By Anthony Rifilato
After over a year of complaints from area businesses and residents, part of the vacant shopping center on north Grand Avenue has recently seen some of its vibrancy return, with the opening of 99 Cent Dreams in the former Pergament space, which was a major anchor store.
Moving into the former Woolworth's at the other end of the center is Global Furniture and Bedding, which is having its grand opening on Oct. 12, according to store management. The 12,000- square-foot store has been closed for over seven years. Mohamed Mensour, a partner at Global, said moving into the area will give them an edge.
"It's a nice location. There's not too many furniture stores around here," Mensour said.
Global Furniture has several locations in the New York City area and will sell discount furniture.
In April, the Herald reported that the CVS, which is still a tenant in the shopping center, had plans to relocate to the former Woolworth's site. Last week, a spokesperson for CVS said the store will stay put at its current location in the shopping center, and said that having new stores move in can only help existing businesses.
Adjacent to Global, a Mace's Closeout City outlet will occupy the former Radio Shack space (which has moved next to CVS) and two other empty locations.
Mace's will offer everything from Health and Beauty supplies to sporting goods and electronics. A spokesperson for Mace's said that the store will open sometime next month and that they are in the process of hiring employees and refurbishing and stocking the empty store. The new Baldwin location will be the eighteenth store in the New York area.
The Baldwin Shopping Center has been the target of fierce criticism from tenants and local residents, who said they would like to see a better selection of "brand-name" stores and fewer discount behemoths.
"There should be more well-known stores," said Pauline Elwin of Baldwin, who was shopping at the center.
Carmen Hernandez, of Freeport, said more businesses could only help the area. "I want more clothing stores though," Hernandez said.
Pam, another shopper and Baldwin resident who didn't want her last name used, said that she hadn't shopped here much because it looked "pretty run-down."
"Something needed to be done," she said.
Ginny Foley, president of the Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, said that the two new stores "were news to us [the Chamber]" but added, "We're always thrilled to welcome new businesses to Baldwin."
Carmela Ragucci, co-owner of the Baldwin Shopping Center's Grand Unisex Salon, said although she has been busy, the landlords, Rosen and Associates Management Corp., could have been a little choosier picking their tenants. "There should be better quality stores. But it's better that something is there," Ragucci said.
Things became so bad in April that Ragucci had thought about filing a lawsuit against Rosen for not courting new tenants more aggressively and prohibiting Ragucci from ending her two-year lease she signed in July 2001. She has since decided against litigation since the arrival of new stores.
"We're just happy that they're renting the stores," Ragucci said.
David Rosen of Rosen Associates did not return phone calls for this story.
But filling stores in the center is not complete yet. Still to be leased is the defunct Messina Pizza Co. storefront next to CVS, another vacancy next to the laundromat, and a smaller store next to China King.
The Baldwin Shopping Center isn't the only location in town about see renewed vitality.
Jessica's Restaurant located on 614 Seaman Ave. is scheduled to reopen in late October, following an accident which forced the owners to close for renovations. The restaurant closed on June 6 after a delivery truck backed into the building, which wrecked Jessica's glass atrium.
"We're hoping to open in three to four weeks," said chef and owner Mark Haber. Haber also said that Jessica's was recently voted one of the top 40 restaurants on Long Island by a panel of food magazine judges.
Adjacent to National Wholesale Liquidators on Grand Avenue is the recently opened Anjum's Designer Outlet. The store sells designer brands such as Kenneth Cole and Fendi at wholesale prices, and management likened the store to a Century 21.
"A lot of people leave Baldwin to shop," said Omar Malik, an Anjum's Manager. "This is the first store of its kind in Baldwin."
Also moving into a storefront that hasn't seen any activity for quite some time is the new XPress Mart Convenience Store at 757 Foxhurst Road, which opened five weeks ago.
"So far so good," said Faisal Rasheed, the store's owner. Rasheed said the space had been empty for five years, and the shopping center was bought by a new landlord several months ago.
"We're setting up a deli section and a Lotto machine," said Rasheed. "We're getting a great response from customers."
Another big development in Baldwin is the proposed Walgreen's on Grand and Seaman Avenues.
Construction of the store is expected to begin this spring after the necessary building permits and variances are secured, sometime in mid-November, said developer Larry Dileo. If his plans go forward, Dileo will lease the proposed 14,000-square-foot store to Walgreen's.
The store would be built on an acre and a half on the corner of Grand Avenue and Seaman Avenue, which presently consists of an empty corner lot, a residential home and several businesses including Beato Fuel, which has been owned by Dileo's family since 1917.
Dileo said the corner is an eyesore, and the Walgreen's has the support of organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. "Everyone wants Walgreens to happen because it will revitalize the area," Dileo said.
Dileo said that it may attract more businesses also.
"It will be an incentive to other businesses that may come into town," Dileo said. Dileo said the plan should go along smoothly and met no opposition at a recent zoning board hearing from neighbors. He said the building application is still pending.
"We feel things will go well," Dileo said.
The recent business growth spurt in Baldwin is part of a "resurgence in vibrancy," said Ann Dictor, a Century 21 realtor and a Baldwin Chamber of Commerce member. "It's been in the doldrums for a long time. But we've got wonderful things going on."
Dictor explained that Baldwin has a difficult time attracting large clothing chains such as Old Navy or WalMart because of the town's traffic patterns.
"Those stores seem to look for east-west traffic, not north-south," said Dictor. She said chains often view the north-south traffic route as a barrier to accessibity and would only attract local shoppers.
Dictor said she often had to push hard to get new businesses to express an interest in the area, but said that trend is starting to reverse, and she is now getting calls from curious big business chains such as banks, gas stations and upscale restaurants.
"The word is out that Baldwin is growing," she said.
