Pair of Middle Neck Road boutique stores closing in Great Neck Plaza

Janelle Clausen
Lonny's Wardrobe of Great Neck, better known as Lonny's, will be closing down at the end of the month after about 30 years in business. (Photo by Janelle Clausen)
Lonny's Wardrobe of Great Neck, better known as Lonny's, will be closing down at the end of the month after about 30 years in business. (Photo by Janelle Clausen)

Lonny’s Wardrobe of Great Neck and Haus of Tova, two boutique stores located on Middle Neck Road, will be closing in Great Neck Plaza after the holidays, store management said in interviews and online.

The pending closures mark the latest in a string of store closings in Great Neck Plaza, particularly on Middle Neck Road. Camp & Campus, Jildor Shoes closed last summer, and newer places like Great Neck Gourmet, Ruby’s Divine Indian Dining, MMKidz and Royal Tea House have not survived.

Lonny’s, a boutique store situated at the corner of Middle Neck Road and Grace Avenue in town for about three decades, is closing on Dec. 31, according to company President Sophia Gardias. This is because the landlord “chose a bank over us” as the store’s lease was ending, she said.

“There have been some changes [in Great Neck], but I would have thought that with a decision like this, with these changes, that they would’ve kept Lonny’s as a little local store in Great Neck,” Gardias said.

Gardias said that she was “very happy” to have been in Great Neck Plaza as long as she was, thanked customers and said she hopes to see them at the chain’s other locations in Woodbury, East Northport and Merrick.

“Thank you for your loyalty, for the community connection, for everything,” Gardias said.

Haus of Tova, a boutique located at 73 Middle Neck Road, will be closing around the end of January.

Judy Benaim, a Great Neck resident who owns the business with her sister Crystal, said the business has been around five years. But this year “has been the worst year we ever had,” Benaim said, and they want to leave on a sort of “high note.”

Benaim said rent is “always involved,” but how drastically the neighborhood and retail have changed in general were the biggest factors.

The area also seems to be catering to an older generation rather than younger people, she said, and doesn’t have a nightlife as “everything closes early.”

Ultimately, Benaim said her sister Crystal will likely continue to work as a freelance make-up artist, while she might work on expanding her side business in styling, personal shopping and closet organization.

“I think right now we just have to give retail in Great Neck a break,” Benaim said, adding that they have received “beautiful responses” from residents and hope to keep in touch with everyone.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated that Tennis Junction closed. It moved from its previous location at 43 Middle Neck Road to 48 Middle Neck Road, but did not permanently close.

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