Business Beat: Dance School, Comics Store Thrive; Capital One Bank Closing Branch

Local businesses are more than just places to go for food, services, and shopping: they add to the fabric of our local communities, putting people to work and allowing folks to pursue their dreams of ownership. Check out these local business stories from northern and western Suffolk.

Dancer Lives up to Legacy and Keeps Studio One Step Ahead

She has danced with the Joffrey Ballet, choreographed for the Knicks City Dancers and was asked to dance on Broadway, but Sandra Moletto’s internal compass was always leading her somewhere else; home. Moletto is the owner of a business she runs with her husband Nick and though her time on the stage was wonderful, she knew deep inside what she really wanted was to teach children to dance at the studio her mother, Connie Campagnolo, began 25 years ago.

4th World Comics Nears 30 Years in Business

While Hollywood uses the most popular characters from comic books to make blockbuster movies, locals experience the stories before they hit the big screen by picking up comic books at 4th World Comics and Toys, a store approaching its 30th anniversary. “We’ve been around for 30 years – 10 years in St. James, 20 years here in Smithtown,” said Glenn Fischette, owner of the store. “We’re the biggest one on Long Island … there’s no other store that’s this size and carries as much stuff as we do. Most of the guys that go to the city say we’re even bigger than the city stores.”

Rigatoni's Pizza & Pasta Opens in Hauppauge Industrial Park

In his pursuit of the American Dream, a Miller Place man is bringing the unique combination of Chicago-style deep dish pizza and smoothies to the corner of the Hauppauge Industrial Park. Kyle Markott, 33, has opened up Rigatoni's Pizza & Pasta in the corner site of Adams Ave food court in the Hauppauge Industrial Park. Roughly five years ago, Markott said the former Italian Buffet in the Hauppauge Industrial Park caught his eyes as a potential business to buy and take over, but he decided against it. His interest in opening a Hauppauge restaurant was renewed upon learning Town of Smithtown was going to be relaxing the building limitations in the Hauppauge Industrial park.

Bella Dolce Expands its Menu

Frozen yogurt is a hot trend lately – and it has not gone unnoticed by Rosario Naimo, who owns an ice cream shop that's been around for five years now. Naimo recently introduced Bella Berry, a frozen yogurt brand that his company developed.

Capital One Closing One Location

The Capital One west branch at 75 Route 25A in Rocky Point will be closing down for good on Oct. 5. The branch will be consolidated with the eastern branch located at 366 Route 25A, and Capital One members will be able to use that location with no changes to their account. Steve Schooff, Director of Corporate Communication at Capital One, said the difficult decision was made based on "thoughtful analysis of our branch footprint."

Rocky Point Rental Shop Seeks New Tenant

It's one of several commercial spaces along the Route 25A corridor in need of a tenant, and this former rental store is...well, up for rent. Building owner Rick Mees says he would be open to selling the property at 419 N. Country Rd., though would prefer to rent out the 3,200-square foot building his family has owned since the 1970s. Built in 1903, the building, according to Mees, has an outside footprint of 40 feet by 80 feet, with a showroom running 40-by-60. Mees purchased a rental business – of tools, party supplies, and more – that was in the space until about 2003. Shortly thereafter, a fireplace store opened and closed its doors around 2009.

The business with likely the most noticeable and retro sign on all of Smithtown’s Main Street has been in business for almost 50 years with no signs of slowing down – Smithtown Appliances. In an era where big box stores dominate, Smithtown Appliances continues to keep prices competitive. How the store keeps its prices on or better than its competition is its affiliation with Intercounty Appliance, an appliance buying cooperative. Vito Blandi, who also is affiliated with the buying cooperative, owns Smithtown Appliances. According to the owner’s son, also named Vito, having the right price coupled with excellent customer service makes it hard for people not to shop there.