Jacqueline Didonato and Jennifer Condos are doing their best keep retail alive and well in Long Island’s downtowns — one village at a time.
Their first Pandemonium Boutique opened 12 years ago at 220 Deer Park Avenue in Babylon Village.
But within a year, Condos left to raise her three young children.
Now the partners are reunited, and the expansion of Pandemonium is on.
A second shop opened before Memorial Day in Southampton Village and the partners and their families will be celebrating a grand opening next week.
“Going forward, we’re hoping to open more [shops], all about the size of Southampton’s,” Didonato said.
The new Pandemonium is roughly half the size of Babylon’s 2,200-square-foot space.
In the age of online retailers — when even shopping malls are suffering — and when restaurants are coming to dominate in the downtowns, Pandemonium has remained as a go-to fashion resource for women across the Babylon area and beyond.
And a lot has happened over 12 years.
“We’ve watched young women grow up and become moms and get married,” said Didonato, who also serves as president of the Babylon Village Chamber of Commerce.
Aside from offering luxury items that are affordable, she attributes much of her success to the family-friendliness of the shop.
“We make the whole experience very enjoyable,” she said.
So, why Southampton?
For one, Condos has family nearby and also used to work as a realtor in the East End village, so she’s familiar with the area.
And it’s the historic village feel, not unlike Babylon’s, that was a major factor.
Overall, they say Pandemonium will be a perfect fit.
All it will take is them being themselves. The residents and visitors to Southampton “require a very specific flair, one with elegant, fine, taste,” they say. “We offer that.”
“At Pandemonium we have created an environment as if you were walking into the perfect closet. It is our closet and we are sharing it with all of our new friends,” reads a press announcement about the new store, located at 9 Windmill Lane.
Pandemonium’s Babylon location will continue to be its flagship store.
“We’ve seen a lot in Babylon,” Didonato said, specifically mentioning the Great Recession and Hurricane Sandy.
“Our community has always been there for us. And it all goes hand in hand.”
Photo Credit: Pandemonium Boutique Southampton on Facebook
