New Park Ave. storefronts near completion in Long Beach

Posted

"I put $30,000 into a store that burned down," Ooh La La owner Jennifer Montiglio said sadly.

Montiglio, who owns four other Ooh La La shops, said that extensive renovations at her original Park Avenue women's boutique were completed just weeks before the May 16 fire that ripped through eight storefronts between Long Beach and Riverside Boulevards.

Nearly nine months later, construction of a new building is nearing completion. "It's going to be fantastic," said Montiglio, who took up temporary residence across the street after the fire. "Going into the new space is very exciting." She added that while the fire was devastating, it brought her staff closer together, strengthening bonds that most of them have shared for years.

Asked if her customers should expect anything different at the new location, Montiglio replied that she would be taking some of the design layout of the pre-fire store and applying it to the new location, "because a lot of our customers never saw it before." Ooh La La will also move into a larger storefront, the former home of Edward Jones Financial, at 134 East Park. Montiglio said she expects her shop to be open for business in late April or early May, and she would like to coordinate the grand opening with the anniversary of the fire.

Ronald Rettner of Rettner Management Corp, which owns the property, said that workers are putting the finishing touches on the building, including National Grid and LIPA hookups, signboards and exterior lighting, and he is confident that the building will be complete within the next three weeks. While some tenants have set up shop elsewhere, others are planning to return.

For Santos Design owner Christina Santos, the day she can open her doors can't come soon enough. "I'm very, very anxious because it's going to be a year in a few months," said Santos, who designs weddings and large-scale events. "People forget very quickly."

Page 1 / 3