Quantcast

Rockaway boutique owner has some angels on her side

By Bill Parry

The Blue Bungalow is doing fine now, but it’s been a hard two years since Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge nearly wrecked the popular boutique that sits at the southern end of 116th Street in Rockaway Beach. The two women who own, and create most of the home decor items sold in the shop, nearly lost the business along with their Rockaway homes.

“And we were one of the lucky ones,” Liz Smith-Breslin said. “We lost our inventory and most of our personal belongings. All of our computers and home office were in the basement and when it flooded, we lost an awful lot. We were closed for that month before Christmas because of the damage and because there was no power, but no one was coming to Rockaway then and the people that were here weren’t going shopping for any gifts.”

Both she and co-owner Jeanne Jamin were forced out of their homes for several months because of damage from the Oct. 29, 2012 hurricane. The two women shared a bond that transcends physical property, losing a loved one on 9/11.

They lost the same man.

“I was engaged to her brother, Mike Andrews,” Smith-Breslin said. “He went to work that morning at Cantor-Fitzgerald and never came home.”

The two women went in to business together, opening The Blue Bungalow in 2007. Both immersed themselves in creating artwork that was inspired by their loss. Sadly for her, Smith-Breslin had two other devastating losses. Her little brother B.J. was murdered for his jewelry, at age 19, two years before the attacks at the World Trade Center. Then she lost her father the day after the storm.

“Dad didn’t want to evacuate his bungalow on 92nd Street because he always loved a good storm,” she said. “He had trouble breathing and was taken by ambulance and he died Nov. 1. We never knew he was in trouble because there was no cell phone service. We couldn’t even have a wake or a funeral for him because there was no place to hold it.”

Smith-Breslin turned adversity into a strength.

“I just try to keep going forward, gaining strength from the losses in my life,” she said. “I feel like they’re with me all the time, that their spirits are behind this store.”

The two women were forced to be innovative after they reopened The Blue Bungalow.

“We’re always running discounts and specials, but it’s always tough for a mom-and-pop shop like this competing against big stores,” Smith-Breslin said. “Now that Rockaway has been revitalized people are coming back now. This summer was much better than last, but the boardwalk’s not all the way back and that’s like a boulevard for us.”

She added that 116th Street, a commercial strip that includes all of the traffic from the Rockaway Park subway stop and many bus lines, could be doing much better. “There’s an effort underway with the 116th Street BID, and they’re trying hard,” Smith-Breslin said.

In the two years since the storm, The Blue Bungalow has expanded to include a spa and a photography studio.

Smith-Breslin never thought of leaving Rockaway, where her family has lived since her great grandparents settled after emigrating from Ireland. She lives in Belle Harbor with her husband Kevin and their son Quinn.

“I feel like I have a lot of angels who’ve put me where I’m supposed to be,” she said.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr‌y@cng‌local.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.