NORTHPORT
Giving The Gift Of Business
Some merchants want winter events to increase sales
By Mike Koehler/ mkoehler@longislandernews.com

Some type of holiday-themed attraction is on the wish list of many Northport Village merchants, but there are no easy solutions.

“The more that’s down there, the better,” Eileen Pincheck, owner of the Jewelry Collection, said. “It’s a small little town. Anything to help out the local businesses would be helpful.”

Once upon a time – 2007 and 2008 – the Northport Chamber of Commerce and village officials teamed up to create a pedestrian mall in December. Santa Claus was available for pictures, music was piped in and area students were invited to sing and dance. Many downtown stores also stayed open later, with dreams of increased sales dancing in their heads.

The first year these events were held every Thursday night; that changed to Tuesday night the following year. Tuesday remained the chosen day when they evolved into the Family Fun Nights in 2008 and moved to August.

Former chamber president Ron Iannacone, who created the winter events, said the winter events were unofficially dropped after inclement weather and some merchant complaints about it being ineffective.

“It just kind of went by the wayside,” he said.

Village Trustee Tom Kehoe, who also heads Northport’s Business Committee, said the winter events were a “modest success” that drew in some crowds, but was nothing compared to their summer counterparts.

“We figured in the warm weather people might be willing to hang around,” Kehoe said.

But Artisan House owner Kathie Kitts and Petport owner Holly Levis-Dolan both advocated for the winter event to return. Kitts was in a different Main Street location at the time the events were held, but said she benefited from the additional shoppers.

“What is there to do locally for Northporters to bring their kids downtown to do something during the holiday season?” she said. “It’s a beautiful town, we need to use it. I think it’s a good way to get people back in town.”

Levis-Dolan, who opened after both the winter and summer events occurred, said it sounded like a great way to increase sales.

“That would be awesome to have going on,” she said.

The winter pedestrian mall also garnered tempered support from Lisa Harris, owner of Caffe Portofino. While she was too far up Main Street to really benefit, Harris said customers continue to ask if the event is happening in 2011.
“Generally I thought there was less of a turnout than people hoped for, but it was better than nothing,” Harris said.

But Paul Gallowitsch, who owns Skipper’s Pub with wife Marie, had no qualms about challenging the pedestrian mall’s revival. The major problem he had was freezing, and sometimes snowy, weather that some merchants braved.
“You can’t ask a merchant to stand around outside for hours if it’s freezing,” he said.

Gallowitsch, however, has responded with another proposal – Kris Kringle Markets. Very popular in his native Austria and other parts of Europe, these markets entail numerous merchants selling wares from heated, powered, temporary shacks in a public area. He suggested Village Park if it happened in Northport. They tend to start in November and end around Christmas. Similar markets are held in New York City.

“They do a lot of sales in the six weeks before Christmas,” he said.
That idea, however, remains just a talking point. Both Gallowitsch and Kehoe cautioned the idea has been bounced around for a few years and would require a substantial effort to turn into reality.

“I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but it’s an idea that would be great for Northport. There’s not much happening here during the winter. It’s been proven very successful in Europe,” Gallowitsch said.

Harris also voiced her support for a Kris Kringle Market, as it would provide a centralized location for all merchants and customers.

Kitts was more cautious, favoring a pedestrian mall or some other event where shop owners could just use their stores.

“That would mean I would have to hire another person to work the park area,” she said, calling those six weeks the busiest season of the year.

Meanwhile, Kehoe said the Northport was already becoming a destination, but could benefit from any well-designed happening.

“They’ll benefit from any type of event, but because we’re using public resources, it’s got to be properly planned,” the village trustee said.

Iannacone urged anyone interested in reviving the winter event for 2012 to attend the next chamber meeting and get involved.

“I’ll support them 100 percent,” he added. “This time of year is extremely busy for the merchants. It’s difficult to find someone who can run the event.”