The Frame Center, 73 East Main Street, Smithtown, to be exact
Ms. Goldstein, a long time resident of Head of the Harbor has exhibited her extraordinary art work from SoHo to the East End for many years. Now her landscape and still life oil paintings can be seen in Smithtown, her home town.
Ms. Goldstein’s art career commenced after a long successful tenure of teaching Art and Gifted Children in the Longwood School District.
Painting and drawing, a passion of Ms. Goldstein’s since she was a child, continues to excite her to this day. She is particularly pleased with the exposure for her work through television, publications and exhibits. One of the highlights for her as a painter was when a collection of 13 paintings , inspired by her trip to Provence, France, was acquired by an entrepreneur for his hotel in Napa Valley, California.
Her work known and admired for their impressionistic style are joyful and evoke influences of Matisse and Duffy.They are in collections from Europe and across the United States. On Long Island her painting appears weekly in an ad for Bobby Van’s Restaurant in Dan’s Papers.
Here in Smithtown she has been an active volunteer and fund raiser, promoting the Arts and other non-profit organizations, as President of the Smithtown Township Arts Council and the Chairman of the house and garden tour, Cottages to Castles.
David Goldstein and Gary Woods, are delighted to exhibit Ms. Goldstein’s paintings In Smithtown Picture Frame on Main Street.
For more information call The Frame Center at, 631-265–7667
Three stores in St. James under the same roof. Each owned by Smithtown residents. Each banking on high quality and exceptional customer service to keep them in business.
I recently visited three local shops; J. Michaels owned by Cheryl and Michael Jones, Geraci Condello Boutique owned by Madeline Grudens, and Julie’s owned by Julie Bergmann. My question to them was how did Black Friday and Small Business Saturday affect their business? They were unanimous in stating that there was no impact. They all felt that people who shop on Black Friday are mall shoppers, looking for bargains and the ability to visit many stores in a single shopping day. Their businesses are small and located on a main street in a small town, not the normal Black Friday venue. All three businesses have developed strategies to cope with the tough economy. Here are their stories…
If you ask Julie Bergmann, owner of Julie’s in St. James, how business is, she will tell you that she is holding her own. It is a difficult environment for a small business that does not sell an item considered essential. Along with the tough economy, Julie has stiff competition from stores like Home Goods. So how does Julie expect to survive and grow her business? “Diversify” says Julie. Unwilling to compromise on quality and already providing the best customer service she can, Julie is branching out into home decorating to supplement the sales she makes in her shop.
The first step for Julie is to change the image of her store. Many believe Julie’s is an antique shop. Julie’s does sell antiques but also sells contemporary items and wants to be known for what she is, a shop that specializes in accessories for homes and gardens. Julie’s, located at 529 Lake Avenue, is a year round mainstream business.
With beautiful holiday items and floral arrangements in the shop it seemed logical to Julie to branch out and to get involved in holiday home decorating. She has been asked to decorate family Christmas trees and fireplace mantles for the holiday season. This year she has been selected to decorate one of the six homes on the Three Village Christmas House Tour.
Diversification does not stop with home decorating, Julie has branched out into weddings. She specializes in silk flowers and makes wedding floral arrangements, center pieces, flowers for brides and bridesmaids, church flowers and candles. Julie is hoping that this part of her business will increase as brides refer her to their family and friends.
Another strategy Julie uses is making her shop as visible as possible. She does this by keeping her windows attractively decorated. This helps with the drive by customer who might not know the shop is there but sees the window and makes a stop and hopefully a purchase.
My visit with Julie occurred on Small Business Saturday. I asked if Black Friday or Small Business Saturday had an impact on her business. She felt that major shopping events such as those mentioned would not have an impact on her business. In walked Angela Berner, a resident of Smithtown, who had a daughter taking a sewing lesson in St. James. She saw the shop, new it was Small Business Saturday, and decided to browse. Angela works in Huntington’s downtown and is very unhappy that there are so few shopping areas in Smithtown. The choices of going to the mall or Huntington are not appealing to her. Angela said, “Main Street in Smithtown is disgraceful and seems to be deteriorating more every day. The former lumber yard on main street is an eyesore that should be removed.” Angela finished by saying, “ Having shops like Julie’s throughout the town would go a long way in making residents feel like they are part of a community.”
Julie Bergmann is relying on word of mouth to get the message out that there is a place in Smithtown where you can shop for quality items at a moderate cost and feel good about your purchase. She hopes you agree that place is Julie’s.
On December 2nd the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services and the Department of Health issued a joint Health Advisory on Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages identifying their use as a serious public health concern. Recent headlines in the newspapers and stories in the media have focused on their use in binge drinking particularly in college age students. A rash of visits to emergency rooms by college students raised the media attention. Some colleges and universities have banned these drinks from their campuses. These premixed drinks may contain other stimulants such as guarana, taurine, ginseng, or choline. Combining stimulants with alcohol can mask the effects of the alcohol resulting in impaired judgment and the protective effect of sleepiness, which can serve to protect from the overconsumption of alcohol that in the extreme can lead to serious health impairment or death. Alcohol can cause respiratory depression, unconsciousness, vomiting and aspiration and death.
Caffeinated beverages especially when combined with other stimulants and drugs such as cocaine may precipitate cardiac rhythm disorders which may directly result in death or impair cardiac function which may cause permanent injury to the heart, brain and other vital organs. Frequently individuals indulging in recreational drugs do not consider the harm in combinations or these drugs. Furthermore, the content and quantity of substances in illicit drugs is frequently unknown. This further increases the danger and risk.
While the news reports have focused on college students, we have already seen significant harm to younger students on Long Island. Not surprising, high school and junior high school students who may be drinking or using illicit drugs are also at risk for these combinations. Parents need to be vigilant – sometimes the sleepover is not just for staying up all night with friends.
While the government has focused attention on the manufacturers, one needs to remember the ingenuity of adolescents and substance abusers who have no problem mixing their own concoctions. High caffeine containing beverages are sold legally and underage drinkers seem not to have much trouble obtaining the alcohol to mix in. We are all aware of the dangers of access to prescription drugs in the medicine cabinets. We have also seen some of the over the counter medications withdrawn from the market because of their potential for abuse or for extraction of dangerous substances from them by amateur chemists.
In medicine we say there are no safe drugs. As parents we need to educate our children to the dangers of substances, even those that sold in local stores.
Three stores in St. James under the same roof. Each owned by Smithtown residents. Each banking on high quality and exceptional customer service to keep them in business.
I recently visited three local shops; J. Michaels owned by Cheryl and Michael Jones, Geraci Condello Boutique owned by Madeline Grudens, and Julie’s owned by Julie Bergmann. My question to them was how did Black Friday and Small Business Saturday affect their business? They were unanimous in stating that there was no impact. They all felt that people who shop on Black Friday are mall shoppers, looking for bargains and the ability to visit many stores in a single shopping day. Their businesses are small and located on a main street in a small town, not the normal Black Friday venue. All three businesses have developed strategies to cope with the tough economy. Here are their stories.
J.Michaels
J. Michaels - St. JamesMichael Jones has been in the industry for a long time. He grew up in Smithtown well aware of its limited shopping opportunities for men. Cheryl Jones has an extensive background in the clothing industry as a tailor and as a buyer. Armed with their experience in the clothing industry and a healthy dose of confidence, they established J.Michaels three years ago. J.Michaels has been located in its current building at 529 Lake Avenue in St. James for over a year. Before this location, J. Michaels was located on N. Country Road where it developed a customer base and quickly outgrew the building.
Michael and Cheryl understand that for many men, shopping is about as much fun as having teeth pulled. Cheryl & Michael Jones - J. Michaels, St. James They also understand that there are other men who don’t mind shopping and enjoy the shopping experience. The goal at J.Michaels is to make shopping hassle free.
Their niche is selling high quality merchandise perfectly tailored and establishing personal relationships with their clients. It seems to work well for Paul Valente, a small business owner of Lane Valente Ind., who lives in St. James. He was shopping at J.Michaels and agreed to speak with me. Paul was shopping for himself. He swears by the store, “it’s convenient, I don’t have to travel far, which is very important.” The location is a factor in repeat visits but Paul says that is not the sole reason for his allegiance to J. Michaels. His appearance is important to him, and “the tailoring is excellent. They keep my sizes on file and they know what I have already purchased.”
The Jones will stop at almost nothing to help their customers. They are called upon in many emergencies to deal with problems like; the jacket doesn’t fit, a shirt needs to be altered, I need a new suit. Sometimes clothing wears out at the most inconvenient times, like for a wedding you are attending tomorrow. Paul Valente has a line he uses, “Cheryl, I have a challenge for you.”
The economy has impacted on J. Michaels’ business. Faced with the challenges of a difficult economy the Jones made a decision to talk with their vendors. The decision was to incorporate an additional line of clothing. Same top brands but the line would be more affordable. Will it work? It seems to be working so far. The customers coming into the store are buying. However, the number of customers coming into the store is down from last year which Michael attributes to the economy. “Many customers are seeing a slow down in their own businesses and they may not need the extra suit, shirt or jacket.” Also, after three years in St. James, the Jones’ have a better handle on their customers. The customer they anticipated when they opened up three years ago is not always the customer who shops in their store. They are seeing a lot of younger men and have adjusted their stock accordingly.
While a majority of their customers shop for themselves, the holiday season is important to their bottom line. Hanukkah and Christmas is the time when many people are looking for gifts for that special male in their lives. When they come to J.Michaels and are purchasing for one of our clients we can help them select items that fit with their wardrobe. New to the store? They help you find a gift that you will be proud to give. Gift wrapped, and for special customers, they have even been known to deliver.
Despite the difficult economy Cheryl Jones is encouraged. “We work hard to meet the needs of our customers and I think they understand that and appreciate that.” Paul Valente said it best “ J. Michaels is my favorite place to shop.”
Kings Park’s Knights of Columbus honored Edward C. McElhone for his many contributions to the hamlet. Anne and Ed McElhone’s large family was there along with many well wishers. The event, held at the St. Therese Shrine in Hauppauge, was highlighted by the dedication of a beautiful statue of the Child Jesus donated by the Knights. Grand Knight Joseph Gunning and Pastor Séan Gann, (St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Kings Park) spoke of Ed’s good works performed over the years for both church and community
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Monday, December 13, 2010 at 11:15PM 
