Paris Street Market in Sayville is a Parisian-style store with a taste of Italy

Gale Scaglia has reinvented her career several times; she worked at Capitol and Epic Records and then juggled a job at Long Island Rail Road while owning her own boutique, Paris Street Market, before retiring at 58 to become a full-time grandmother. 

But just four years after closing her boutique, the Sayville resident decided to get back into business, this time pursuing her passion for home décor, antiques and European shops.

At 62, she reopened the market, a Parisian-style store with a taste of Italy.

Scaglia, who has two children and two grandchildren, started the business in 2014 and it was operated by family members when Scaglia was at her railroad job, then she closed the original shop three years later to fully settle into her grandmother role.

“I wanted to start a new chapter of my life,” Scaglia, now 65, says of restarting her business. The new Paris Street Market is located just steps away from her first store on South Main Street in Sayville. “A friend’s death at 47 from breast cancer reminded me life is short so we should live it.” She adds, “Owning a little shop of my own had always been a dream of mine. I started going antiquing at a young age and collected antiques for 35 years, and I wanted to bring a European feel to my shop.”

Scaglia’s grandmother was born in Paris, France, and her grandfather was born in Luca, Italy, so Scaglia made trips during the years to both countries and she fell in love with the stores, the shopkeepers and what they sold.

“I was very inspired by small shops in Italy where the shopkeepers were friendly — they’d offered me biscotti — so I have biscotti in my store,” Scaglia says. She adds, “I wanted books and fresh flowers like you’d find at a Paris street market and I’ve always loved antiques because of the stories behind them.”

Scaglia loves decorating a space so much that she even found a way to do that while with the LIRR. She began working there in 1987, finding it a “good-paying job.” Though her time there involved mostly payroll and purchasing duties, she updated and redecorated the train crews’ yard offices in Babylon, Ronkonkoma and Jamaica Station. “These rooms were where the train crews waited between trains, rested and took breaks,” Scaglia notes.

At Paris Street Market, there’s a little bit of everything for a home and more. Visitors are greeted at the door by the aroma of French soaps, lavender and scented candles. Inside, they’ll find for sale chandeliers, distressed and new furniture, linens, ornate mirrors, vintage glassware, wine and cheese accessories and cookbooks. Also sold are things such as handbags, scarves, teas, cookies, and Eiffel Tower-shaped pasta.

“I hunt for treasures at auctions and antique stores and I meet new people every day — some have become my friends,” Scaglia says. "Life is good now."
Paris Street Market is located at 52 South Main St. in Sayville. The shop is open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; 631-820-0003, parisstreetmarket.shop.