Long Island Luggage Lands in Garden City

When Omar Sarhan took over Long Island Luggage, a family retail business, 15 years ago, he wanted to be in Garden City, close to the physician practices and law firms that would make up a sizable portion of his target market.

Unfortunately, he found nothing available in the village back then and instead set up shop on Voice Road in Carle Place.

When the opportunity arose in May 2010 to take over a 1,200 square foot location at 745 Franklin Avenue – smaller than his shop in Carle Place – Sarhan took it. "The building in Carle Place was getting old, and besides, I like it here," he said during an interview with Garden City Patch.

Being a retailer whose primary merchandise is luggage – in a down economy – at a time when airlines are charging customers hefty fees to check bags is challenging enough for a retailer like Long Island Luggage.

But since moving into the 745 Franklin Avenue location, Sarhan still does not have a sign affixed to the exterior of his building. The Village of Garden City's Architectural Design Review Board (ADRB) asked Sarhan to make revisions to his original sign so that it met guidelines for exterior signage. Sarhan has complied. He is hopeful the ADRB will give its approval at the Sept. 21 meeting.

In the meantime, except for a sign in the window that says "Long Island Luggage," most passersby would not know that a new store exists, with interesting merchandise inside.

Sarhan is confident that, once the signs goes up, the customers will come in.

Residents who venture inside would see that Long Island Luggage offers a lot more than luggage. Yes, the shop carries luggage from a variety of brands including Samsonite, but there are attaché cases for lawyers and doctors to carry their briefs or files, respectively; there are cool backpacks for school-aged children, as well as wallets, watches, accessories and more.

He said he can serve the local lawyer/doctor market with his abundance of merchandise that includes large folders, attaché cases and small luggage on rollers. "That was one of the reasons when we selected this location – we wanted to be near doctors and lawyers," he said.

The trend of airlines to charge travelers to check bags has negatively impacted Sarhan's business. Given that trend, Sarhan has adjusted his merchandise by offering bags more suited for carry-on sizes. For those who travel for long durations and need to check bags, he makes sure to have the latest and greatest on hand.

The Sarhan family has owned Long Island Luggage for 45 years. His wife and three children help out on a regular basis. "We want to be here for the long term," he said.

As to why customers would want to shop at Long Island Luggage, Sarhan said, "We have good stuff here and a lot of people don't want to shop at malls."  

Long Island Luggage (516-739-8181) is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.