The building at 41 Middle Neck Road will soon be getting an occupant for the first time in nearly a decade if the women of Lollipop Woods get their way.
Mary Wilson and Danielle Schmelkin want to transform that building, a vacant handbag factory, into a combination sweet shoppe and party place called Lollipop Woods.
The Village of Great Neck Plaza Board of Trustees unanimously approved a conditional use permit for the shoppe last Wednesday.
Wilston and Schmelkin said they would like one half of their business to be a sweet shoppe with various candies, novelty items, Italian ices and a lounge area. The other half would be the social part of the business with space to host adult or children’s parties.
“We’re trying to appeal to both the younger and adult audiences,” Schmelkin said.
Lollipop Woods has also provided outside services, such as candy buffets and party favors, without a retail storefront since March.
Schmelkin said she hoped to get started on the stores within the next month.
“Assuming all goes well we would be starting the lease Aug. 1 and we would hope around Halloween to be ready to open,” she said.
Trustees expressed support for the store.
“I feel like the downtown is all right if that store gets rented,” said Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender.
Trustee Pamela Marksheid suggested the women set up a table during the annual September Street Fair and provide residents with a sneak peek of their business.
Trustee Gerald Schneiderman also brought up the Aug. 20 salute to new merchants night, part of the Tuesday night concert series at Firefighters’ Park. That would afford Wilson and Schmelkin a few minutes on stage to talk about their business, he said.
“We just try and help you help yourself,” Schneiderman said.
The board heard and approved two more permit applicants at the meeting.
Christina and Karen Khanija, cousins and entrepreneurs, are the owners of Blow Me Away, a new “blow dry bar” they plan to open at 5 North Station Plaza.
Christina said blow-dry bars are a new trend that stared in Los Angeles and have become popular in Manhattan.
“It’s just a really trendy, fun place to go. You go in for a quick blow dry and you go out. You get a complimentary glass of champagne as well,” Karen said.
“It’s more of an experience, just walking into a place where you can have fun, be in and out,” she added. “We’re a salon but we’re not doing cuts or coloring.”
Although they don’t have any experience in the hair service industry, the women said they were confident they could capitalize on this trend.
When Celender asked how they could make money by offering just wash and blow drys, the women said they’ll also do up-dos, sell hair care products and host bachelorette parties and other events.
The location by the train station is also important, they said.
“The biggest thing in the city is people go before they go to work or before they go to lunch, just a quick blow dry because they have an hour to spare,” Karen said.
The board also approved an application by Bobby and Asha Bhavsar to open a Asha’s Threading Salon at 37 Middle Neck Road. The owners said they will also provide facials, waxing and temporary henna tattoos at their salons.
The husband and wife duo said they have been in business for the past 17 years and operate salons throughout Queens and Nassau County. They said they decided to make a move into Great Neck because they own a salon at 252-06 Northern Boulevard in Little Neck, and Bhavsar said at that location.
“Seventy percent of his clientele is from Great Neck and Manhasset,” she said.
As with Lollipop Woods, Blow Me Away and Asha’s Threading Salon were given conditional use permits.
