Business Q & A with D & H Variety & Gifts

Driving along Jericho Turnpike there are plenty of shopping centers, chain stores and restaurants and of course small businesses.

came to Garden City Park 3 years ago and they’ve been in the same shopping center since. The store is known for their cards, gifts and lotto cards as well as a drop off and pick up spot for buses bringing people to Atlantic City and other destinations.

What is it like being a part of the larger New Hyde Park area?

“It’s a great area to be in. We have a lot of local traffic and repeat business. We see the same kind of people everyday. The kind of business we rely on is local. People know us personally, talk to us personally by name. We get to know them, talk to them about everyday things. It’s kind of a little family/ friends kind of thing.”

Why is it important for you to be on a personal level with your customers?

“It’s great interaction. It makes the customer feel personalized, it’s that personal customer service that you give.”

What does your store have to offer?

“We’re a 50 percent card store, so it’s basically all the greeting cards 50 percent, seasonal, regular, everyday cards. We have a variety of gift items that we have for birthdays and different things. We have coffee and Atlantic City buses that leave from here. Basically, we’re like a small business with cards and gifts.”

Why do people come back here?

“One of the main things is the economy being down and everyone is trying to watch their money. We’re a discounted store. If you go to you might pay $5 for one card, where here you can get three cards for $5.”

Are there struggles being a small business?

“The only little struggles that we’ve had are basically with the shopping center. When we came, I think this next door store was empty, the follow was empty, had just gone out. Pathmark had just gone out. So there were a slue of stores in the shopping center that were vacant. The struggle was basically having a shopping center that looked like a ghost town. Now its become really revived.”

What are the benefits of being in New Hyde Park-Garden City Park and being a part of a shopping center?

“One of the great benefits of being in a shopping center is having diversity of stores that people can go to, and then New Hyde Park is a great area to be in. The people who live here are great, so it’s just a great town to be in.”