Quantcast

New Hyde Park business takes a massive hit

IMG_1892
A car crashed into Touch of Class 2 in New Hyde Park on Sept. 27. (Photos courtesy of Elena Arnella)

Touch of Class 2’s storefront in New Hyde Park sustained extensive damage after a car crashed into it on Sept. 27 at around 1 a.m.

Antonio Fleming, 28, allegedly drove into the building at 18 Jericho Turnpike with his 2024 Acura sedan while intoxicated.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while ability impaired and resisting arrest, and was arraigned on Sept. 27. Nobody was in the building when the car drove through the store.

IMG 1889 270x460 1
Tire marks on the floor and structural damage to the salon after a car drove into it on Sept. 27.

“At 1:10 a.m., we got a phone call that a car had gone through the front of the shop,” Lisa Margro, co-owner of Touch of Class 2, said.

IMG 1890 405x460 1
Damage in the salon after the crash.

Margro, who lives a few blocks away from the store, said she heard sirens going towards her business.

She said she then called Elena Arnella, co-owner of the shop, who lives in Massapequa, to come to the store. When they arrived, they saw that the car was in the back of the salon.

“He went through the light, heading south on Cherry Lane,” Magro said.

Arnella said they were “very lucky” that the salon was closed at that time because if it wasn’t, she said there would have been fatalities.

Margro and Arnella are working with four insurance companies: their personal insurance company, the dealership’s insurance company that loaned the Acura sedan to Fleming, Fleming’s insurance company, and the landlord’s insurance company.

They said they don’t have a current timeline for when repairs will start and finish.

“So at this point, we have to wait for the adjuster to come,” Arnella said. “We hired a public adjuster and once we get the green light and the check, we can start repairs, but there’s a lot of damage.”

The shop’s structure and furniture need to be replaced. Margro’s sister created a GoFundMe page to help with the repairs. Over $13,000 was donated.

“Luckily, the community’s been great and a lot of great people donated to the GoFundMe page,” Margro said. “We’re doing the best we can do to get back on our feet.”

“We’re hoping to raise more because we have a lot of work ahead of us,” Arnella said.

The shop is relocated to 234 Jericho Turnpike at All In One Salon. The shop allowed Margro and Arnella to sublet their storefront for their business. However, because of the new location, they are taking a financial hit.

“We also lost one of our workers because there was not enough room in the new salon,” Margro said.

Margro and Arnella said this hit to the business is also affecting their personal lives, as they both have children they are putting through college.

“We are rebuilding, we are coming back to the community and we want to open up again,” Arnella said.”We have a very supportive client base so they are expecting us to open. They’re already willing to help us do whatever it takes to reopen.”

“Thank you for supporting us, following us, standing behind us, and all your generous donations, which make a big difference to us,” Margro said in a message to her clients.

Arnella said they will rebuild their store bigger and better. She also wants to build a barrier in front of her salon to prevent another crash like this from happening.

You can donate to the GoFundMe page at TinyURL.com/aszc8yzr.