Donations Help Save LI Toy Store In Danger Of Closing
PORT JEFFERSON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - A small business about to close its doors on Long Island has been saved after the community came together and raised money.
As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, Lainie's Way toy store in Port Jefferson has been in business for nearly 11 years. They sell educational games and art projects that are hard to find in big box stores.
Donations Help Save LI Toy Store In Danger Of Closing
But business was down after flooding from superstorm Sandy, a burst pipe and the brutal winter weather.
Owner Lainie Litovsky said she was about to close until the customers and the community came together and raised $91,000 on a fundraising website to get the store out of debt.
"I'm incredibly grateful, I feel incredibly fortunate. I think it speaks volumes about what people think about small businesses and how important it is for the community to try as hard as they can to keep the money that they spend in their community," she told Hall. "Online sales have been part of what has hurt us. But thing that they don't have that we have is the experience. Customers get to touch, they get to feel, they get to learn, they get to make choices and decide."
The campaign to raise funds began earlier this year.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
