
Closures associated with COVID-19 are threatening the health of Long Island’s many downtowns and the livelihoods of those who own businesses and employ workers there.
The renaissance of once-dormant downtowns has become increasingly important to municipalities that want to attract millennials, young families and retirees to areas with a transportation hub, retail and entertainment options and a vibrant nightlife. Though shopkeepers and restaurateurs express an almost paradoxical optimism that their businesses will survive, the virus is challenging the ability of once-vibrant areas to spring back to life after the pandemic retreats and will make it harder for those languishing or in the midst of revitalization efforts to move forward.
“It’s surreal,” said Joey Vetrano, who works in management at Spaghettini Pizza Trattoria and Burrito Blvd, both in Mineola. “Besides your business you have your family to worry about. I mean, you’re getting ready for your busy season and then you realize some businesses are in jeopardy of not coming back. It’s stressful.”
Here is what business owners, local leaders and chamber of commerce officials told Newsday about their fight to survive COVID-19:
HUNTINGTON: ‘Time and the math catches up with everybody’

With most of its businesses closed because of the coronavirus, Main Street in downtown Huntington is much emptier than normal. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
“Prior to the onset of the pandemic, Huntington was a very busy town where many, many cars, many, many people were walking the village and the restaurants were mostly packed with business,” said Brian J. Yudewitz, an attorney and chairman of the board of the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce. “And now it’s a ghost town. It’s very sad to drive through and see the stark difference.”
Huntington’s vibrant and walkable downtown is a mix of restaurants, culture and The Paramount theater, which has been repeatedly named among the top club venues in the country. A recent boom in apartment buildings has also contributed to an increased urban feel in the downtown, though its popularity has resulted in a shortage of parking.
Yudewitz said most businesses are applying for government assistance and seeking landlord relief.
“As a general trend we are seeing that most businesses are unsure of what will happen next, yet hopeful they will continue,” he said.
Yudewitz said he believes the downtown will recover, especially restaurants.
“It may take a little time, but things will recover,” he said. “But as far as retail is concerned I’m not sure how it will do.”
Main Street Board Game Café
EMPLOYEES: 13
LAYOFFS: 13
REVENUE: Down 75%
Neil Goldberg opened Main Street Board Game Café about a year ago. The business allows customers to come and play games, eat and purchase board games. He said customers have been very supportive during the shutdown and that he is offering delivery of board games. Still, Goldberg said he fears his business might not survive the pandemic if he can’t reopen by the end of June.
“Time and the math catches up with everybody eventually, and for any business that is closed in any form — some are closed 100%, we’re chugging along at 25% capacity of what we could do if we were open — eventually everyone runs out of time,” Goldberg said.
The decision to lay off 13 employees was the worst thing Goldberg said he’d ever done.
“I’d grown really close with the staff and counted several among my best friends,” he said. “All of them understood, which was really heartening. I made sure to call each person individually to deliver the news, which I hope made a difference. I miss them.”
Goldberg said that with just 12 hours to spare he was able to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan and get money in the first round.
He said he plans to make adjustments, including having an online ordering system and reconsidering his business model.
“This is a second career for me after almost 20 years of doing something else,” Goldberg said. “I put everything I had into this: personally, emotionally, financially … I don’t know what I’ll do if the closure drags on into the fall.”
MINEOLA: ‘We did keep a few employees’

Mineola Mayor Scott P. Strauss said he is worried that some customers may not return to businesses on Main Street and elsewhere in the village once stay-at-home orders and restrictions on businesses are lifted. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Mineola is the seat of Nassau County government. Its village houses professional offices, shops, services, restaurants and houses of worship along major thoroughfares such as Old Country Road, Jericho Turnpike, Roslyn Road and Mineola Boulevard. Mayor Scott P. Strauss said the village is being revitalized and is known for restaurants and its transit-oriented focus.
Though he said he believes “our downtown businesses will survive as long as we, as a community, help them succeed,” he did concede some worry that customers will not return.
“I am concerned that people who have always supported our local businesses in all areas of Mineola have now been shopping online and will continue that once the ‘pause’ is lifted,” Strauss said.
Spaghettini Pizza Trattoria, Burrito Blvd
EMPLOYEES: 21
LAYOFFS: 12
REVENUE: Down 65% at Spaghettini; $0 at Burrito Blvd
Joey Vetrano, who works in management at both eateries, said there is no foot traffic in the area, so they closed Burrito Blvd — which also has a Queens location in Middle Village — while keeping the Italian restaurant open for takeout and delivery, especially for nearby NYU Winthrop Hospital. He said he is not sure the businesses will survive this pandemic. Revenue is down 50% at the Burrito Blvd in Queens, and seven of the 15 employees have been laid off.
“Right now we’re operating, but we can’t afford to pay the rents or anything like that; we did keep a few employees,” Vetrano said.
He said the whole experience has been mentally draining and that he thinks it will take time once the restaurants reopen for people to feel comfortable coming in to eat over concerns about food handling and maintaining social distancing.
“But if this is how it will be when the businesses reopen, and people are still afraid to come out, it’s going to be difficult to pay rents, utilities and employees,” Vetrano said.
Robert’s Mens and Boys Wear
EMPLOYEES: 1
LAYOFFS: None
REVENUE: $0
Cathy Whitley, owner of Robert’s Mens and Boys Wear, which has been in business for more than 65 years and completed a renovation earlier this year, said she is confident her business will survive, despite not having an online presence. She owns her building so she does not have landlord concerns and is the sole employee of her business.
“I’ve always been careful with my overhead and saving for a rainy day,” she said.
Whitley said she’s confident that with the support of the chamber of commerce and the loyalty of customers that things will eventually get back to normal.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” she said. “In our village we are a tightknit group that supports each other. I think we’ll come back even stronger.”
BABYLON VILLAGE: ‘They need cash flow’

A customer leaves with his takeout order from Del Fuego restaurant on Deer Park Avenue in Babylon Village. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Babylon Village Trustee Mary Adams said the village is known as a family-oriented, waterfront and boating community, as well as a community of tradition and history. There are old-fashioned Victorian-style lampposts lining the two main thoroughfares, with the centerpiece of the village being Argyle Lake. Adams cites the village’s downtown walkability and bikeability as one of its greatest assets.
“For businesses to survive and thrive, they need a cash flow,” Adams said. “Another great value in Babylon Village is our sense of ‘community,’ and the outpouring of support from our village residents to our downtown merchants is outstanding. However, as we all know, expenses can be high. Many of our merchants have already taken advantage of the benefits offered to small business and have applied through the [federal] CARES Act. Hopefully, the funding will move swiftly to support our businesses and merchants.”
Positions Dance Studio
EMPLOYEES: 11
LAYOFFS: 2
REVENUE: Down about 30%
Kelly Peckholdt, owner/director of Positions Dance Studio, said the greatest challenge for businesses is the unknown.
“I certainly have plenty of fears about how my business will survive, but right now running online dance classes is providing some income for us,” said Peckholdt, who is also president of the Babylon Village Chamber of Commerce. “I am hoping that the small-business loans come through for us. I think we will be OK as long as we can finish out our season and hold a recital, even if the recital has to be postponed. I think many studios will suffer if they are forced to cancel their recitals.”
Peckholdt said she has an office manager and a receptionist who aren’t working at all, but her teachers are running online classes on a reduced, modified schedule.
“It’s an is-what-it-is situation,” she said. “I’m not sure how long we can survive running programs online.”
Peckholdt said she applied for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and the Paycheck Protection Program but did not get funding from the first round.
“Businesses are desperate to know where their income is going to come from and how they are going to cover their bills,” Peckholdt said.
Despite the challenges and uncertainty that have come with the pandemic, Peckholdt said she is hopeful.
“I’m grateful to be healthy and be able to continue doing what I love every day,” she said. “I miss friends and family. I am trying to stay positive, but I am ready to interact with humans face-to-face again.”