It was a sad commentary on the state of doing business in Great Neck Plaza when Jildor Shoes closed its doors in August after almost 60 years; for me, it was the end of a sentimental journey.
I grew up in the five towns area of the south shore of Long Island. I bought my high school prom shoes, my college graduation shoes, even my wedding shoes at the original Jildor in Cedarhurst. It was the “go to” shoe store for every occasion!
When I moved to Great Neck in 1965, I was so happy to find “my” Jildor on Middle Neck Road, where I remained a customer until about 20 years ago, when shopping in the Village of Great Neck Plaza started to become a burden instead of a joy.
Now I can’t drive on Middle Neck Road because of all the double parked cars; I can’t park, even if I’m bold enough to try to navigate the congestion on the road; and I certainly won’t walk in the village because of the aggressive drivers who regularly mow down pedestrians trying to cross the street (including my husband, who thankfully was strong enough to survive).
Interestingly, Jean Celender’s election as mayor of Great Neck Plaza coincides with the time frame in which I began to stop driving, walking, shopping and eating in the village.
During that time, she has failed to manage the double parked cars, the aggressive drivers, and most definitely the unavailability of parking; what she HAS done is double the cost of parking meters in the village — a turn-off to many would-be shoppers at the expense of the merchants.
Janelle Claussen stated the following in her front page story in the Sept. 28th Great Neck News: “The closing of [Jildor’s] Great Neck location reflects an ongoing trend of business closing in the Plaza…”.
Celender’s response, as printed in the article, stated that it “might have to do with the high cost of doing business, particularly from higher monthly rents and rising costs of doing business” — a statement which she followed with a list of the new stores that “could enhance the village’s offerings.”
Unfortunately, most of the new businesses that opened in the Plaza in the past few years are already gone; and Celender’s “bury-her-head-myopia” at her lack of oversight in this village only allows the trend of Great Neck Plaza becoming a ghost town to continue.
As for the loss of Jildor from Great Neck, I’m happy to note that their Wheatley Plaza store in Greenvale is alive and well, just a short drive from Great Neck; and parking is plentiful and easy.
See you there!
Muriel Pfeifer
Village of Neck Plaza
(We want our “Great” back!)
