Lola Staar shop to shine again on Coney Island boardwalk
Lola’s back in town.
Lola Staar, the offbeat Coney Island boutique and gift shop that got the boot from the Boardwalk, may be coming back, owner Dianna Carlin told the Daily News.
After Mayor Bloomberg announced a $95.6 million deal to buy 6.9 acres of land from developer Joe Sitt, Carlin sent off an e-mail to Borough President Marty Markowitz and Coney Island Development Corp. President Lynn Kelly begging for her old store back.
Just minutes later, the phone rang. It was Sitt, offering to work out a lease for 2010, which the city would take over once it closes on the property.
“It was definitely a shock to receive a call from Joe Sitt offering me a lease for the store,” Carlin said, adding that the move gives her confidence the seaside mecca will hold on to its honky tonk charm as the city’s massive redevelopment plan goes forward.
“I am so happy and overjoyed to get that store back,” she said. “For me, it was so much more than a store. It’s a testimony that now that the city’s taking over, they want to keep that amazing flavor.”
City Economic Development Corp. President Seth Pinsky said last week that current businesses – including Boardwalk favorites like Ruby’s Bar and Grill and Shoot the Freak – are safe at least through next summer.
