Over the summer, more than 100 loyal customers from all across Long Island and beyond, lined up outside the Center Lane Stationary store in Levittown to surprise one of their favorite local business owners, Avi Ghandi. Operating the Center Lane stationary store for the past 10 years, Ghandi has left a memorable impression on many of the residents of the Levittown community and beyond, with his smiling demeanor and never-ending supply of stories.
So, to show Ghandi just how much he means to the Levittown community, former Long Islanders Celeste Hamilton-Dennis and her husband Craig orchestrated a “cash” mob to try and help clear out his inventory and help send Ghandi out in style before Center Lane Stationary shutters its doors.
“He is well loved in the community because he treats everyone as more than a customer,” Hamilton-Dennis said, back in June.
Although Hamilton-Dennis and her husband no longer live on Long Island, they flew in from Portland, OR to surprise their old friend Ghandi by rounding up some of his usual clientele. Using social media and placing an item in the Levittown Tribune’s community calendar, The duo made sure to keep Ghandi unaware of their plans.
On June 21, as dozens of residents amassed at the playground across the street, Hamilton-Dennis told Ghandi that her friend Liz Morrison would be filming the Center Lane Stationary store for a book she was working on. Little did Ghandi know, what they were really shooting was a documentary about the “cash” mob, his store and the people of Levittown who have supported him through the years.
As the day went on, more and more people came swarming into his shop, and Ghandi became overwhelmed. After about an hour of conversation with his favorite customers, Hamilton-Dennis finally brought him outside for the big reveal.
When asked if he ever suspected what was going on, he replied, “not in the slightest.”
“Pray for me that I get a brand new lease, so I can continue to serve all you lovely people,” Ghandi said, tears still dribbling down his face. “This is a beautiful, beautiful town. This is such a blessing that you all help me so very much. Thank you.”
Now, almost four months since giving Ghandi the surprise of his life, Hamilton-Dennis said she just showed Ghandi and his wife Bharati the final cut of the film, and it brought back all the emotion from that day.
“It’s like a small poem. It brought tears to my eyes,” Ghandi said. “I was unable to breathe.”
Hoping that the “cash” mob would give Ghandi both a new lease on life and a new lease on his Center Lane storefront, Hamilton-Dennis said that Ghandi is still struggling to keep his place in Levittown. “This week, he’ll be sending a letter to his landlord to see if he can cut a deal on cheaper rent,” Hamilton-Dennis said via a recent web update. “If not, he’ll likely be out by December’s end.”
While she said Ghandi is not hopeful the plea will work, he’s welcome to changing his stressful work week to spending more time with his wife.
“That was a miracle in my life,” Ghandi said, still emotional about the surprising event. “I tell you, I never dreamed I’d be a situation like that. I can die happily now.”
Make sure to check out Cash Mob For Avi when it hits the big screen, on Nov. 6 as part of the Big Apple Film Festival at Tribeca Cinemas in New York City.
