One month ago, Port Washington fashion designer Nancy Sinoway said, her tailoring and alterations studio was having one of the most successful years in recent memory.
That was before Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a stay-at-home order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Since then, Sinoway said, she and her team have gone from designing custom dresses to creating protective masks.
“This all just goes to show you how unpredictable life really is sometimes,” she said.
Sinoway has been a part of the fashion industry for the past 45 years, with the last 14 years being a prominent figure in Port Washington’s business community.
Her studio has been the recipient of the last four Best of the North Shore and Best of Long Island awards in the category of “Best Tailor.”
Sinoway said she owes a great deal of her success to the Long Island community and is always looking for an opportunity to aid others if they were ever in need.
So as the confirmed number of coronavirus cases in the county steadily increased each day, Sinoway said, she realized her own company needed immediate help.
“We’re definitely hurting right now, but our store is one of many,” Sinoway said. “When I tell you this year was going from 180 miles per hour to 0, it is absolutely crazy.”
Sinoway said it was stressful once she realized the gravity of the situation that her business and others were in when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the closing of non-essential businesses last week.
But rather than sitting at home and taking no action, Sinoway said, her thought was to try and find a way to stay occupied while helping out those in need of a facemask to protect them from spreading or contracting the virus.
“I wasn’t about to just stay home and feel sorry for myself,” Sinoway said. “I decided to get the team together and find a creative way for us to be a part of the solution for this whole epidemic.”
Sinoway said several weeks ago, she and the team advertised creative masks and got an influx of responses from clientele asking for their own. Pair those inquiries with two “massive rolls” of white and dark denim, Sinoway said, and they had their product.
“We knew the [N-95] face masks have been in high demand throughout Long Island and the entire world, so we figured if we could alleviate just a little of that demand it would be helpful to someone,” Sinoway said.
Sinoway, who touted the work of healthcare officials and hospital employees, said she is selling the masks for $10 while practicing social distancing in running her business.
“We know those employees need it so much more, so we are trying to help everyone stay safe,” she said. “When our team is making the masks, we’re doing it safely, and we are distributing the finished product safely by wrapping it up several times and wearing gloves.”
Sinoway said she is also imploring her customers to practice social distancing by limiting to 10 per hour the number of people permitted to come and collect their masks.
Additionally, she said, customers are encouraged to donate a few extra dollars to help some of the senior citizens in the area obtain masks and other resources to remain safe and healthy.
Sinoway said she encourages residents to aid in the recovery of everyone’s “main streets” throughout Long Island and the nation when shelter-in-place restrictions are reduced and the virus is better maintained.
“I think this is going to affect local businesses in the long-term more than people may realize right now,” she said. “Amazon is great, but especially now, these businesses need their customers to help them through these trying times.”
For those who are interested in obtaining a mask, Sinoway said, the business is taking requests strictly through email at nancysinoway@gmail.com.
