New Cassel certainly has a “worthy” new addition to its business community.
Worthy LUX, a lavish, high-fashion boutique featuring upscale clothing, sneakers and accessories with a sensibility reflecting the trendiest areas of Los Angeles or Manhattan, recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony at their 735 Prospect Ave. location. The store serves as a companion store to Worthy Lifestyle, a general sneaker and athletic apparel store right down the road that first opened in 2010.
Owner Manny Singh of East Meadow has been in the sneaker game for a very long time. Before opening the original Worthy down the street at 821 Prospect Ave. in 2010, he owned another sneaker store in Brooklyn for 25 years. However, he said that it was time to expand his business model, hence the move into the world of hip, high-end fashion with Worthy LUX.
“This will be a trendy, upscale boutique…I’ve always wanted to open a big store for a long time, and this was finally my chance,” he said. “Here, we sell unique, limited-edition sneakers and fashions, all in a beautiful showroom…I am very excited about this.”
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth, who was present at the ribbon-cutting with a host of other local dignitaries, expressed excitement at the newest addition to New Cassel’s growing retail landscape.
“It’s so special to be here in New Cassel for this very special ribbon-cutting of our newest store, Worthy LUX…and worthy it is,” she said. “We congratulate Manny and his family…you could have chosen a location in Queens or Hicksville, but you chose New Cassel and we appreciate your confidence, commitment and investment in this beautiful community.”
However, the most eye-catching aspect of Worthy LUX isn’t the fancy threads hanging on their racks; instead, it’s the enormous golden throne situated dead-center in the middle of the store, which Singh said goes along with the statement of luxury and majesty that he wishes his establishment to convey.
“I had the throne custom-made and flown over from India, painted with 24-karat gold, so when people come in, they can feel like a king,” Singh said. “People can sit in the throne and take pictures and post them on social media…it’s a lot of fun for customers, and we invite everyone to come and see.”
Ahmad Quazi is a partner in the new venture, as well as having had a large hand in the design, layout and construction of the store. After seeing the glitz emanating from every corner of Worthy LUX, the result of his work could certainly be summed up with one very appropriate word—grandiose.
“We wanted our customers to have a ‘worthy’ experience…we wanted it to look like a palace,“ he said. “That’s why we put in a throne, and even the floors are an epoxy resin, giving it an almost marble-like feel. We topped it off by using a lot of bright colors and chandeliers to give that feel of royalty. We offer a very select range of merchandise, and while they’re more expensive, people will want to come because of the quality.”
David Richardson, Worthy LUX’s manager and buyer, is the driving force behind the cutting-edge fashion selection that the store presents to the public.
“A lot of the brands that you see aren’t really found in the suburbs of Long Island…a lot of these trends are found in Manhattan,” Richardson said. “What we want to do is bridge the gap between the city trends and bring them to the suburbs. So, instead of traveling 45 minutes to the city, Long Island kids inspired by those fashions can come here.”
