Standing at 4-foot-11, Merav Shiloni of Patchogue says she’s had to hem her own pant legs since she was 17.
It was precisely that need that got her into the textiles side of fashion.
And even though she headed to the Fashion Institute of Technology after graduating from Patchogue-Medford High School in 2002, Shiloni chose a career outside of the fashion industries.
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Now she’s back.
Last week, Shiloni opened Thred — a boutique clothing and accessories store for men and women — in the New Village at Patchogue complex.
“I’ve always wanted to open my own business, and Patchogue is booming,” she said. “I grew up here, so I figured just go for it … I put together a business plan and here I am.”
Over the years, Shiloni kept on sewing and making her own clothes and bags, mostly as gifts for friends and family.
“Now I’m making them for the store,” she told GreaterPatchogue, describing her style “as contemporary, but definitely a little different than what you’ll see elsewhere.”
Her handmade clothes and other items were on display Friday for a grand opening party and ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Tritec Real Estate Company Inc., the builders of New Village.
Shiloni inked her deal for 7 Village Green this summer. Thred’s 2017 opening follows that of another retail shop in New Village, Say More Boutique, which is also independently owned.
And there’s more shops and restaurants on the way.
Tritec’s chief operating officer, Rob Loscalzo, said there’s just two spaces left in the complex’s 46,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space at New Village, which opened in 2014.
“I think it’s just the economy in general,” Loscalzo said of the flurry of activity at New Village. “A lot of these are young entrepreneurs with a sense of optimism and we love that. Maybe one of these places becomes the next Nine West. It’s cool.”
“And it’s nice to see these moms and pops; they bring a vibe and an energy to the village,” he continued. “That’s what it was before, and it’s nice to see it coming back.”
Shiloni said she wanted to get as close to Main Street as she could afford.
Her space also faces Lake Street near the Patchogue firehouse.
“I love the idea that I’m next to a free parking lot,” she said.
She’s also says there’s a need for brick-and-mortar shopping, even in the face of online sales.
“I will have an online sales aspect, of course, but there are men and women out there that want to touch, feel and try on,” she said. “And if it’s right in their own backyard or they’re in town already, why not try something different?
“I’ve always been a boutique shopper because I wanted to find something no one else had.”
Photos by Andrew Theodorakis/New Village at Patchogue
