Hewlett-Woodmere Biz Group Vows to Revive Area

With some predicting a make-or-break moment coming soon, a group of storeowners and professionals representing the business community of Hewlett and Woodmere vowed on Monday to revitalize the area to its former prominence.

“That spirit of working together is what we need to attract support outside our borders,” said Steve Anchin, a real estate agent at and the newly elected president of the Hewlett-Woodmere Business Association. “We’re all picking ourselves up by the bootstraps, and we’ll make this place vibrant again.”

Members of the HWBA — the recent of the Hewlett Business Association and the Woodmere Merchants Association — met for the first time on Monday at La Cucina, when it elected its officers.

“This merger was a long time coming,” said Sherry Press, the association’s first vice president and co-owner of . “We’re all together and we should fight for everything together.”

The new group hopes to tackle the issue of Woodmere’s alarming number of storefront , which many members said is tied to the flagging of the entire Hewlett-Woodmere business district. Both Hewlett and Woodmere are unincorporated. They also said they want the area to feel more like a community.

“Something needs to be done and it needs to be done right away,” said Mike Pantano, owner of and Ciao Bella. “No one wants to come down this way. We need a reason for them to come this way.”

Pantano said that events should be held at least once a month to attract foot traffic to the area. He said a first step would be for the business owners to support each others’ businesses.

The HWBA hopes to seek out government grants to revitalize the area and hold a Memorial Day Parade in the community this year. Members are also considering putting art displays in empty storefronts to attract potential tenants.

“If we all maintain a sense of enthusiasm and common purpose, the new Hewlett-Woodmere Business Association could be a driving force,” Anchin said. “It could be as close as we can come to a civic association that stands up for the needs of the community.”

Other members of the executive board include:

Second VP - Vassa Halatas-Cohen, Wedding Dress Couture
Third VP - Luigi Muto, and La Cucina
Treasurer - Craig Spatz,
Recording Secretary - Michael Ludwin, Citibank
Corresponding Secretary - David Toron,