop owner Jess Kennaugh’s desire to get into the bakery business.

To learn more about Kennaugh's unique (and absolutely scrumptious) business venture, read on!

Her voicemail message begins, “Hi, it’s Wendy, The Pipe Cleaner Lady. I’m a little twisted at the moment!”

Huntington resident Wendy Baner works the party circuit, teaching children and adults to twist colorful, fuzzy pipe cleaners into items like rings, tiaras and intricate bracelets while she wears overalls covered in rhinestones and patches, and pipe cleaner jewelry.

Even though she may seem silly, however, Baner is a serious businesswoman - for example, currently, she is one of the finalists in the 2014 Martha Stewart American Made Awards (a competition that highlights local craft-makers and small-business owners)!

Read on for the full scoop on Baner and her unique business!

For as long as video games have existed, the people who play them – also known as “gamers” – have carried a stigma of being shut-ins and geeks; people who would rather sit in a dark room with a controller in their hands than go outside and socialize.

But if you tell that to Rory O’Donoghue, founder of World Gamer Nation, he’ll say that the stigma is actually a misconception – and he’s proving it.

Read on to learn how O'Donoghue's business has brought together gamers young and old and created a thriving gaming community right here in Huntington!

Richard Pastore - owner of Oscar’s Barber Shop in Northport for the last 52 years - gave his final haircut and closed the shop for good on July 31.

Pastore had become known over the decades for his gift of gab, his sleight of hand with scissors - and also his remarkable prices.

Read on for the full story of this legend and find out why he was such a beloved member of the Northport community of which he was a part!

Suffolk County’s Industrial Development Agency (IDA) signed off July 24 on a $3-million tax relief package for the developers seeking to convert and expand Old Town Hall in Huntington village to create a 55-room boutique hotel.

After developer Old Town Hall Operating Co. allayed concerns raised June 26 over the amount of local labor to be used in the $10.4-million project, the IDA’s board voted unanimously July 24 to award the tax relief package.

Read on for the full details of the deal, including the likely impacts it will have on the local community!

While the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) strike was successfully averted last week, one question still remains unanswered: Where can commuters safely put their coffee cups?

William Schoolman, CEO of 7Bus, has the answer to that question – and, oddly enough, it lies within a cup holder.

Read on to learn the full story of his special brand of coach buses!