Business Beat: Small Businesses Bank on Black Friday to Boost Post-Sandy Profits

It's a whole new season: the holiday season, meaningful to both families and businesses, has arrived. Here's a look at how it has affected regional businesses and other small business developments.

Biz Owners Hopeful to Make Up Sandy-Related Losses During the Holiday Season

Some mom-and-pop businesses that lost power, food and ultimately sales due to Hurricane Sandy are hopeful they will make it up during the holidays. For example, shops in Kings Park, including Jesse James Seafood and Kings Park Meat Market, and in Stony Brook, such as Cottontails and The Writing Place, said they were relying on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday to recover. "I think the hurricane set everybody back," said Phyllis Martinez, owner of The Writing Place. "We need to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and let’s get going. ... We’re really hoping that this is a day that everybody feels good and renewed and starts coming out and shopping." Check out more on this story from Three Village Patch and Kings Park Patch.

New St. James Business a "Renaissance of Lost Art"

Sewnonymous was on the real estate market just six months ago, and while there will be a new awning soon on the building there will be a familiar face and similar business inside. Tia Skurn, who owned Sewnonymous, is set to open Atelier: The Art of Fashion, an artist’s workshop that features sewing classes and more. For those looking to attend the sewing classes Skurn held at Sewnonymus you’re in luck, as she will still be holding them. What will be new to longtime Sewnonymous fans are the other homemade goods they’ll find inside. “We thought wouldn’t it be cool to start something up and make it like an artisan workshop with people that made their own homemade things like soap, kind of like a renaissance for all the lost art,” said Jean Piemonte-Lehman, owner of Sebastian Cakes.

Holiday Season Arrives at Sweets of the Spoon

As the holiday season approaches, Sweets of the Spoon in Rocky Point is offering a unique way to celebrate with the family. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays at 2, 5 and 7 p.m., locals can bring their kids, or their own creativity, to make and decorate gingerbread houses and families. The talented Sweets staff will work with kids to help get them going, and each session includes a house, candy, icing and refreshments and at the end, guests get take home their gift-wrapped house to show off or enjoy. These sessions cost $24.95 and must be paid for in advance. Sign up early by calling 631-849-4771.