Faces Of: Cheryl Kandell an Entrepreneur and Volunteer

Cheryl Kandell is a future Rocky Point business owner and Director of North Shore Cheerleading.  Kandell resides in Mount Sinai with her husband and six-year-old twin daughters.  She also organizes a yearly fundraising event for St. Judes Children's Hospital in the community.

Kandell shared with Miller Place-Rocky Point Patch her plans for her new boutique as well as what drives her to organize the St. Jude's event yearly.

Can you tell us a little bit about the business your opening?

I have worked in the wedding industry for a long time, right now I work at in Rocky Point. This year I spoke with the owner and we came up with a game plan.  

I like to be hands on, I knew my daughters would be going to school full time in September and I was really looking to expand my direction. As much as I love working with brides and bridal gowns I really wanted to own my own business.

We agreed upon some terms and I am going to be opening up a boutique inside of . It will be called "Isn’t She Lovely". We will carry shoes, handbags, jewelry, accessories, favors and invitations.

So you won't just be dealing with weddings and brides?

I will be dealing with Prom's, Communion's, Bat Mitzvah's and Sweet Sixteen's. Anything along the lines that you would need an accessory or favor for or invitation we would be able to service.

When do you anticipate the grand opening?

Grand opening day will be September 5 right after labor day. I have already started buying and purchasing for the store so everything is already incorporated. I’m very excited, it is moving along quite quickly. The summer is already here, so we are spending the time getting everything perfect.

I am very detail oriented, if I go in to something it is never 50 or 75 percent, it's 100 percent or I don’t do it.

Why did you decide to open your business in Rocky Point?

This is an area that is good for me. It allows me to own my own business and hopefully it is going to bring good luck and make things better. 

The economy has driven everyone into a downward spiral and depression. Let us all have happy and positive changes and I hope everyone in the community will see that.

You recently organized a charity event at the for St. Jude's, can you tell us about your involvement with them?

Every year I hold a huge event for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. My parents have been donating to them for over 40 years and I got involved with them through my parents. I decided three and a half years ago to do a Chinese auction. We go around to local stores and gather donations. Everyone in the community is really involved and really helps me out. My first year I started with only 50 people attending and it has grown; this year we had 200 people attend. Our goal for this year was $10,000 and we hit $14,000.