The hamlet of Oyster Bay is really coming together. Stores are filling up and while there is a lack of retail, since many of us today have new buying patterns such as malls, online shopping, catalogs, the hamlet appears to becoming a service-oriented cultural center.
You can go there to find hardware; exercise, have your nails done; dine out; dance; do yoga; look at art; take art classes; buy art; enjoy ice cream; buy furniture that is being “recycled”; have furniture repaired; buy gifts; buy plants; buy designer skate boards; “Oyster Bay” merchandise; travel tickets; repair your motorcycle; store your boat; boating supplies; buy garden furniture; visit health professionals; rehabilitate; visit town hall services; post office services; buy household products; chocolate; caregiver services; senior care; child care; religious services in churches and synagogue; bicycles; take out food; food markets; catering; travel arrangements; pet care; fire services; ambulance services; schools providing educational services; boats; fishing; financial services; banking services; hear great concerts; buy music…
Added to those, there are numerous service organizations that allow people to help others and make themselves feel good as a result.
This season, Oyster Bay looks especially lovely. The snowflakes light up the night; there are banners and wreaths on the poles; stores are being decorated. Last Sunday the tree at the Derby-Hall Bandstand was turned on through the efforts of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce, the Oyster Bay Civic Association and the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum.
Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce President Alex Gallego put it all together saying what is really great about Oyster Bay today is the synergy between all the groups. “This is the worst economy since the Great Depression – as a background – and this is what happens when all of the organizations work together. The health of the hamlet is a result of the chamber working cooperatively with the Oyster Bay Civic Association and the Main Street Association. This is what can happen and a lot of great things are happening. But we have to remember, we can always do better. We never arrive. It is a journey.”
Mr. Gallego added that he spoke to Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto on Sunday and they are meeting in January to discuss the hamlet and have a general conversation about things – “Like a report card time,” he said to see where the hamlet is now and where it needs help – how government can partner with the hamlet.
“More than that, we have a day-to-day cultural experience here with the art galleries, art studios, Raynham Hall Museum, the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum, Sagamore Hill, Planting Fields, the Earle Wightman House – they all make this a very stimulating hamlet.
“We may not always agree on something but that is important. When all agree, one is useless. The discussion is how we get to a solution. It’s how you solve a problem. You get all the data and follow the steps to the answers, not just yessing each other,” he said.
Free communication of ideas makes for a great outcome of results.
