Business & Tech

10 Years Later, Lou, Babs & Moogs Ready To Close

Main Street business looking for buyer.

On a hot July afternoon, Helen Leib chatted warmly with customers at Lou, Babs & Moogs, the Port Washington gift store she opened 10 years ago on Main Street. She discussed colleges with one shopper, and caught up on family with another.

So, it might come as a surprise that someone so in tune with her clients is ready to close up shop by July's end.

Leib says she is ready to move on to the next chapter.

"The main reason is I'm opening a new business with a Port resident in the late fall," she said.

That new endeavor will be called "Blue Moon Project," which Leib is opening with Michele Arnold. Based in Port Washington – Leib will announce precisely where when all the details are finalized – the company will offer fitness programs for the mind, body and spirit. There will be classes for all age groups, from children to senior citizens, and instruction that includes Pilates, Tai Chi and meditation, Leib said.

But while gearing up to launch the new company, Leib is hopeful that she can find a buyer for Lou, Babs & Moogs. That transaction would be "a good-will sale" for a turn-key operation that would "pass on what I know," including relationships with vendors and customers, a phone system and more, Leib said. "I would be willing to work with them through the transition," she noted, adding that she would accompany the buyer to upcoming Gift Show in Manhattan. With that level of support, she said, the buyer could "start the business on day one."

What would be a fair price for the shop? "I'm not talking about $100,000 sale," Leib said, adding that she is asking "less than what I paid to set it up."

If no buyer surfaces, Leib will sell all of the merchandise and fixtures, including a chandelier and an Art Deco dining table that would fit in a well-appointed home or a business.  

Leib, who had commuted into Manhattan prior to opening the Port Washington shop, said she's "loved doing this for the last 10 years."

"I didn't know Main Street's prominent figures before, and I got to meet all of these amazing people," she said.

Best memories include the wedding of her employee Jen who married Danny, who worked next door at Carlo's Pizza. They married on a Saturday, and both businesses closed so everyone could attend the wedding, Leib recalled. Other happy moments include the shop's "Dew Drop Ins" where customers made crafts for special occasions, such as Mothers Day.

Leib says she is happy to start the next chapter in her business life in Port Washington.

"It's not really good bye," she said.


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