Cleaning Out Your Closet, Keeping You Sane

Cleaning Out Your Closet, Keeping You Sane

Arlene Weil has been organizing things since she was a kid.

“Professional organizing is something in someone’s nature,” Weil said.

Weil spent 28 years in corporate America before the Dix Hills entrepreneur decided to turn her love of cleaning out closets into a business.

Read on to learn what caused her to begin her business, what her business entails, and how she derives both personal and professional satisfaction from her unique venture!

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Business Model Brings Food To The Masses

Business Model Brings Food To The Masses

As best friends since elementary school, college roommates and, now, business partners, Scott Reich and Michael Winik always knew they would start a business together. But with Reich landing in law and Winik in investment banking, the duo wasn’t sure exactly what that business would be.

One thing was for sure, though.

“We wanted to focus on something with a social vision,” Winik, 31, said.

Read on to learn more about their business, OurHarvest, which works directly with food suppliers to get customers fresh, quality, low-cost food, and the positive impact it has already made!

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Tenants Snap Up Gerard St. Apartments

Tenants Snap Up Gerard St. Apartments

Twelve new luxury apartments went on the market this week as a mixed-use development on Gerard Street in Huntington village nears completion – and already, eager tenants are snapping them up and gearing up to move into Huntington village. 

The apartments, located in the Heatherwood Communities’ three-story, mixed-use building at 40 Gerard St., became available Feb. 1, officials said.

Read on to learn more about these new apartments, including how many there are, how many have already been taken, and the impact they are projected to have on the Huntington village moving forward!

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Girl Scouts Get Taste Of Entrepreneurship With Cookie Sales

Girl Scouts Get Taste Of Entrepreneurship With Cookie Sales

Melville resident Adele Tongish helps her 5-year-old daughter, Alora, sell cookies as a Daisy. The kindergartener has a lot of help from her parents – her father helped a uniform-clad Alora use cell phone software “Facetime” to chat with out-of-town relatives; her mother helped her send out emails – in making use of technology-related outreach methods.

This year, for the first time, the Girl Scouts organization has expanded selling methods for its largest annual fundraiser to include online sales via digital order card.

Read on to learn more about the Girls Scouts' new venture into electronic sales, how it works, and the ways it will affect the Girl Scouts experience for many young girls like Alora moving forward!

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‘Blue Bird,’ A Boutique Years In The Making

‘Blue Bird,’ A Boutique Years In The Making

Born in Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates, Joanna Koelmel made the move to America as an 11-year-old after the first Gulf War. Koelmel adapted and now, more than two decades later, she’s stepped into yet another new environment: Koelmel is now a first-time business owner.

At Blue Bird, which opened in September 2014, Koelmel has set out to capture the middle ground of the women’s boutique market. Wanting a shop with a mid-range price point that doesn’t sacrifice quality and keeps up with current fashion trends, Koelmel believes women of all ages can come in and find something to fall in love with.

Read on for the full story on this unique, local business!

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Revitalization Community Benefit Package OK’d

Revitalization Community Benefit Package OK’d

A community benefits agreement between the Town of Huntington and Huntington Station master developer Renaissance Downtowns, which clears the way for groundbreaking on a series of proposed downtown revitalization projects, was approved unanimously Wednesday.

Ryan Porter, Renaissance Downtowns’ vice president of development, said after the vote he was “very pleased” with the decision.

Read on to learn more about the many ways this plan is set to benefit our Huntington community!

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Report Says Affordable Housing Shortfall Hurts Economy

Report Says Affordable Housing Shortfall Hurts Economy

The Huntington Township Housing Coalition, an advocacy group for increased affordable housing opportunities, says that a failure to address an ongoing gap in housing is putting a drag on the region’s economy.

Read on to learn why officials believe this gap has continued to expand over time, its ramifications for those in Huntington, and - most importantly - what is being planned to try and bring more affordable housing to our community!

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Couple ‘Sparkks’ Inspiration To Get In Shape

Couple ‘Sparkks’ Inspiration To Get In Shape

When she worked for an outsource management company, Kristina Andersen’s job “was essentially to open businesses for other people.” As of Nov. 1, 2014 Andersen runs her own business with her body-building fiancé Frank Fontana. 

The couple opened Huntington Station boutique fitness studio Sparkk Fitness in an effort to build a business that would fill a gap in the group fitness market.

Read on to learn more about Sparkk Fitness, what offerings it has, and why it such a unique business that truly serves its patrons well!

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Playing ‘N’ Trading In The Village

Playing ‘N’ Trading In The Village

“What differentiates us from our [competitors] is that we sell all games, all systems,” Rob Conte, the owner of Huntington's Play N Trade, said. The business offers customers retro games, accessories and peripherals dating all the way back to the ’80s classic, the NES, and continuing on through for every generation of gamer.

But what really seals the deal, though, is the business' emphasis on providing excellent customer service!

Read on to learn more about the store, it's unique business model, and how it has made those in the Huntington community who shop there feel comfortable and right at home!

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A Young Entrepreneur’s ‘Suite’ Future

A Young Entrepreneur’s ‘Suite’ Future

Since taking over the former Yankee Peddler antique shop on New York Avenue in Huntington Station and establishing her new business, Suite Pieces, Anna Peppard said that things are looking up.

Peppard in March inked a 10-year lease to run the 30-plus dealer and artist cooperative located at 1038 New York Ave., which includes an artist’s collective on the top floor.

Read on for a closer look at Peppard's business, including the three "suite" pieces that comprise her business model (decorative paint, vintage goods and workshops and events, all with the fashionable do-it-yourselfer in mind)!

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Author Talks About ‘Getting Off The Street’

Author Talks About ‘Getting Off The Street’

One of many who realize that the Wall Street environment is not the environment in which they belong, Charles Massimo left Wall Street in the early 2000s to create his own Deer Park-based investment firm.

His debut book, called “Getting Off The Street – Sane Investment Advice from one of the Nation’s Leading Wealth Managers,” is less about his physical escape from Wall Street, and more about an escape from the attitudes and motivations of typical Wall Street money managers.

Read on to learn more about Massimo, his book, and his journey in life which has brought him to where he is today.

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The Perks Of Shopping Locally For The Holidays

The Perks Of Shopping Locally For The Holidays

‘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!

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Happy Thanksgiving, But Beware Of Black Friday

Happy Thanksgiving, But Beware Of Black Friday

"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!

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Advances In Technology Add To ‘In Vitro’ Expenses

Advances In Technology Add To ‘In Vitro’ Expenses

On a recent November afternoon, babies in feathered headbands and sweater vests arrived at Melville’s Long Island IVF via the arms of their proud parents – the 2014 edition of IVF’s annual gathering for parents whose months-old children were born of the organization’s fertility programs.

Tiny beings with baby-fine hair, sucking on rubber ducks and playing with balloons almost as large as they are, these babies are “miracles,” parents say. But this sort of miracle does not come cheap.

Read on to learn more about IVF, the business behind it, and to see our gallery of adorable babies who were conceived through the method!

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Little Switzerland Dolls + Toys Still Instigating Smiles

Little Switzerland Dolls + Toys Still Instigating Smiles

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!

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Northport Merchants Find Way Into Huntington

Northport Merchants Find Way Into Huntington

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!

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The ‘Art’ Of The Public-Private Partnership

The ‘Art’ Of The Public-Private Partnership

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!

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The Sweet Science Of The Chocolate Business

The Sweet Science Of The Chocolate Business

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!

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Food Truck Brings The After-Party To The Affair

Food Truck Brings The After-Party To The Affair

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!

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