For the last two years there has been a negative and dark perspective of the world around us. But, even through that darkness small businesses have still continued to showcase their light through Covid, and where better to showcase their light than Lindenhurst. 

Now to start off our journey through Lindenhurst, there is the small business Munis. Munis is located at 222 N Wellwood Ave, Lindenhurst, NY 11757 and opened on March 27 of 2019. Around the date of it’s 1 year anniversary, quarantine had originally begun in New York. When talking to the owner of the Munis, Alice Bopp, about how she worked through the pandemic she responded with, “It was very scary when the Corona actually hit we had just completed one year over here and I had to shut my door which freaked me out pretty much, a lot. Because when I put the business together, it was tight on my budget and everything so I couldn’t just close for, how long it takes.” She also stated that in the very beginning of the pandemic, she closed for one week and let go of many clientele she had begun to build. While she was still closing her door, she opened up her window, building up a lot of popularity. Throughout the pandemic, lines could be seen down the block as customers waited for her delicious treats. Alice also stated, “It pushed us to become creative and to be positive and I wouldn’t have done without the community too, because we really held each other’s hand. It was scary, but I grew a lot and learned a lot during the process.” The community of Lindenhurst helped Munis become the bright star in the business world that it is today. To give back to the community and help gain more customers, Alice and her team worked with hospitals, creating packages with other businesses that drew in customers. With all that hard work, Munis became the staple in the Lindenhurst community that it is today and you can visit Munis from its store hours from 6 am to 5 pm during Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm on Saturdays, and 8 am to 3 pm on Sundays. If you are still not convinced to come down to Munis, take a cue from the customers that are everyday customers of the establishment. One customer says, “I personally love going to Munis, it’s become an everyday treat for me to enjoy.” Another customer states,”Munis itself along with its amazing food is as well a very aesthetically pleasing place to be at with family and friends, and creates a safe environment for kids to be at also!” Munis has developed from a small coffee shop to a staple in the community of Lindenhurst that people even past Lindenhurst should enjoy with friends and family. 

Along with Munis, another star is shining very bright in the Lindenhurst community which is A Mano Baking Company. It is run by the wonderfully talented bakers, Angela Pepe Remsen and Anthony Pepe. Their business A Mano Baking Company was officially opened on January 2, 2021. Wanting to give 2021 some new delicious hope, they created their at home bakery. Their small business is open 24 hours a day, everyday of the week working on recipe development, menu planning, advertising, research, inventory, etc. Though because of their continuous orders they dedicate their Fridays and Saturdays as their baking days, baking all of their upcoming orders and getting them already for their customers. Since A Mano Baking Company was created in the midst of pandemic, making the whole process of receiving and ordering goods from their small business, was really important to Angela and Anthony as Lindenhurst citizens. They created contactless delivery services for their customers, which is provided every weekend, and advanced orders are accepted as well. They also allow people who are comfortable to pick up their orders at their pop-up location. Angela states that, “We train all employees who right now are basically family to treat everyone with the respect that they deserve.” This is creating a wonderful work environment for employees and customers alike. Even though the Coronavirus pandemic has enabled customer to supplier contact, the A Mano Baking Co. team said, “We hope that once people try our product they will understand the love that goes into the process and share it with others.” The are creating more happiness in Lindenhurst a bake at a time.

Chonky Cookies as the last stop on this small business adventure. Chonky Cookies is a very recent business, opening its location in Lindenhurst on July 17,2021. The business is a “pandemic baby” and its reason for coming together is something that people can all relate to. The owner of the wonderful establishment, Heather Friedfertig had two jobs entering the pandemic, but lost her jobs because of the Coronavirus. When she lost her jobs, Heather began to sell her cookies on Facebook. She was gathering some popularity and money, and then expanded her so called “experiment.” One of her employees stated that they “turned a bad situation into something positive.” From there, Heather created more social media accounts advertising her cookies on Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, etc. In order to stay relevant throughout the pandemic, she worked with a local restaurants and created a website as well. Through her hard work and dedication, Heather was able to open her location in Lindenhurst at 646A Wellwood Ave, Lindenhurst, NY 11757.  She hired workers and family members, including her fiance. The hours of Chonky Cookies are always updated through their Instagram account. From Tuesdays to Saturdays they are open at 10 am and close at 9 pm and on Sundays their hours are from 10 am to 7 pm. They are closed on Mondays. This small business illustrates that through hard work, even the smallest ideas can turn into the biggest successes.  

Small businesses that have succeeded through the pandemic have become the heart of small towns in modern day America, and for this small town, our hearts and appetites lie with Munis, A Mano Baking Co., and Chonky Cookies.