Long Island Stew

This is the first time I’ve been excited about a retail announcement in a long time!

Stew Leonard’s, the iconic “Disneyland of Dairy” is finally coming to Long Island after a 13 year battle with local zoning and aviation officials and the assorted bureaucrats looking for a handout.

Slated for a January opening, the 60,000 square foot store is about half the size of Stew’s other stores in Yonkers, NY and Connecticut. But it will have the same immersive food experience as its larger siblings with a heavy focus on local product from the Island’s numerous farms come spring.

The company wanted a much larger unit for the area but aviation and Department of Transportation officials were leery of having a busy store so close to the flight paths of nearby Republic Airport. My attitude is that they should have let Stew build on the larger site and teach their pilots to fly better.

On another front, the store will be a boon for the local economy since it employs about 400 people probably non-union.

As you can tell I’m a big fan. A big congratulations and welcome to Stew Leonard. Perseverance pays off!