Around 100 people from Great Neck, including a handful of business owners, gathered in Grace Avenue Park on Sunday for one of the first networking events organized by the grassroots revitalization group Destination Great Neck.
The group was founded earlier this year by a handful of interested community members who wish to see Great Neck’s business district revitalized. The event highlighted some of the community’s local businesses, including several performances from ConfiDanZe and Annmarie’s Studio of Performing Arts.
Gift baskets with coupons and promotional deals to local establishments were also handed out. One of the group’s founders, Janet Nina Esagoff, celebrated Great Neck’s history and expressed the need for a spark to the area’s business district.
“We saw the future and decided to change it,” Esagoff said during the event. “We have a storied history of famous faces and famous places. Great Neck has great schools, parks and people. Our group wants to restore Great Neck to its former glory.”
The group’s board is comprised of Esagoff, Judy Liman, Michele Tabaroki, Nancy Shahverdi , Yemile Bucay, Irene Gabo, Lawrence Lin, Ilona Trokel, Arezou Tolou Hakimian, and Lisa Saltzman.
More than a dozen business owners spoke briefly about their businesses and expressed what Great Neck means to them and their families. From residents who have put multiple children through the school district, to those who have lived in the area less than a year, everyone spoke highly of the community as a gem of the North Shore of Long Island.
“Great Neck is an area that supports the arts and music, and it is a great place to bring up your children,” Deborah Tartell, musical director for the Shireinu Choir of Long Island, said.
“I have been living in Great Neck for the last 30 years. This community and its businesses are extremely important to me, so I truly thank everyone for coming out,” immigration lawyer Byron Quintanilla said.
“Our group’s mission is to make Great Neck a destination, not just for us, but for everyone,” Saltzman, an attorney, said. “All of us are a community here in Great Neck, no matter what we do.”
Tabaroki, who runs the organization’s social media along with being the owner of Confidanze & Fitness Studio, thanked those in attendance and encouraged everyone to follow the group’s online platforms.
Despite the pages being less than two months old, the efforts of Tabaroki and the social media postings have resulted in more than 800 followers on the group’s Facebook page, “Destination: Great Neck” and more than 1,200 followers on its Instagram page “@GreatNeckBiz.”
Esagoff said in February she has noticed an occasional disconnect between village officials and residents regarding parking and ticketing. The group, she said, aspires to be a bridge to voice the issues facing residents so that their elected officials will know what is a legitimate issue and what could just be a grievance from a few individuals.
Officials from the nine villages have not been completely oblivious to a recent downturn in new stores opening on Middle Neck Road, the gateway to all of the stores Great Neck has to offer. Efforts to revitalize the peninsula in a way beneficial to all of the villages have been made in the past. In 2019, the Great Neck Village Officials Association began hosting meetings which featured elected officials, business owners and guest speakers such as Eric Alexander of Vision Long Island.
