Author Archive for Colette Connolly
W@tercooler
There are many ways to describe W@tercooler, the cool new co-working space in the heart of Tarrytown, but owner Jenifer Ross describes it best. “It’s the loft you’ve never had, part office, part coffee shop, part lounge, a swank kind of space.” Ross is right on all accounts. The spacious second-floor space at 21 North [...]
Business Profile: Italia Brick Oven Pizzeria & Restaurant, Thornwood
Bronx natives living in and around Thornwood are rediscovering the good old-fashioned pizza they once enjoyed courtesy of the Italia Brick Oven Pizzeria & Restaurant, a relative newcomer to the Town Center shopping mall on Broadway. Owned by Michael Pecora, the restaurant officially opened last year and is gaining a solid reputation for its thin, [...]
Business of the Week: Dorry’s Diner
It’s a place “Where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came.” Just like the theme song from the TV sitcom Cheers, Dorry’s Diner is a local hangout where people come to eat, chat and generally feel at home. The only difference is Dorry tops off your coffee mug, not your beer mug, [...]
American Terrain Outdoors
If you’re a lover of the outdoors, a stop at the American Terrain Outdoors store on East Post Road in White Plains is in order. Owned by husband and wife team Manny and Rosanna Polloni, the store has become the go-to place for folks seeking camping equipment and accessories, backpacks, travel clothing, footwear and much [...]
Business Profile: Xtreme Training Botticelli Fitness Facility, Thornwood
After being flooded and losing everything to Hurricane Irene last August, Anthony Botticelli, owner of the Thornwood-based Xtreme Training, is back in business and bigger and better than ever. It comes as no surprise to those who know Botticelli well. The consummate athlete who played baseball, basketball and football growing up, Botticelli is a workhorse, [...]
Business of the Week: Yogi’s Paw, Mount Kisco
First-time shoppers to Yogi’s Paw in the heart of downtown Mount Kisco may be surprised to learn that this adorable store has nothing to do with pets. In fact, the Main Street shop, awash in an assortment of bright colors, has fast become the go-to destination for teen girls and young women. Co-owned by the [...]
Virtual Music Store to Highlight Talents of True Artists
For talented musicians who have little or no chance of getting their music into the mainstream, BCM Tunes is filling a void. The fledgling virtual music store, which was created by Hal Winer, owner of the Ossining-based recording studio, BiCoastal Music, and Kevin Kane, a local singer/songwriter, will put the spotlight back on the artist. [...]
Business of the Week: Beautiful Hair Company Salon & Spa, Chappaqua
Finding a good hairstylist is, let’s say, a challenging endeavor for many women. The process is often complicated by the fact that some women find it difficult to locate who understands their hair and what they want done. Fret no more. Franco Marino, an internationally acclaimed hair designer and owner of Beautiful Hair Company Salon [...]
Business of the Week: Zion Memorial Chapel
It might seem a bit unusual for an Italian-American to establish the only funeral home in Westchester County exclusively dedicated to the Jewish community. However, it’s an idea that Vincent Graziano, owner of Zion Memorial Chapel of Westchester, came up with in 1995 to provide a more personalized service dedicated to the burial customs and [...]
Business of the Week: Arco Cleaning Maintenance Company, Mt. Kisco
Since 1946, Arco Cleaning Maintenance Company has been a mainstay in Mount Kisco, first established as a floor waxing service by the late Guerino George Arco and his wife, Jean, and later incorporating other services such as the cleaning of carpets, windows and upholstery. For the past 40 years, Arco’s son, George, has been at [...]
Vintage Lounge & Restaurant
When Vintage Lounge & Restaurant owner Declan Farrell came to this country in 1990, he never imagined being in the hospitality industry, let alone owning a restaurant and bar in the county’s most vibrant city. Raised on a farm in County Galway, Farrell was more familiar with working the land than catering to the demands [...]
Business of the Week Mario’s Pizza & Pasta, Mount Kisco
Folks who’ve lived in Mount Kisco a while will remember the depot that was located next to the Metro-North train station and served as the Mount Kisco Volunteer Ambulance Corps headquarters. The ambulances left and about seven years ago and Mario’s Pizza & Pasta moved in, with the attraction these days its wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. [...]
Business of the Week Good Food, Briarcliff Manor
For years John Chambal was accustomed to working in high-volume restaurant kitchens. Now singlehandedly he runs Good Food, Briarcliff Manor’s only créperie, where you’ll find this self-taught chef whipping up an eclectic menu of Asian, Greek, Indian and American food. For six years, Chambal searched for a suitable location before finally opening Good Food seven [...]
Know Your Neighbor: Andrea Capulli, Video Store Owner, Pleasantville
In an industry with an uncertain future, Andrea Capulli, the owner of Plaza Video in Thornwood, puts a smile on every day. Capulli realizes the Internet’s impact on a business that once flourished during the 1980s and ’90s, but for local residents and even customers who come from as far as White Plains, it’s hard [...]
Dr. Sabrina Magid, DMD
At 29, Sabrina Magid loves her career, and why wouldn’t she? She works side by side with her father, Kenneth Magid, a respected dentist in Harrison who founded Advanced Dentistry of Westchester, and she also practices a form of dentistry she is passionate about. For Magid, an Armonk native, it’s a type of dentistry that [...]
Melt Sandwich Shop
When lunch time rolls around for residents and others who either live or work close to 277 Mamaroneck Avenue, the Melt Sandwich Shop is the place to be. Not to be confused with a delicatessen, the shop, owned by husband and wife team Bill and Kristen Hall, offers a delectable assortment of sandwiches, salads, grilled [...]
Know Your Neighbor Dr. Alyssa Dweck, OB/GYN, Chappaqua
Chappaqua resident Alyssa Dweck is candid about a subject many women are often afraid to discuss: their vaginas. Dweck, an obstetrician/gynecologist at the Mount Kisco Medical Group, has seen thousands of them over the span of her almost two-decade career. But in her recently published book, “V is for Vagina: Your A-to-Z Guide to Periods, [...]
Limited Unlimited Jewelers, Mount Kisco
Looking for an engagement ring, a brooch, earrings, bracelets, beaded necklaces or some antique jewelry? You’re in luck. Limited Unlimited Jewelers, located on Mount Kisco’s Moger Avenue, has a wide selection of all those items and more. Even though the store has been a mainstay in Mount Kisco since 1969, for the past 19 years [...]
Try and Buy Toy Store, Pleasantville
At a time when big box stores are threatening small businesses across America, Try and Buy Toy Store in Pleasantville is holding its own, offering an amazingly diverse range of toys and gifts for children of all ages. The store, owned by Barry and Linda Schwartz, has been a mainstay in Pleasantville since 1974, but [...]
Ballard-Durand Funeral & Cremation Services
Matthew Fiorillo was 16 when he first expressed an interest in becoming a funeral director. Perhaps it was his kind-hearted nature, his desire to help others or his willingness to reach out to people at the worst times of their lives. Whatever the reason, Fiorillo, a West Nyack native, is living his dream as president/owner [...]
Irrelevant Elephant, Mount Kisco
Laura Craig, owner of the new Mount Kisco art studio Irrelevant Elephant, couldn’t imagine herself behind a desk for seven hours a day. She’s happiest when she’s teaching art, imparting her knowledge to a diverse group of curious students that include preschool children, teens and adults. As a child, Craig said she was always interested [...]
Undiscovered Realm
Calling all players of the popular game, “Magic: The Gathering” the first Westchester store to buy and sell trading cards and provide a space for competitive Magic tournaments has opened its doors to a growing legion of local fans. Undiscovered Realm, located in Hartsdale, is a godsend for players who’ve been eagerly searching for the [...]
White Plains Examiner Business of the Week: City Limits Diner
Many things come to mind when thinking of the good, old-fashioned American diner: bacon and eggs, hash browns, pancakes, waffles, grilled cheese sandwiches, and lots and lots of coffee. There’s certainly all that and more on tap at the City Limits Diner on Central Avenue, but ask head chef Peter Assue what’s different about this [...]
Addicted to Ink
What used to be a right of passage for bikers and military enlistees has become a real trend and somewhat of an addiction for a whole new population of customers who are taking to tattoos like never before. Just ask Chris Wilcock, one of four young men, all Yonkers natives, who operate Addicted to Ink, [...]
Ultimate Auto Body, Bedford Hills
The years that Matt Beobide spent with his uncle, Greg, at the Bedford Hills-based Ultimate Auto Body added up to a life-changing experience. “My uncle really took me under his wing, teaching me everything he knew,” said Beobide, who, before joining the company, was a restless teenager needing some direction in life. Beobide’s uncle had [...]
Straight A’s
Many White Plains residents, especially local teachers, will remember the Educational Warehouse that was a familiar sight for close to 15 years in South Broadway’s Westchester Pavilion. Its closing last March was a shock to many who had come to rely on it for valuable teacher resources, including its former district manager, Kenny Friedman, who, [...]
Hickory & Tweed: Throwback Store Linking the Generations
In the tight-knit community of Armonk, Hickory & Tweed is a welcome retreat, a kind of journey back to an era when going to the local store was where shoppers chatted with the shop owner in an environment that was neither rushed nor impersonal. Thankfully, that feeling still exists in this special store that has [...]
Martine Gourmet Deli
Most college graduates get their career experience working for a large firm or even a smaller company within their chosen field. Not so for Joe Sansotta, owner of Martine Gourmet Deli, located on Martine Avenue in downtown White Plains. Sansotta, who graduated from Iona College five years ago with a bachelor’s degree in business, didn’t [...]
Thompson’s Cider Mill a Labor of Love for PR Exec
Surrounded by more than 500 trees that bear a variety of apples, from the McIntosh-style Macoun to the cold-hardy Honey Crisp, the unusual-sounding Seek-no-further and the nutty-flavored Hudson’s Golden Gem, Geoff Thompson, is clearly at home in this serene environment. Every fall for the past 35 years, Thompson, owner of the Croton-on-Hudson-based Thompson’s Cider Mill, [...]
Excell Print and Promotions
Over the 13-year period that David Quas has spent in the commercial printing business, some might say the industry has been turned on its head. What used to take hours now takes minutes and printing these days is increasingly done in-house on a network. But that hasn’t stopped Quas from pursuing his passion for professional [...]
