Malverne General Store is for rent

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There’s a large, handwritten “For Rent” sign in the side window of the Malverne General Store, and it looks like the business may be closing for good.

The store, which opened in August 2013 and has a 15-year lease, sells a variety of home décor — bathroom, kitchen, stationery and seasonal items in its 9,000-square-foot space. But Tammy Tuller, who said she owns the property with several other investors, told the Herald that she now has a month-to-month business relationship with the proprietors because the store is struggling.

“We have tried helping ... by decreasing the rent, but the store doesn’t drive enough traffic to support it,” said Tuller, adding that whatever ultimately replaces the store needs to be supported not only by residents, but by customers from outside the community as well.

The property, at 344 Hempstead Ave., has a history of failed businesses, including two Associated supermarkets, which closed in 2010 and 2012.

The store is part of a block of properties in Malverne owned by Tuller through Bellrex Associates. The others include the Malverne Cinema, the Malverne Diner, the Malverne Bowling Alley and the parking lot behind those businesses, which abuts the Long Island Rail Road. Tuller said at a village board meeting that her family has owned the property since the 1970s.

Prior to the Malverne General Store’s opening in 2013, several residents expressed concern that it would not be successful, while others said they missed the convenience of a supermarket in their neighborhood.

Former Deputy Mayor Joseph Hennessy has said in the past that the village had tried to attract other grocery stores, like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Wild By Nature, but the property did not meet many retailers’ needs.

The “For Rent” sign has been in the store’s window for roughly three weeks. Calls to Naeem Mirza, the store’s proprietor, went unanswered.