Female entrepreneurs lead the way on this stretch of Sea Cliff
Kathleen DiResta, of K. DiResta Collective in Sea Cliff, is one of about 20 female business owners on a stretch of Sea Cliff Avenue in Sea Cliff. Credit: Danielle Silverman
When Graciela Bustos opened Salon Solis on Sea Cliff Avenue in Sea Cliff in 2012, there weren't many other shops nearby and certainly not the array of female entrepreneurs who own businesses there now.
The salon is among about 20 women-owned businesses whose awnings began lining the avenue after Bustos and handmade jewelry store owner Kathleen DiResta started the trend more than a decade ago.
Bustos, 50, came to the United States from Argentina in 2000, working as a house cleaner and at different salons — never quite finding her vocation before diving into business ownership.
“If you asked me 24 years ago when I came to this country if I would be a business owner, I would be like, ‘No,' ” she said.
But Bustos said she was able to lean on other women as years passed and as the avenue transitioned from one lined primarily with office buildings to the mostly girls club it is today. The female business owners said together they have faced the adversity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the struggles of fulfilling late-night orders for customers and surviving a business environment threatened by inflation.
DiResta, 52, owner of K. DiResta Collective on the other end of the two-block stretch of stores, said there wasn’t a guarantee a business like hers could survive in such a neighborhood, but she wanted to give it a try because Sea Cliff is her hometown.
“It was more because I love Sea Cliff and I live close that I was excited to open a space in town,” DiResta said.
The store owners said an air of camaraderie pervades the avenue. DiResta said owners commonly recommend customers to other shops and she believes “that if you lift each other up, you lift yourself up.”
The Gold Coast Business Association, which advocates for businesses in Glen Head, Glenwood Landing, Sea Cliff, Old Brookville, Glen Cove, Greenvale, Locust Valley and Roslyn, is part of that network of support.
Kim Alfarone, the association's vice president, said the cluster of women-owned businesses along Sea Cliff's main thoroughfare is a testament to the entrepreneurs' abilities to create a community and overcome the challenges of running a small business.
“Women have a creative side, we're multi-taskers, we are flexible,” said Alfarone, 57, who owns a business elsewhere in the village. “And I feel like women, in Sea Cliff, too — there's an importance of maintaining a community vibe.”
For Dana Baron, who owns Baron Floral Designs on Roslyn Avenue, which intersects with Sea Cliff Avenue, the durability of the female-owned businesses in the area is an example for the next generation.
“It’s really nice for these young women, and young men, too, to be able to see all these successful businesses that are small,” said Baron, 53. “You can set your own hours, you can make money. It’s not just a hobby.”
When Graciela Bustos opened Salon Solis on Sea Cliff Avenue in Sea Cliff in 2012, there weren't many other shops nearby and certainly not the array of female entrepreneurs who own businesses there now.
The salon is among about 20 women-owned businesses whose awnings began lining the avenue after Bustos and handmade jewelry store owner Kathleen DiResta started the trend more than a decade ago.
Bustos, 50, came to the United States from Argentina in 2000, working as a house cleaner and at different salons — never quite finding her vocation before diving into business ownership.
“If you asked me 24 years ago when I came to this country if I would be a business owner, I would be like, ‘No,' ” she said.
These ladies mean business
- There are about 20 women-owned businesses on Sea Cliff Avenue in Sea Cliff.
- The stretch used to be lined by mostly offices.
- The entrepreneurs said they provide a network of support for each other.
But Bustos said she was able to lean on other women as years passed and as the avenue transitioned from one lined primarily with office buildings to the mostly girls club it is today. The female business owners said together they have faced the adversity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the struggles of fulfilling late-night orders for customers and surviving a business environment threatened by inflation.
DiResta, 52, owner of K. DiResta Collective on the other end of the two-block stretch of stores, said there wasn’t a guarantee a business like hers could survive in such a neighborhood, but she wanted to give it a try because Sea Cliff is her hometown.
“It was more because I love Sea Cliff and I live close that I was excited to open a space in town,” DiResta said.
The store owners said an air of camaraderie pervades the avenue. DiResta said owners commonly recommend customers to other shops and she believes “that if you lift each other up, you lift yourself up.”
The Gold Coast Business Association, which advocates for businesses in Glen Head, Glenwood Landing, Sea Cliff, Old Brookville, Glen Cove, Greenvale, Locust Valley and Roslyn, is part of that network of support.
Kim Alfarone, the association's vice president, said the cluster of women-owned businesses along Sea Cliff's main thoroughfare is a testament to the entrepreneurs' abilities to create a community and overcome the challenges of running a small business.
“Women have a creative side, we're multi-taskers, we are flexible,” said Alfarone, 57, who owns a business elsewhere in the village. “And I feel like women, in Sea Cliff, too — there's an importance of maintaining a community vibe.”
For Dana Baron, who owns Baron Floral Designs on Roslyn Avenue, which intersects with Sea Cliff Avenue, the durability of the female-owned businesses in the area is an example for the next generation.
“It’s really nice for these young women, and young men, too, to be able to see all these successful businesses that are small,” said Baron, 53. “You can set your own hours, you can make money. It’s not just a hobby.”
Joseph Ostapiuk covers the Town of Oyster Bay and the City of Glen Cove. He joined Newsday in 2023 after spending more than six years at the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com.
