Legislator Rose Marie Walker and New York state officials recently joined Farmingdale Village to celebrate Fancy FREE Gift Shop and Artisan Center’s grand reopening with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Fancy FREE Gift Shop is organized and operated by Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE), a nonprofit agency that supports over 3,000 individuals with autism
and other special needs.
Products available at the gift shop are made and sold by those with disabilities, with the crafting instruction by many local artisans and businesses.
The boutique is a fully functional gift shop that has a great selection of gifts for men, women, children and pets that are created to order for many special occasions. Visitors to the store can find one-of-a-kind trinkets and gifts for any occasion, including hand-painted stemware, dog toys, jewelry, handbags, fine art paintings and prints, boutique type items and more.
During event nights, live singers, yoga and other activities take place. In February, Jessica Carvo performed in the boutique, and the store had a sale with items 20 percent off.
“We’re very excited with the new and improved look of Fancy FREE Gift Boutique. With its warm, welcoming environment, it is now a place to enjoy a unique shopping experience… This new look and vision of the store really complements the beautiful, bustling downtown of Farmingdale Village,” said Lori Ruopoli, Fancy FREE Store Manager. “Farmingdale and its
Dalers are a tight knit community that supports one another, and we’re happy to be a part of it. We want to be contributing members of this great community and would love for
Dalers to come down for any of their shopping needs, event nights or just to browse around and say hi.”
Fancy FREE Gift Boutique has a Day Habilitation program behind it. The program is a community-based program where staff work with individuals to help them achieve many goals.
Obtaining gainful employment is a common goal the participants share as they would like to work and be contributing members of their community. Currently, two women who attend the program are now employed and each works one day a week in the store.
Fancy FREE is an affirmative business of FREE. FREE founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Old Bethpage. It is the mission of FREE to help individuals of all abilities realize their full potential. The organization provides a diverse array of supports and services including: housing, recovery services, transition to work, employment, day, community and family services, respite, crisis services, education and after-school support, primary and specialty health care and advocacy.
The Fancy FREE Gift Boutique Hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call the store at 516-293-2050.
To stay informed about evening events, visit the boutique’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fancyfreegiftshop.
