Daffy's reopens in Manhasset

Daffy’s, the off-price retail chain, officially will celebrate its reopening in its one and only Long Island location Wednesday, and what it has seen so far on Manhasset’s Miracle Mile, bodes well for its future, its chief executive said.

The location, which a fire severely damaged a year ago, once performed in the middle of pack of the chain’s 18 stores, but since a soft opening about a week ago it has been running No. 3, said Daffy’s chief executive Caryn Lerner. Customer traffic for the week was almost double compared to the old store’s numbers, she said.

“It’s too early to predict, but I do think the store will be an even better performer than what it was in the old location,” Lerner said. “I think Manhasset and Long Island . . . are very discerning customers. They understand fashion. They are savvy and always appreciate the unique assortments Daffy’s offers as well as the great value Daffy’s offers as well.”

Daffy’s Manhasset location has been drawing new customers in an environment where the current “chic” trend is shopping both off-price and full-price retailers, she said. The chain also offers exclusive Italian designers and brands.

Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, above left and star of Bravo’s reality TV show, “The Real Housewives of New York City,” will join a ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m. Wednesday that kicks off a grand reopening sweepstakes for gift cards worth $250, $500 and the grand prize of $1,000.

“Countess LuAnn, she’s very chic and she’s a style icon in her own right,” Lerner said. “We thought that in Manhasset a lot of our customers are women and housewives on Long Island and we thought it would be a great fit.”

The entire two-story 25,000 square-foot building has been rebuilt and reconfigured to give it a feeling of more space, Lerner said. Both the front and back of the building will have windows, making it “very light and bright and cheery when you walk in,” she said.

The home section as well as children’s and men’s areas will be located on the main floor with a large variety of women’s apparel and accessories downstairs. Within the women’s section, Daffy’s has created a small intimate apparel room, a shop within a shop, which will be new to its customers.

“When you’re shopping for lingerie and sleepwear, it’s nice to feel there’s a special place where you can go,” Lerner said. “It feels a little more private.”

The chain has plans to add two more stores this year — one next Monday in Bay Plaza in the Bronx and one in Times Square on 44th Street in the fourth quarter.

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