Coping with Challenges on Main Street

In an economy still feeling the lasting effects of a recession, Main Street shopkeepers, competing against nearby big box stores, have their share of struggles. Just ask Florence Leniston, owner of Bubba Brown's Treasures.

"Main Street in Port Washington is really suffering because the town has allowed HomeGoods into this neighborhood," Leniston said. "If you go up and down Main Street, you see all of the small stores that have closed because of HomeGoods. Basically, it's retail stores down here trying to survive."

But it's not just the big box stores, with their deep pockets, that afflict Main Street store owners. They also contend with the challenges of building and maintaining a community, the kind that encourages foot traffic, while still providing shoppers with a one-in-a-kind shopping experience.

"When I understood that Home Goods was first moving there, as soon as I knew they were coming I thought, 'This is a deathblow to so many businesses.' And it had – like I thought it would – an immediate and devastating effect," said Patti Vunk, owner of Dolphin Bookshop, which just recently moved to Main Street. "I think that any chain is damaging to our community because the money from the chain leaves town. Small, independently run businesses are more responsive to the community and I think they contribute more on a lot of levels, not just financially, but in terms of having relationships with people in town."

Yet the Business Improvement District (BID) maintains there are advantages to having retail chains in town, perhaps outweighing any perceived downsides.

"This is the first time that I'm hearing that some of the businesses might have a concern with that," said BID Executive Director Roy Smithheimer. "Actually, it's a great draw for the community and the business community in that people have to come into town in order to go shopping at HomeGoods – so they get an A-plus for that."

National chains aside, shopkeepers worry that customers may shy away if they feel that the community is not pedestrian friendly. This is especially true around lower Main Street, where shoppers may find it tough to safely cross the street and enjoy the area's waterfront.

"The problem is that the Town of North Hempstead wants to make it a fast-lane road down here," Leniston said. "People cannot cross the street as it is. We have a waterfront community. People should be able to walk leisurely with their strollers, with their dogs, and ride their bicycles."

Still, owners remain focused on putting customers first. The relationships they develop with shoppers are what separates Main Street, with its small town charm, from the malls.  

"My sense from my own customers is that there is a tremendous commitment in the community to community and supporting local stores," said Vunk. "People get it – it takes all of us to keep it all together. People in Port Washington cherish the town and that we have a Main Street and are committed to keeping it going."

The mix of stores and restaurants on Main Street enhance the draw.

"It's nice because when people come from out of town, they're very happy to see that they can have lunch or dinner and then walk along Main Street with the wonderful stores," said Leniston. "They also like the variety of the different restaurants."

"Antiques and food," said one shopper from Glen Head who asked to remain anonymous. "Port Washington has a lot of food. There are great restaurants here. The town is just charming. It has an appeal: cheap antiques and good restaurants."

Moving forward, it's the collective community that can help Main Street resolve its challenges. 

"I understand that from the Landmark [Theater] and the library on down to the water is the arts and cultural district, which I found out after I made the commitment to move down here but it seems like a perfect fit. I love that," said Vunk of her new found home on Main Street. "I'm really excited about working with everybody else who's down here on using that identity – all of us together, talking to each other about ways that we can enhance that name that we've got for ourselves now and make the most of it."

Smithheimer says that working together not just on Main Street, but also with the larger businesses, would benefit all of the stakeholders. "If the Port Washington community and the business community are going to survive into the future, then you have to have a successful marriage between the national chains along with independents," he said. "That's where you get your mix of retail that you need for people to successfully shop in their own community or to have people come in from the outside. We have a lot of those ingredients."