Roxanne Perrone believes New City’s businesses have a lot of potential and she is dong her part to help them thrive.
Perrone is a member of the board of directors of the New City Chamber of Commerce. This year she organized two street fairs to bring residents and others to the downtown business district.
The April event shut down early because of heavy rainfall but the September fair drew large crowds, including about 20 members of her family who traveled from Westchester County
“They just thought the street fair was amazing,” said the New City resident, who owns Perronucci’s Italian Deli & Market on Maple Avenue.
She enjoyed planning the street fairs because of the opportunity to work with her counterparts.
“It definitely puts me in touch with the other merchants in town,” Perrone explained. “I love being part of it. I just like knowing the other merchants in town and patronizing their businesses.”
She plans to use that momentum and organize more gatherings such as wine tasting and bowling events for merchants and residents. She wants people to discover there are great places to shop and there is no need to go elsewhere.
“We’re tossing around a couple of different things to do for people to get together,” she said.
Perrone hopes different activities can draw more local residents to the Main Street area as well as Maple Avenue, where her business has been located for three years.
She would like to see more people on Maple Avenue, which she describes as a beautiful street and friendly businesses.
“We’re like a family here,” says Perrone, who has lived in Rockland County for 38 years.
Perrone’s community involvement extends to helping local non-profit organizations by providing food for Youth for Hospice’s annual Dance-A-Thon, the Alzheimer’s Associations Walkathon and Big Brothers Big Sisters activities. Her daughter, Jordanna, is one of the founders of Youth For Hospice, which is part of United Hospice of Rockland.
Perrone did not start out planning to own her own business. After receiving her Master’s degrees in Special Education and Psychology, she was a social worker and psychologist at the New York Foundling Hospital. When her daughters began attending summer camp, she ran the catering and food service at Gate Hill Camp, a position she held for 13 years. That led to overseeing the lunch program at St. Augustine’s School, which her daughters attended and then three years ago she opened Perronucci’s.
“I always wanted to own my own place,” she said.
For her, the pluses are numerous. Perrone likes the social environment and being around food, which she finds relaxing and being part of the community.
“I feel very much at home in the community,” Perrone said. “It feels right and it feels I am where I am supposed to be.”
Her ties to downtown New City go back to when her mother, who now does the baking at Perronucci’s, owned a dress shop on South Main Street. In addition to her mother, Perrone’s cousin and aunt work in the deli.
And the family spirit thrives in her husband Frank’s business also. He is the third generation owner of Pinebrook Industries, a construction company.
She hopes to sway more people around to her way of thinking about downtown New City.
“I try to spend my money in this town,” said Perrone. “Instead of going someplace else I’ll spend my money here. I think people really need to spend their money in the town instead of going elsewhere”
