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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 26, 2013 • A11
2013 Year In Review Lowe’s Replaces Commack Multiplex
The Commack Multiplex was demolished in March, and a Lowe’s Home Improvement store, poised to open in early 2014, is now in its place. By Kristen Schultheiss kschultheiss@longislandernews.com
One of Commack’s past trademark locations, the Commack Multiplex, closed its doors in September 2011, and over the 2013 year, Lowe’s Home Improvement has taken over the site. Lowe’s demolished the movie theater, located right off the Long Island
Expressway and Sagtikos Parkway interchange, in March after months of waiting for approval from the Smithtown Planning Board. The home improvement company purchased the 20-acre property in 2010 and allowed the move theater to stay open until the following year. The Commack Multiplex opened in the early 1980s and reigned for almost 30
years. It was the first state-of-the-art complex of its kind and one of the only forms of entertainment in its area, drawing many dedicated customers. In 2008, Tanger Outlets opened in Deer Park, and inside there is a Regal Deer Park Stadium 16 movie theater. This brand new theater provides IMAX and RPX movie viewings and drew many customers who used to attend the Commack
Multiplex. The multiplex, run by National Amusements Inc., was reportedly sold to Lowe’s for $13 million. According to a Lowe’s spokeswoman, the Commack store is expected to open in the first half of 2014. Job applications are being accepted by numerous online job sites.
Long Islander News photo/Kristen Schultheiss
Vanderbilt Shoots For The Stars
The Huntington Station Target is bustling after its October opening, after the property sat idle since the closing of the Huntington Townhouse.
Target Takes Huntington Station By Kristen Schultheiss kschultheiss@longislandernews.com
Huntington Station’s new Target brought 250 jobs to the community when it opened in October. The 150,000 square-foot building took over the site of the former Huntington Townhouse on East Jericho Turnpike. At the new Target, shoppers enjoy wide-ranging selections of grocery, hygienic and household products. A Starbucks coffee shop can also be found inside. Target opened up to the community and held a job fair at Walt Whitman
High School at which the chain “mass hired” hundreds of employees, according to Store Leader Alan Yamaji. Yamaji also said the Huntington branch is a one-of-a-kind in Suffolk County, because it has its own Optical Shop. The Huntington Station store has visual differences as well like its wider isles, white shelves and its “transcendent” brightly lit beauty section. Target acquired the 124 E. Jericho Turnpike property after Lowe’s demolished the Huntington Townhouse but canceled plans to open there in November 2011.
The stars were out March 14 when the Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium reopened to the public during a special VIP reception. Suffolk County’s Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium showed off its new luster March 14 for the first time following a $4milion renovation. The facility’s interim director, Lance Reinehimer, said the grand opening was a landmark night for the Vanderbilt that was 15 years in the making. “I am just beaming with pride, right here in my legislative district, that this day is finally a reality,” Legislator William Spencer said, later adding that the
Vanderbilt Planetarium is now one of the most advanced, sophisticated facilities of its kind in the United States. In addition to the county’s $3.9-million investment, the museum raised more than $165,000 for the project through various fundraising endeavors. Of that sum, $100,000 came from longtime Trustee William Rogers and his wife, Mollie. The planetarium theater is now named in their honor, a nod to their longtime support of the Vanderbilt Museum.