The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Local

Local Faces Campaign Emphasizes Positivity, Loyalty and Shopping Local

by

A photo campaign this summer is intended to help spread positivity, loyalty and shopping local in our community. Culminating in a gallery exhibit, the campaign aims to connect residents of the community with the faces behind our local stores and businesses. Photographed by Carolyn Simpson, Doublevision Photographers. doublevisionphotographers.com  Here are just a few faces in the campaign. Can you name these faces? The gallery show with the final images of everyone who was photographed will take place on September 15, 6-9 p.m. at Chappaqua’s hip-kid lounge, 77 South Greeley Ave.

Aura Salon: The Best Kept Secret on Upper King Street

by

The first thing you notice outside the entrance to the Aura Salon on upper King Street is the beautiful flowers in the artfully arranged window boxes.

Once you step inside on the lower floor you’ll be welcomed by four vanities bathed in natural sunlight where make-up artists use the latest Aveda products to enhance your natural beauty. In the mood for beachy waves or a blowout? Check, the stylists can do that too using the high-end Dyson Supersonic blow dryers which have a built-in sensor to protect your luscious locks from any heat damage.

If you need a fabulous cut or color or mani/pedi without all those harsh chemicals, simply walk upstairs and let the magic begin at the salon.

The salon and beauty bar is owned by Leticia Villagran and Chappaqua mom Jenn Filardi. Jenn was actually a client of Leticia’s for many years when Aura Salon focused on hair and nails. Realizing that there was an unmet need for expertly applied make-up and blowouts that won’t break the bank, Leticia teamed up with Jenn to open the Style Bar in February on the first floor of the salon. Having worked in the city at fashion shows and with celebrity stylists, Jenn brings a wealth of knowledge about the latest beauty trends and loves creating updos, braids and signature blowouts, all at an affordable price point.

Both Leticia and Jenn have relatives in the beauty business. Originally from Guatemala, Leticia’s father and grandfather cut hair. She went to cosmetology school there where students learn everything from facials to applying highlights.

Once she came to the U.S., she obtained her license and still takes classes to stay abreast of the latest beauty treatments and trends. She has more than 20 years of experience in the beauty business. Jenn’s grandfather was a barber and says working at the Style Bar is “in her genes. It’s so much fun. It doesn’t feel like work.” She also enjoys educating her clients about the best products to maintain the health of their hair.

With the upcoming prom and wedding season, the salon is ready to pamper clients for special occasions. “We do communions and wedding parties from the bride to the youngest flower girls,” said Villagran. Parties of four or more get a 10% discount and if the client requests it, they can provide at-home services. But Filardi is quick to point out that Aura is also a great destination if you need express services like speedy make-up applications for a night out or a quick blowout on a more regular basis.Villagran and Filardi and their staff have trained with leading beauty experts at Bumble and Bumble, Vidal Sassoon Academy, Wella, the Aveda Institute and Organic Salon Systems. They are passionate about having staff take industry workshops and continuing education so that clients have access to the latest products and styles.

A member of the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce, the salon’s stylists have volunteered at several events at local schools including a new moms event at World Cup Nursery school and creating a Nordic braid bar at Seven Bridges International Day. They also are proud to have a Greeley senior Clara Perlmutter help them with social media through a LIFE School internship program. Many of the local businesses have helped them get off the ground by promoting their services. “The whole community has been very encouraging and helpful–a real communal effort! “ added Filardi.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WILLIAM LULOW

Byram Hills High School Students Build All-In-One Food Service App

by

(Lto R): Zack Tuzzo, Evan Miller, Robbie Waxman and Will Cohen

When ordering a pizza with friends, there are always disagreements.

But, an interesting thing happened when Byram Hills High School sophomore Robbie Waxman and his friends hit an impasse between penne alla vodka and plain.

“We listed down all the restaurants in Armonk we knew and started talking ideas about what we could do to make it easier for us and everyone else to order food,” Robbie, who is self-taught in coding and web design, said.

Fast forward six months and this group of four sophomores is launching a free app called “Westchester Eats.”

Buffalo chicken is Robbie Waxman’s favorite slice of pizza at Broadway North Pizza, pictured in this rendering of the Westchester Eats app he helped create.

“It’s been done before,” Robbie said of food ordering apps like Seamless and Grubhub. “But, there’s really no platform specific to Westchester County and none that offers both orders and reservations for restaurants.” Users will also be able to conveniently get information on the restaurant and leave a review.

The group’s goal is to get every restaurant in Armonk, and eventually throughout Westchester, to sign on. Will Cohen, 16, who is responsible for building the app, said that there’s no one single app that diligently lists every restaurant in Westchester.

“We really just want to make it so that, even if you don’t know what you want to eat before you go on the app, you have all of the restaurants that are available in Westchester for you to look at and easily filter through,” he said. “We’re just trying to simplify the entire thing and make it available in one app.”

Will, who is self-taught in app design, hopes to make it possible for users to get anywhere in the app within three clicks. Users will be able to search by town, type of food and a full list of restaurants.

“Right now we’ve made it so that it’s possible to order a pizza in 10 seconds if you know what you’re doing,” he said.

The tech-savvy students with a shared passion for entrepreneurship started this process in late 2016 and hope to launch in June. While eager to get their creation off the ground, Will said they have tried hard to take their time and differentiate themselves as much as possible.

“We go out to play tennis on the weekends and we could be hitting and it’s just like, snap, a new idea,” said Robbie, who plays on the varsity soccer, swimming and tennis teams at Byram Hills High School. “We all take a minute and come to the net. We are like, ‘great idea, we gotta add that in as soon as possible.’”

On top of the website, which will house tutorial videos on how to use the app, Robbie heads sales and has been meeting with restaurants to bring them onto the app–he says most have been very receptive. Will makes the app, Zach Tuzzo is head of finances, and Evan Miller is head of marketing.

“I think one of the greatest things about this is they’re doing it all on their own,” Robbie’s mother, Meg Waxman, said. “It’s just these boys putting their heads together and working hard.” In addition to their business, they started an entrepreneurship club at their high school.

“Starting a business has been something that I’ve been thinking about and talking about with my friends for a long time,” Robbie said. “And so, combining that with my passion for technology I think was definitely the right way to go, and I think that it’s going really well. It’s been a fun way to learn, really.”

Post Election

by

Andrew Vitelli
Andrew Vitelli

For our last edition of 2016, Inside Armonk spotlights some of what makes the community great, while also looking back at the past and towards the future.

At the Byram Hills School District, technology is changing the way children learn and interact with the world. We take a look at some of the upgrades taking place in the district. In our last issue, we spotlighted the North Castle Historical Society and explored the town’s history and the people who preserve it. We return to that theme this issue, with a profile of 93-year-old George Pouder and his fight on behalf of two Civil War veterans buried in Armonk.

History, of course, was made last month with the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States. Our area, as the hometown of Hillary Clinton, played a special role in that historic race, and our photographer, Chad Kraus, was with Clinton on the final days of the election. His photo is on the cover, while others are featured inside the magazine.

When this magazine planned the cover we, like most in the media, expected that the woman pictured would be the president-elect when this magazine went to press. Even after Hillary’s loss, however, we are excited to have these photos in our pages and we hope readers, even those burnt out from election coverage, will appreciate them.

All news is local, and a presidential election is of course no different. The day after Trump’s win, we spoke to a handful of local residents about the results to see how the election impacted our neighbors. Reactions ranged from disappointment and fear to cautious optimism.

This issue will also highlight the local live music scene, with features on Armonk House and Chappaqua Station. We spotlight several local businesses, and feature Armonk resident Marian Hamilton, who launched the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center a decade ago. Finally, the issue ends with a column on dealing with post-election anxiety, though we acknowledge many readers may be feeling very different emotions.

We wish all our readers a happy holiday season and a great 2017.

At Squires: Year-Round Fashions for the Entire Family

by

Squires owner, Michael Kushner
Squires owner, Michael Kushner

By Matt Smith

During a recent trip to Squires, one customer is browsing through winter jackets, while another customer is at the register asking about flip flops and beachwear. Behind them, at the back of the store, yet another customer is being fitted for dress shoes, because he’s got a wedding to attend. And next to him sits a family trying on various hiking boots for their excursion in the mountains. The endless and “seasonless” variety may appear strange to some, but for the Squires’ team, it’s perfectly normal — every day of the year.

Squires’ Family Clothing and Footwear on South Greeley Avenue in the heart of the downtown area, prides itself on this diversity, and being a year-round, multi-purpose establishment, regularly stocked with “a tremendous selection” of “quality name-brands” for any season.

Says owner Michael Kushner, who took over the store in 1987, of Squires’ appeal to the community: “We’re a good alternative to the big-box stores. We offer a full service, and not just a little bit of this and a little bit of that.”

Much of the community is aware of all the store has to offer. Squires has enjoyed consistent business from local residents since it opened in Chappaqua in 1949. “Many of our customers are the same customers,” notes Kushner, adding that the store’s popularity most likely stems from their ability to be reliable/their reliability to carry items. In a given season where other stores may only offer products which are exclusive to that season, “it’s nice to know you can depend on a store [to have what you want].”

Kushner’s warm smile as he speaks those words indicate that Squires certainly fits into that category: “When you come in here, 99 percent of the time, we’ll have what you want.”

Additionally, in keeping with its reputation for customer loyalty, Squires is also equally loyal to its products and merchandisers. Believing a product should continually be sold–regardless of if it’s out-of-season, or, perhaps, an older model of an updated item–if the company still manufactures it, and the customer still has interest, Kushner explains, at his store, “if something’s moving well, we continue on with it year after year after year.”

He goes on to say that most stores tend to change inventory with the season, “which is good, but you don’t want to change necessarily [just to change].” For that reason, again, ever dedicated to the customer, Squires has a selection of core products on hand all the time–which is presumably the key to its success.

Finally, new customers may be enticed by the year-round sales rack, located just outside the store, offering a variety of seasonal items at a lower price. which changes offerings by the season. Kushner notes “we do have about six to eight sale racks” inside the store, containing the occasional overstocked items–at a discounted rate.

Important to note, too, that in addition to their booming business, Squires is also extremely active in terms of community outreach. They donate to many churches and synagogues throughout the year, including the First Congregational Church’s semi-annual Barn Sale. On the topic, Kushner recalls, in particular that “after 9/11, there was a need for [help] for some first responders down in the city–clothing, socks, things like that–so we loaded up some trucks and helped them out.”

There you have it. A one-stop shopping experience perfectly positioned in the center of town, where you can buy a bathing suit, a winter fleece, and be fit for a tuxedo, all in the same place?! And the generous staff gives back to others in the community? Sounds like you can’t go wrong! So, head down to Squires today!

Squires’ Family Clothing and Footwear is located in Chappaqua, at 41 South Greeley Avenue, as well as Katonah, at 193 Katonah Avenue. The store boasts such name-brands as Patagonia, Sperry, North Face, Tommy Bahama, K-Swiss and Christopher Blue. www.squiresny.com