Locals searching for fashionable women’s shoes, handbags, belts, scarves and other accessories now have a place to shop close to home, without having to travel to the malls. TessaReed opened last week at 23 Forest Ave. in Locust Valley, owned by two Glen Cove women.
“We have both always loved fashion, and Locust Valley is the perfect place for this type of boutique,” said co-owner Jessica Granger. “When this space became available, we went for it.”
Granger, 21, a graduate of Friends Academy, and Lyndsey Gorham, a Glen Cove High School graduate, took over the space in December and opened on Saturday, March 7. Due to a combination of the harsh winter weather and a strike in California that caused a merchandise delay, the store opening was later than originally planned, according to Granger. And even at the store opening, some of the products were still in transit, though there were enough styles and brands to make the space feel an upscale SoHo boutique.
Gorham said they chose the brands based on what a lot of the surrounding shops sell, providing an opportunity for shoppers to complete their wardrobes and complement their looks without having to travel far.
“This town is filled with boutiques, but was lacking a place to purchase shoes,” Gorham said. “So there’s a market already.”
In addition to that smart move of tapping into an existent market, the women said they only had to make some cosmetic changes to the space to make it ready for business, as it occupies what used to be the second half of Images and Details home store, which has since condensed its size.
While Gorham, a 2005 Towson University graduate who has a 2-year-old daughter, will continue to work in finance, Granger will oversee the daily operations of the store while also attending Hofstra University, where she is majoring in public relations.
TessaReed offers brands such as Andre Assous, Kate Spade, Tkees, Joie, Eugenia Kim, Bernardo, GiGi New York, Pour La Victoire and more, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.tessareed.com or call 516-801-3559.
