Sprucing up the stores

Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

That was the thinking of Lynbrook village officials who used state and federal grants to revamp and beautify the commercial area around Broadway and Sunrise Highway. The village installed brick sidewalks, ornamental lights and benches, while owners of the stores along Sunrise paid for a new facade themselves. Village officials say they hope the upgrade will spur commerce in that section of the village and inspire other store owners to improve their properties.

"All of this has a domino effect," said Village Administrator John Giordano. "Downtown revitalization is multi-pronged. This will definitely affect the area, and hopefully other businesses will follow."

According to Giordano, about $140,000 from the Nassau County Community Development Program — which is funded by the federal government — was used to pay for portions of the Broadway streetscape project, and property owners contributed $100,000 for the new facade. Giordano noted that the project was initiated two years ago after a resident complained about the blighted intersection. Village officials contacted property owners and asked if they could spruce up their store fronts, he said, and the response was overwhelming.

"The biggest achievement were the storefronts along the southeast corner," Giordano said. "The landowner was busy doing interior alterations and now was able to do the exterior. It was inspired by the streetscape improvements."

Brian Fern, owner of Pearsall's Station at 479 Sunrise Highway, said that he liked the recent improvements but is unsure of how much it will help business. "This is a hard time with the economy," Fern said. "Of course you hope that it helps business, but I don't necessarily think it will. I think it makes the town look nicer, and when the economy gets better, hopefully it will bring in some new businesses."