In a town anchored by techno-giant IBM Corp., you could say that the opposite extreme ”“ the mom-and-pop shop ”“ is what”™s fueling the hyper-local economy.
Just ask Neal Schwartz.
By day he runs Tutoring Club on Armonk”™s Main Street strip, a stone”™s throw away from David Chen”™s Chinese restaurant where he breaks for lunch and to learn about changes in employment law from the day”™s speaker, Marc Sheridan of Markus and Sheridan L.L.P.
“Everybody”™s volunteering,” said the president of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce. “It”™s a very hard thing to do. Everyone who”™s here has their own business to run. It”™s not a large chamber. We don”™t have a paid staff yet where that”™s their only job.”
Christopher Carthy, for instance, runs Pools of Perfection on Main Street and actively participates in the chamber after time spent running for town supervisor of North Castle.
“We”™re doing a great number of things here to revitalize the chamber,” he said. “Right now, we”™re reinventing the electronic portal to Armonk ”¦ to make it more usable and manageable and to offer a higher level of service to our members.”
The Armonk Chamber of Commerce website lists 100 member businesses, but Schwartz said the climate of merge-and-consolidate is a feasible route for most any organization. So supporting his members is critical.
“You don”™t want to be redundant,” he said. “Some of the chambers are very strong, very established and they deliver for their community. Some day we may join one of those chambers ”¦ if we can help each other”™s business, that”™s what it”™s about.”
Action in the outlying areas
If you drive along the central corridor in the picturesque hamlet in the town of North Castle, you are not inundated by “For Lease” signs.
“We could actually use more space (downtown),” said Michael Levy, principal broker and owner of Grand Lux Realty, who just made the move from Mount Kisco to Armonk”™s Main Street. “And everybody is just waiting for Armonk Square to get developed. It will be a beautiful walking area, a walking mall ”¦ which would be nice for this town.”
The 50,000-square-foot mixed-use commercial development, combining residential and retail space, has received final approval from the town. “We are looking to possibly begin installing the infrastructure sometime in the latter part of 2011,” developer Dominick Dioguardi said.
The cost of the project was not disclosed.
Outlying areas of Armonk have seen tenant growth as well.
Amkai Solutions, a software provider for surgical centers and hospitals, received a New York state Excelsior program incentive to relocate its headquarters from Waterbury, Conn., to 200 Business Park Drive. At nearby 130 Business Park Drive, Xtra Effort Performance Training Facility ”“ a baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer indoor training facility ”“ leased 16,000 square feet of space.
Strong business climate
Construction company C.W. Brown Inc. relocated its offices from Thornwood to 1 Labriola Court in Armonk after acquiring a 43,000-square-foot flex building in 2009. The building recently received U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum certification for extensive sustainable construction.
“I would say the (business) climate is very strong,” Levy said.
He and his wife, Jodi Levy, have lived in Armonk for 13 years and say that eateries Restaurant North and Moderne Barn have grown so profusely that you “now need reservations for lunch.”
About two years ago, the couple eyed their 428 N. Main St. storefront but the price was a deterrent.
When the landlord “combined the space and lowered the price to the point where it was a good situation for us, it was a no-brainer,” he said.
Grand Lux Realty has 55 agents and Michael Levy would like to double the number by the end of the year.
“We”™re excited about our move here ”“ they”™re getting ready to renovate the exterior of the building,” he said. “Our location is fabulous now.”
