AMF Smithtown Lanes, located at 200 Landing Ave., Smithtown has closed its doors after 60 years in business. The announcement was made their on Facebook page Sept. 2.“We appreciate all of your loyalty and support over the years,” the business wrote and urged bowlers to visit AMF Centereach Lanes and Bowlero Sayville.
Brookhaven Town Councilman Kevin LaValle (third from left) joined representatives of the Selden Civic Association the Suffolk County Police Department for the grand opening celebration of Texas Roadhouse in Selden on Sept. 1. The councilman presented the staff with a Certificate of Congratulations and wished them many years of success.
Construction began last fall at the former location of Ruby Tuesdays at 289 Middle Country Road at the corner of Route 83 in the Selden Plaza shopping center. The steakhouse is the third Texas Roadhouse on Long Island, joining the East Meadow and Deer Park eateries famous for its hand-cut steaks, ribs, freshly baked bread, made-from-scratch sides, bottomless peanuts and 15 different varieties of margaritas.
The 7,163 square-foot space is open Mondays to Thursdays from 3 to 10 p.m., Fridays from 3 to 11 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information, call 631-496-3073 or visit www.texasroadhouse.com.
The Huntington Historical Society’s Antiques and Collectibles Shop is now open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Located on the grounds of the Dr. Daniel W. Kissam property at 434 Park Avenue in Huntington, the shop contains items come from outright consignments, estates, downsizing and donations, and range from fine china to men’s tools. Masks are required. For further information, call 631-427-3984.
The Centereach community will soon be able to enjoy authentic, Texas-style barbecue from Dickey’s Barbecue Pit as the restaurant’s owner operator, Gerard Stephan is set to open the full, quick-service restaurant located in Centereach Square at 13 Centereach Mall (next to Leslie’s Pool Supplies), in the next few weeks. The menu will feature southern favorites including mac n cheese, creamed spinach, potato casserole and slow-smoked meats prepared and smoked on-site over hickory wood such as ribs, brisket, jalapeño cheddar kielbasa sausage and more.
“I was born and raised in Long Island and know the community will love the comfort food and atmosphere Dickey’s has in store,” said local entrepreneur and Dickey’s Owner Operator Gerard Stephan. “I’m excited to offer folks in the area a new, unique option for whether they’re dining out, picking up or ordering delivery.” For more information, visit www.dickeys.com.
At the outset, I must confess that I am allergic to self-discovery. I break out in hives of disinterest. Mostly when I read these accounts, they make me want to be a less successful, unhappier person. Call it the Self-Enlightenment Repellent Effect.And yet …
Author Stephanie Hayman
Who would think that a book entitled Surviving My First Decade in Corporate America, written by a thirty-year-old marketing strategist, would be one of the most engaging and enlightening books of the last year?
Stephanie Hayman’s slender tome is a clever, informative, and beautifully written account of her twenties in the workplace. Her prose is crisp, laugh-out-loud funny, and smart. The book is flawlessly constructed and her advice is logical and practical; her point-of-view is personal, which makes it all the more valuable. She never speaks in generalities and backs up her ideas with personal experiences and well-placed anecdotes. Her style is breezy and conversational but never feels flippant or dismissive.
This is a tremendous book.
Her target audience is young people entering the professional world for the first time. Upon graduation, the book should be required reading, perhaps handed out with diplomas if necessary. While she deals predominantly with corporate, office, and business workplaces, there is a universality to her perspective that applies to most jobs and careers.
The book is composed of about two dozen quick chapters, with some shrewd interludes. She actually opens the book with “An Ode to Change,” composed of eight comical haikus, reflecting her shift from college to the world beyond. A personal favorite: “Met for two hours today/This could have been an e-mail/What a waste of time.”
Her prologue sets the tone for what is to come: When I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 22-year-old college senior, I wish I had some insight into what to expect as I entered the business world. I imagined that I’d pop out of bed with a smile on my face, shut the alarm on the first ding, and brush my teeth with such gusto, feverishly anticipating the exciting work day ahead. LOL, clearly my young self had quite the active imagination and didn’t quite grasp the concepts of commuting, 9 a.m. meetings, and overall exhaustion.
And so it began and so it begins.
The first chapter is titled “Social Paparazzi vs. Background Checks.” Right out of the starting gate, she tackles the dangers and pitfalls of social media and how it effects how one is perceived in the greater world. She strikes home with the reality that those bar pictures might have been fun at the time, but they will do you no good (and possible ill).
In “Trading College for a Cubicle,” she gives an overview of some of the unexpected challenges in her first job. An amusing story about a difficult bad weather commute is followed by an honest, self-revelatory conclusion: “As much as everyone tells you their stories, and you feel like you know what to expect, you will never truly understand or grasp the transition to professional life until you experience it yourself.”
“Friends, Foes and Corporate Beaus” deals with romance in the workplace. It can be done as long as you are open and honest. It worked for her but she cautions “the personal and professional not only intersect, but become emotionally entangled with one another.” This segues into “Spoiler Alert: Work/Life Balance Doesn’t Exist.” After years of hearing how important it is to separate work and life, she makes the point that it is more myth than method. “Working doesn’t stop and life doesn’t stop” — and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.It is about sensible integration.
One of the most pointed chapters — “Sorry Doesn’t Cut It!” — addresses the mis- and over-use of “I’m sorry.” (This was an ah-hah moment for me and will resonate with any reader.) In an age of responsibility deflection, this is a reminder to choose the words that address what is actually happening, rather than resort to meaningless clichés and social dodges. Her advice on networking is succinct and pragmatic; anyone wondering how to begin developing the necessary skills are given a sensible and accessible approach.
Hayman pulls no punches. “Asking for a raise without proper justification just straight up makes you look dumb. As a millennial asking for a raise without anything to back up your claim, just makes you look like … well, a millennial.”
She takes on challenging topics with the same clear-headed, no-nonsense tactic: organizational culture, the importance of personal days, interaction in a multigenerational workforce, gender disparity, graduate degrees, and, ultimately, the pandemic. No matter how difficult the situation, she is neither self-aggrandizing or self-pitying.
One of the interludes compares reactions of her age twenty-two self to her age twenty-nine self. She covers cold calls, meetings, traveling, high heels, getting ready, bosses, emails, and availability, all with wicked accuracy and a sense of how we grow. It is also a reflection of how priorities mature with experience.
Throughout, there is a refrain of learning to trust your gut and speaking up and speaking out: “In the workplace if you don’t speak up, you’re forgotten. You become the friend that shows up to every family gathering without bringing an app, dessert or bottle of wine. Quickly everyone begins to wonder: why are you here and what do you actually contribute?”
At the end of each chapter, she has “What I knew then, but know now.” It is composed of three points summing up the material addressed in the previous pages. They are as witty and well-crafted as the body of the chapter and offer an excellent way for the book to be used as an ongoing source. After the reader has gone through the entire book, he or she can use those points as a constant refresher. Once again, the book is highly entertaining and completely practical.
“This is not high school and you are not defined by a ‘label.’ Every day you have a new chance to reinvent or grow your existing persona. Who you are at 22 will not be who you are at 30. Don’t lump yourself in a box, and celebrate all of the differentiated parts of you.”Wise words and good advice.
It would be easy to quote the entire book in this review. Instead, go out and get a stack of copies for the young people in your life who are graduating college (or even high school). Along with the card and the check, give them Stephanie Hayman’s Surviving My First Decade in Corporate America. And while you’re buying a copy for them, pick up a copy for yourself. You won’t be sorry.
Author Stephanie Hayman is a marketing strategist with 8+ years industry experience at Fortune 500 companies and boutique businesses. A graduate of Stony Brook University, the Hauppauge resident frequently publishes her thoughts on her blog, www.bystephaniehayman.com and will host a virtual and in-person event at SBU for current students and alumni this coming fall.
Surviving My First Decade in Corporate America is available online at Amazon, iBooks, Google Books and Barnes & Noble.
A new woman-owned boutique with heart launches during COVID
Soul Chic in East Setauket features positive messages starting with the entrance. Photo from Soul Chic's Facebook
By Courtney Rehfeldt
Opening a boutique can be a tricky endeavor under normal circumstances, but launching during a pandemic is undoubtedly not for the faint of heart. Luckily, Kristen Hoffman was up for a challenge. As the new owner of Soul Chic in East Setauket and a resident of Port Jefferson, she was able to fulfill her childhood dream.
Owner Kristen Hoffman features items made by Long Island-based creators. Photo from Soul Chic’s Facebook page
A writing professor at SUNY Old Westbury and mother of two teenagers, Hoffman was just about to sign a lease for her boutique when COVID-19 shut down the world. A fast thinker, she quickly decided to launch an online shop to build a following until she could find the next perfect brick-and-mortar location.
Located at 262 Main St. in East Setauket, near Country Corner Tavern, Hoffman opened her doors June 24, only two weeks after Phase 2. She found that she created key customer relationships by prelaunching online, so women were more than ready to shop when she finally opened.
“People who did pop in were nervous about whether they could touch the clothing, but all were so relieved to be out of the house,” she said. “Word has spread, and we’ve already had to build another fitting room and add display space to the store. It’s growing quickly, and we feel really blessed.”
It was important to Hoffman that her boutique represents women of all shapes and sizes. She made sure that Soul Chic cultivates a welcoming, uplifting boutique environment for its shoppers.
“Everywhere in my store and on my site, I have words of affirmation, words to uplift women, especially in the fitting rooms,” she said. “Women are so hard on themselves — we’re our own worst critics. It’s sad to watch, and it hurts my heart because I don’t see all that when I look at other women. I appreciate their inner beauty and the energy they bring. I admire their strength and courage, and marvel at the different stories each has to tell. So, I have sayings like ‘You look SOUL beautiful’ around the store, and I want to spread that message. I want women to come here and feel beautiful and valued and heard.”
Hoffman is also an advocate for women, with a focus on Long Island-based creators.
“I want to support other women in businesses, especially artists and makers, by continuing to bring in product lines from as many local women as I can,” she said. “I want to share the success with as many women as possible.”
People from as far as Manhattan and as close as Centereach have been taking their vacations on Long Island, such as at the Fox & Owl Inn in Port Jefferson, instead of other states/countries where travel restrictions make it difficult. Photo from Rebecca Kassay
Residents of both Suffolk County and New York City have turned to local hotels and bed and breakfasts to enjoy time away from home amid limited travel options during the pandemic.
With out-of-state guests from numerous states limited in their travel to the area, corporate travel down considerably, and sports teams either shut down or playing without any fans, area hotels have still attracted guests from nearby towns and villages and from city residents disappointed with ongoing urban closures and eager to enjoy a natural setting.
People from as far as Manhattan and as close as Centereach have been taking their vacations on Long Island, such as at the Stony Brook Holiday Inn Express, instead of other states/countries where travel restrictions make it difficult. File photo
“It’s very different now,” said Jamie Ladone, sales executive at the Holiday Inn Express Stony Brook. “We’re not getting as many out-of-state guests,” but the hotel is finding people who are eager for a staycation.
Indeed, Emilie Zaniello and her family recently spent a weekend at the Holiday Inn, just 20 minutes from her home in Centereach
“We needed to get out of our element, to take a break from everyday life and the stresses right now,” said Zaniello, who stayed during a weekend with her husband John and their two children, 8-year-old Abigail, and 6-year-old John Robert.
The family felt “cooped up in the house” as their children didn’t have as much of an opportunity to do “normal, everyday things,” Zaniello said.
Abigail and John Robert enjoyed playing on the baseball field and the basketball court, while the family also booked time to go swimming.
“It just felt like a mini-vacation, where we didn’t have to go too far,” said Zaniello, who drove back and forth to her home to take care of the family’s two miniature dachshunds.
At the Holiday Inn, Suffolk residents have also enjoyed the indoor pool, outdoor patio, and volleyball and basketball courts, which families can use while maintaining social distancing, Ladone said. The hotel also has a putting green, horseshoes, and a baseball field and basketball court.
“We have people looking to spend quality time together like a family outdoors,” Ladone said.
The Holiday Inn has a meeting space upstairs with a seating capacity, under non-pandemic conditions, of 100. The hotel is hosting baby showers and corporate events outdoors on their patio.
The Holiday Inn has booked about 30 percent more outdoor parties than usual, Ladone said.
The Stony Brook hotel has also partnered with Spa Exotique, which offers massages or facials, and kayak packages with Stony Brook Harbor Kayak and Paddleboard.
Bed and Breakfast
Bed and breakfasts in the area are also attracting attention from residents of Suffolk County and New York City.
At the Fox and Owl Inn in Port Jefferson, people are booking their rooms one to three weeks before they need them, reflecting the uncertainty about plans that might need to change amid fluid infection rates.
For the past two months, the Fox and Owl has been booking about 90 to 95 percent of their capacity, with a majority of the guests coming from New York City and Long Island rather than the usual far-flung locations across the country and world.
The bed and breakfast derived its name from “The Lord of the Rings” book series, which husband and wife owners Andrew Thomas and Rebecca Kassay enjoys. They each picked an animal that was native to the area and hoped to create a place that was akin to the respite the main characters felt when they visited an inn.
Kassay said the Inn has “kept up to date as far as the recommendations for cleaning and the response to the COVID-19.”
“It just felt like a mini-vacation, where we didn’t have to go too far.”
— Emilie Zaniello
The Fox and Owl is located in an 1850 Victorian home, which has large windows that Kassay keeps open as often as she can. Kassay and Thomas also use Lysol on surfaces regularly and ask their guests to wear masks in public.
While guests sit on sofas that are six feet apart, they have shared stories about their quarantine experiences and make predictions about what will happen next.
The Fox and Owl has three guest suites. Some family groups have booked the entire bed and breakfast, which is “really nice for families that are coming to visit other family members,” Kassay said. Groups of friends with similar quarantine habits who feel comfortable interacting with each other have also booked the entire Inn.
The Fox and Owl offers guests the use of a jacuzzi, which is complimentary with any booking. For an additional fee, the Inn provides S’Mores near the fire pit.
Kassay said she and Thomas appreciate that they can offer people an “escape and relief from the stress that everyone is handling.”
As the owner of a bed and breakfast, she said she has reflected on the challenge of remaining personable to guests even while wearing a mask. The daughter of a Sicilian mother, Kassay was raised to speak by using body language and by communicating with her hands as well as her words.
She noticed how guests have become “more expressive,” she said. “If you stop and look at people talking, there is more physicality to American’s interaction with one another.”
A resident of midtown, Mey, who preferred to use only her first name, said she and her boyfriend came to Port Jefferson to escape from the city and enjoy nature amid all the urban closures.
They planned to visit Port Jefferson for the day and wound up spending the night at the Fox and Owl Inn when they weren’t ready to drive back to Manhattan. Mey and her boyfriend enjoyed sitting on the porch, visiting a nearby park and eating ice cream.
“Port Jefferson has a lot of nature and the feeling of a vacation,” Mey said. The experience was “very chill.”
The Manhattanite enjoys attending Broadway shows when she is in the city, which are still closed.
The urban couple traveled to Long Island because they were “looking for something peaceful” and they “found it. Seeing green is better than seeing buildings.”
Above, from left, RPSB Chamber Secretary Larry Hall; Christine Ludwig; staff member Jamie Longman; salon owner Nicole Villorente Esposito; Carmine Esposito; RPSB Chamber President Gary Pollakusky; and RPSB Membership Director Nichaldeep Parhar. Photo by Siobhan Becker
The Rocky Point Sound Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration of NV Beauty Boutique, as well as the launching of a new NV Beauty product line, on Aug. 13.
From left, RPSB Chamber President Gary Pollakusky; Suffolk County Comptroller John M. Kennedy, Jr; and salon owner Nicole Villorente Esposito. Photo by Jeanine Pollakusky
The event was attended by members of the chamber, family, friends and customers as well as Suffolk County Comptroller John M. Kennedy, Jr. and representatives from Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo and Councilwoman Jane Bonner’s office who presented Certificates of Congratulations to owner Nicole Villorente Esposito and her staff.
Located at 14 Broadway, in the heart of Rocky Point’s downtown business district, NV Beauty Boutique specializes in balayage, highlights, and bridal styling. The salon opened its doors in late February of this year, but due to the COVID-19 mandated shutdown, they were not able celebrate their grand opening until now. The salon continued to cater to customers with curbside pickup of customized hair coloring kits and more. They reopened their doors on June 10.
From left, RPSB Treasurer Charles Todaro; RPSB Chamber Secretary Larry Hall; staff member Jamie Longman; salon owner Nicole Villorente Esposito; RPSB Chamber President Gary Pollakusky; RPSB Events Director Jeanine Pollakusky and RPSB Membership Director Nichaldeep Parhar. Photo from RPSB Chamber of Commerce
“The Rocky Point Sound Beach Chamber of Commerce is pleased to assist members like NV Beauty Boutique with ribbon cutting celebrations to recognize new businesses, relocations, expansions and other milestones. In a time where businesses need to get back on their feet, our chamber and ceremonies like these are a great way to garner recognition for our businesses,” said Gary Pollakusky, President and Executive Director of the RPSB Chamber of Commerce.
“Thank you to the Rocky Point Sound Beach Chamber of Commerce for our beautiful grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony. We are truly overwhelmed by all of the love Rocky Point has shown us these last few months. We love being a part of this beautiful town and look forward to many successful years ahead,” said Villorente Esposito.
“NV Beauty Boutique is a shining example of resilience in this current business climate. We look forward to NV Beauty Boutique’s success and the future patrons the business will bring that will frequent our downtown Rocky Point business district,” added Pollakusky.
Port Jeff Bowl came back online Aug. 17 and is already planning multiple leagues. Photo by Kyle Barr
By Liam Cooper
Port Jeff Bowl is ready to see people inside hunting for strikes once again after a long hiatus.
Starting Aug. 17, bowling alleys all throughout New York were allowed to open at 50% their normal capacity. Port Jeff Bowl is now open at 50%.
The bowling alley has strict guidelines to follow in accordance with New York’s COVID-19 response plan. All patrons must wear masks at all times within the bowling alley and musttry to stay as socially distant as possible, as well.
“People have been coming in at a slower rate, so it’s easier to socially distance,” said Bob Suchan, the general manager at Port Jeff Bowl. “We put people in every other lane or further apart.”
As well as the bowling lanes, the vending machines, games, and snack bar are also open.
Before COVID, bowlers could come up to the snack bar to order food. Now, however, they must wait at their lanes and have a waiter or waitress come take their orders.
“People have to be served at the lanes,” Suchan said.
To remain safe, every bowling ball, shoe, vending machine, and game are sanitized. All balls are kept behind closed doors to better protect and sanitize them.
“Everything gets sanitized after every use,” Suchan said. “Any touchable surface is sanitized.”
The alley is also looking forward to restarting a few leagues, with competitive, mixed, ladies and kids leagues all starting in September. Port Jeff Bowl has published a list of league dates and times to its Facebook page.
Bowling alleys are just one form of recreational activity reopening in New York. Monday, Aug. 24 marked the day when city museums, aquariums, and other low-risk indoor cultural arts were able to reopen at 25% capacity.
From left, Debra Loesch, Brittany Loesch and Megan Diehl. Photo courtesy of Suffolk Federal
In an effort to support the charitable work of local organizations that serve the areas of Suffolk Federal branch locations, the credit union has identified nonprofit organizations to provide financial support to. In Medford, Branch Manager Megan Diehl recently presented Angels of Long Island with a $1,000 contribution.
“Angels of Long Island is always there to meet the needs of the community,” said Diehl. “As soon as Suffolk County started to shut down due to the pandemic, they immediately sprang into action to get donations and food distributed to those in need, even with their store front closed. At Suffolk Federal, we are extremely happy to be able to assist their efforts and do our part.”
“We are so excited to receive this blessing from Suffolk Federal Credit Union that we are using towards the purchase of school supplies for our 2020 giveaway for children all across Long Island,” said Debra and Brittany Loesch, co-founders of Angels of Long Island. “We cannot thank Suffolk Federal enough for this sponsorship.”