Holiday Shopping Guide: Glen Head teems with spirit

The North Shore hamlet of Glen Head welcomes the holidays with twinkling white lights and garlands draping downtown street poles, along with trendy gifts and home décor at shops and a tree-lighting ceremony that’s a decades-old tradition.

Three hundred spectators are expected at the 40th annual tree lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the Long Island Rail Road station, where a 25-foot Norway spruce will be decked out with a thousand multicolored LEDs.

“Santa arrives by fire truck and gives candy canes to the kids, and we serve hot cocoa,” said real estate broker Joseph Lovaglio, president of Glen Head Rotary, the event sponsor. The North Shore High School band provides entertainment, and canned goods will be collected for the parish outreach of St. Boniface Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Sea Cliff, Lovaglio said.

On Small Business Saturday, gifts, personalized service and discounts will be a part of the shopping experience on downtown Glen Cove Avenue and Glen Head Road.

Among the holiday premiums are free tote bags and skin care samples at Glen Head Pharmacy & Gift Shop (699 Glen Cove Ave., 516-676-1004), a shop founded nearly a century ago, said Cathy Gungor, the shop’s buyer.

“They have unique gifts that I couldn’t find anywhere else, such as socks with funny pizza designs,” said the Rev. Vicky L. Eastland, 55, of Sea Cliff, pastor of Brookville Reformed Church in Glen Head.

Glen Head Pharmacy & Gift Shop’s grab-and-go items include cookbooks, picture frames, board games, baby clothing, specialty tea collections and home décor.

“We have a whole line of Thymes Frasier Fir candles and diffusers, and Mud Pie holiday platters,” well-known brands that have a following, Gungor said. Hanukkah items include dreidels and menorah-shaped cookies, ritual menorahs, candles and chocolate gelt.

If homemade items are more your style, look for gift baskets, clothing and home-baked goods on sale at a Christmas Boutique at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church (16 Glenwood Rd., 516-676-4540,
oursaviorglen head.com). The sale takes place in the basement from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 3.

Eastland’s church, which is on Brookville Multifaith Campus (2 Brookville Rd., 516-626-0414, brookvillemulti faithcampus.org), enhances holiday spirit with a children’s Christmas and Hanukkah party. The event is open to all and features cookie decorating, dreidel play, letter writing to Santa and potato latke snacks in the church fellowship hall from 11 a.m. to noon on Dec 18.

Such holiday traditions give Glen Head “a strong sense of community,” said Karli Langone, 26, of Roslyn, whose mother grew up locally. “It’s a community where you can support local businesses while getting into the holiday spirit,” added Langone, who hopes to open K.J.s Corner, a Glen Cove Avenue variety store selling gifts and decorations, in time for the holiday season.

Glen Head is also home to B2Bespoke Custom Clothier (49 Glen Head Rd., 516-674-4400, b2bespokeny.com). The snazzy store harks back to a bygone era of luxury men’s shops. Suits, shirts, pants and such accessories as socks, ties and cuff links are neatly (almost lovingly) displayed in a showroom, where customers can stretch out on a leather sofa while they’re being helped.

“We want people to feel comfortable. That’s why we greet customers European-style and offer them an espresso,” said Mark J. Macaluso, co-owner with master tailor Robert Bartol.

“I had a dark-blue wedding suit made here the first time I came in,” said Robert Gecewicz, 60, a mechanic from Copiague who stopped by on a recent day. “It fit like a glove.”

Macaluso said that new merchandise will be discounted by 10% on Small Business Saturday.

Friendly customer service is also on display at Fine Wine & Spirits (671 Glen Cove Ave., No. 1, 516-277-2868, finewineglen head.com), a family liquor store where bottles of wine, whiskey and other spirits line the shelves in a wood-paneled interior.

Bobby Ostrozubi, who bought the store three years ago, said, “I’ve upgraded with a selection of fine wine.” Crystal wine decanters can be paired in a gift basket with a Jeroboam (3-liter bottle) of Coppola wine. For New Year’s Eve, there’s a magnum (1.5 liters) of Veuve Clicquot Champagne.

And there’s more:

Glen Head Flower Shop (719 Glen Cove Ave., 516-671-2345, ghfs.com). “A lot of people come here for our high-end, beautiful designs, our floral arrangements and our creativity, ” said shop owner Alayna Kanata. There’s also a holiday shop brimming with silk flowers, artificial trees and designer ornaments. “We’ll have poinsettias for the holidays,” she added.

Glen Head Hardware (21 Glen Head Rd., 516-676-1886). This neighborhood fixture recently added a room for holiday merchandise, including nutcracker wooden soldiers, artificial flickering candles and Christmas village mantel sets.

Worth Repeating (8 Railroad Ave., 516-759-5726, worth
repeatinggh.com). This boutique consignment shop sells designer clothing and accessories — and has a $5 rack, said owner Betsy Gibbs. On Small Business Saturday, Gibbs fills a bowl with free raffle tickets for discounts and prizes.