The owners of Stoa Jewelry said their customers know to go to them for unique items. Hannah Sheehan/The Forum Newsgroup
“Small Business Saturday,” a mom-and-pop retailer-promoting shopping holiday created by American Express in 2010, was a low-key affair in Forest Hills last week.
Shoppers strolled down Austin Street arm in arm, leisurely sipping coffee and intermittently stopping to peer into store windows. The Saturday after Thanksgiving scene was casual and convivial – a far, and, for many, welcome, cry from the big box store pandemonium of Gray Thursday – otherwise known as Thanksgiving – or Black Friday.
Dmitry Toscano, who originally hails from Italy, designs the ties he sells at his Austin Street store.
At 72-28 Austin Street, the Naples-born owner of DMITRY Ties was arranging colorful Italian silk pocket squares. He was offering a sale in honor of the shopping event: Five ties and five pocket squares for $150 dollars.
Dmitry Toscano designs the ties himself and changes the patterns every month and a half.
“We try to do a young, more modern look because ties are such an old accessory, so you always try to change things up, like with the vivid colors,” he said.
Toscano opened the men’s accessories store in 2006. Apart from his own designs, he also sells shirts by Brio and Dolce Guava and popular Lorenzo Uomo socks. Toscano is carrying a line of women’s gloves especially for the holidays.
“The big item is the reversible ties,” he said. “These are basically two ties in one. And then we do skinny ties for much younger customers and we have the regular width ties, which are more classic.”
Marc Pine was manning the counter of his comfortably overstuffed antique shop a few doors down. Pine opened the store, Instant Replay, 35 years ago as a consignment shop.
Marc Pine opened Instant Replay 35 years ago and it has since become a popular antiques store.
He used to have to seek out his merchandise. “Now it just comes in. People just bring it into me all the time. ‘You wanna buy this?’ ‘You wanna buy that?’ It’s much easier than it used to be,” he said.
The business soon expanded to include art objects and antiques.
“I have ancient things. I have things that are 500 years old, a thousand years old, and I have, you know, last year’s Chanel,” he explained.
Outside the store, Kew Gardens residents Kelly and Alex, who prefered not to give their last names, said they the found the holiday’s philosophy of celebrating small businesses appealing.
“We actually weren’t meaning to shop. We were just coming back from the gym and remembered that it was Small Business Saturday,” Kelly said.
Neither member of the pair had made a purchase, but Alex explained that their impromptu amble was more akin to a scouting mission than a shopping spree.
“We’ve been going from store to store pointing out things that we want for Christmas, but I don’t think either one of us are bold enough to buy it in front of the other. So there might be return solo trips in the future,” he said.
Kelly said she registered her American Express card at ShopSmall.com to get $10 back on one purchase of $10 or more at a participating store, but felt she was more interested in the holiday as a way of supporting the community. “I like the idea of it,”she said.
“In our area, there’s a couple of small businesses that have shut down recently, and it’s vacant storefronts,” Alex said. “You want to support these small businesses to avoid that kind of stuff.”
At Thank Heaven Children’s Clothing and Toy Boutique, residents perused items like stuffed animals and children’s board games.
At Thank Heaven Children’s Clothing and Toy Boutique, employee Catherine used a pair of scissors to curl pink ribbon as she wrapped a gift for a customer.
“Every item in the store has been hand-picked,” Catherine explained, so you can’t go wrong when choosing a present.
“Parents may not be so generous with their own kids, but when it comes to celebrating new life, people are very kind,” she said, adding that the chance to celebrate with them is part of the reason she loves her job.
The store’s owner, Ariena Thomsen, first opened shop at 72-18 Austin Street nine years ago.
“We’re not on commission and I think it definitely translates into individual attention,” Catherine said.
Further down the block at Stoa Jewelry, owner Rena Monogenis sat in the back of the cozy little shop repairing a necklace.
“It has become a trend–not to be busy,” Marie Sinanian, the store’s co-owner, grumbled.
Stoa Jewelry has been in business for nearly five decades.
Monogenis was more optimistic, viewing the lull as a temporary setback. “The two holidays fell together and people are away, but I think people are pretty concerned about the economy,” she said.
“It’s also cold. There are many factors, but I would say it’s mainly the economy,” Monogenis elaborated. “I think people psychologically are down and I think economically, they’re afraid.”
The shop owners have been through stretches like this before while in business over the past 45 years.
“We’ve done whatever has needed to be done to jewelry as long as technically it can be done,” Monogenis said with a smile.
Sinanian chimed in. “We have very unusual things and it’s not because we say it, our customers say it,” she said.
“They can go to department stores if they want the usual thing,” Monogenis shrugged.
“I put myself into my business,” she continued. “For us, it’s quite personal and I would not have it any other way.”
By Hannah Sheehan
