Tags Posts tagged with "Spotlight on Business"

Spotlight on Business

Curinne Polizzi, owner of Ivory & Main: The Curvy Corner Boutique. Photo by Julianne Mosher

After a successful five years selling plus-size wedding gowns and occasion wear on the South Shore, a Comsewogue High School graduate is making her way back north for her second shop — Ivory & Main: The Curvy Corner Boutique.

After graduating, Curinne Polizzi went straight into the workforce, getting a job in retail and falling more in love with fashion.

“I always knew I wanted to own a shop, and then bridal just fell into my lap,” she said.

It began when she was looking for her own wedding gown. Polizzi said that when she was growing up in Port Jefferson Station, it was often hard to find clothing as she began to gain weight, and then finding a gown for her wedding opened her eyes.

There were no strictly plus-size gown stores on Long Island. In fact, the closest similar wedding shop was in Maryland.

She remembered sitting at her kitchen table talking to her grandmother who said she should open her own wedding gown store on Long Island. On March 15, 2018, Ivory & Main: The Curvy Bridal Boutique opened in Sayville and it was a hit.

Since then, she has sold thousands of wedding gowns to women of all sizes, dresses to mothers of the bride and prom gowns. She had to expand in Sayville twice because it was getting so popular, soon realizing she needed to open up a second location.

“My five-year plan was to open up a second store,” she said.

And five years exactly to the day of getting the keys to her Sayville bridal boutique, Polizzi got a second set to her newest location, The Curvy Corner in downtown Port Jefferson.

The 46-year-old mom of three, who now lives in Oakdale, said when she heard Christina’s Fashion Handbags, formerly located at 98 Main Street, had closed, she had to take a look. As soon as Polizzi walked in, she said, she knew this was the spot and signed the lease.

“I grew up down here, and I’ve always loved Port Jeff,” she said. “When I moved to the South Shore, I hadn’t been here in a long time, but when I found this space, I asked if I could sign the papers that day.” She added, “I felt like I was coming home.”

Since officially opening its doors in May, Polizzi is already gaining a lot of visibility. She said she has a large client base who comes in from out of state. Compared to its sister store south, Ivory & Main: The Curvy Corner Boutique will house more date-night or wedding-guest looks like sundresses, jumpsuits and other occasion wear looks.

The back of the shop has racks of elegant evening gowns for prom and mothers of the bride that go up to size 30, as well as a wide variety of fun accessories like jewelry, handbags and hats for which anyone can shop.

The styles she brings can appeal to the younger clientele, which has always been a struggle for more inclusive clothing brands. Polizzi said that sometimes other plus-size stores or brands have baggier, more matriarchal styles that may not suit everyone. What she has to offer is trendy — and will have something for everyone.

“This type of store is what I wanted when I was in high school,” she said.

Ivory & Main: The Curvy Corner Boutique sells clothing ranging from size large to 5X and will have its grand opening June 17 from noon to 9 p.m. featuring sales and other surprises for people visiting the boutique.

Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden welcomed the new shop with open arms, saying she is happy to see another new business owner investing in Port Jefferson, especially one who came back to town, as Polizzi has.

“It has always been my priority to make Port Jefferson a place folks want to live, work and play,” Snaden said. “Seeing new businesses moving in lets me know that what we’re doing is working.”

The store, located at 98 Main Street, is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.IvoryMain.com.

By Carolyn Sackstein

It seems it was meant to be that Long Island restaurateur Terry Scarlatos and chef Scott Andriani would partner to open Revival by Toast at 242 E. Main St. in downtown Port Jefferson. 

They met 16 years ago at a home in Rocky Point, during a men’s night get-together. Scarlatos took his young son, Braedan, and Andriani brought 16 carefully-prepared sauces to complement the bear meat burgers, ostrich and whole spit-roasted pig.

Someone stumbled into the table, upending the sauces. Scarlatos was impressed with Andriani’s unflappable cool, taking the loss of his hard work so calmly. 

“With composure and grace, he handled it beautifully,” Scarlatos said, reflecting upon the long-ago incident. “I was like, that is the kind of guy I [want] to work with.” 

Port Jefferson apart, Scarlatos opened additional Toast locations in Patchogue and Bay Shore, developing another Toast location in Long Beach scheduled to open this Memorial Day. Andriani, meanwhile, was working in Spain, touring and learning the cuisines of Europe. He returned to the U.S. as an executive chef for a large corporate restaurant group.

As fate would have it, Andriani was preparing to leave the corporate world as Scarlatos was exploring ideas for using the lease he held for 242 E. Main. The original Toast Coffeehouse, having opened there in 2002, had been a fixture of the village restaurant scene before relocating to Port Jefferson Station in September 2022. 

Scarlatos sought to honor the old without repeating the same concept. With Andriani on board, a vision was born that paid homage to the previous Toast experience while offering patrons a new dining adventure.

The partners see Revival by Toast as an “upscale neighborhood restaurant,” an approachable venue that one can visit frequently.

Revival by Toast is set to feature produce at the peak of seasonal freshness with selective proteins. The majority of the ingredients will come from the tri-state area. Scarlatos and Andriani have sourced many of their ingredients from local purveyors, such as Indian Neck Farm, an organic, sustainable producer in Peconic on the North Fork. 

In keeping with the practice of using sustainable purveyors, Andriani endeavors to make his kitchen “a zero-waste kitchen.” He has created vegan menu items, such as Spanish vegan paella, so everyone at the table can enjoy it. 

Andriani sources the wagyu beef from Japan, Australia and specialty domestic herds in Texas. These ingredients are developed into both small-tasting dishes as well as full entrée plates. 

The seven-to-eight-course sampling menu provides flexibility in ordering and pricing for the patron. Dishes are modifiable to accommodate food allergies and individual preferences. 

Offerings rotate as often as every three days. Sunday brunch is lighter than the Toast menu diners are accustomed to ordering. The owners want to introduce the diner to food and beverage selections that are atypical of the current restaurant scene.

“You can come here with a date,” Andriani said. “You can spend a little more and get a little more. We take humble food and elevate it.”

Scarlatos and Andriani have stocked their boutique bar with an array of “thoughtfully sourced spirits” from small-batch vintners, brewers and distillers across the globe. The partners invite patrons to ask about their “hidden gems.”

Revival opens at 5 p.m. and closes at 11 p.m. from Wednesday through Saturday, serving brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. 

The official grand opening is scheduled for Wednesday, May 17, at 5:30 p.m., with Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and Village of Port Jefferson officials attending. 

Revival by Toast suggests reservations be made a week in advance. Four tables are held to accommodate walk-ins.