Rockaway Avenue invites holiday shoppers

While most holiday shopping is done at the mall and online these days, shoppers on Rockaway Avenue last week said that they still love visiting local shops.

Jasmine Basquez said she has no trouble finding what she needs on Rockaway Avenue, and that she often buys desserts for holiday parties from the Little Sugar Shop. “It’s really nice over there,” she said. “They have Dominican cakes.”

At Morris Variety, two shoppers said that their local holiday shopping reminds them of the community’s social fabric. Marianne Eberhardt described Valley Stream as a close-knit community, and fellow shopper Debbie Baktis overheard and agreed.

“It sure is,” Baktis said. “I just heard you talking about the community and I was thinking of my friend,” she said, describing the outpouring of community support she witnessed when her friend’s daughter died recently.

It’s that kind of encounter that Eberhardt likes about shopping in Valley Stream, which she referred to as a “multi-cultural mosaic” of people. “I find the village to be friendly,” she said. “You walk in the store and you know people.”

Eberhardt has lived in the village for 38 years and is a member of the Holy Name of Mary Church, which brings her to the downtown area frequently, she said.

Robert Valenti is a clerk at the Kidz Stuff toy store, which buys and sells gently used toys — a draw for people shopping for gifts on a budget, he said.

While most local shoppers are locals, Denise Hagley made it to Rockaway Avenue all the way from England. Originally from Valley Stream, Hagley moved to Poland 22 years ago before relocating to London. Her mother still lives in the village.

“I’m always up and down Rockaway when I come to visit,” she said. “When you don’t live here, and then you come back —” she pointed down the street “— there’s a nice little boutique over there. What’s it called?”

Hagley studied the new and old storefronts on each side of the road. “And then, of course, you’ve got the classics, like Ancona Pizza,” she said. “It’s almost like there’s been a complete rejuvenation of Rockaway Avenue.”