18 The QUEE NS Courier • NOVEMBER 27, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Bayside electronics store not closing – just improving BY ERIC JANKIEWICZ [email protected] @EricJankiewicz Bayside residents recently took to social media to bemoan the loss of an electronics store on Bell Boulevard, saying it marked the end of an era filled with 45 RPM records and the British Invasion. But the store isn’t closing — it’s just adding a modern repair shop. “We’ve been here since 1946 and we’re not going anywhere,” said Jay Hildebrand, the owner of S&L Electronics. “We love Bayside. Why would we leave?” Jimmy James, a Bayside resident, recently posted on a Bayside Facebook group that the store was closing. Fans of the store commiserated over the sad news “So sad…I bought all my 45s there. They had the top 40 laid out in order every week in these little cubby holes,” resident Denise Marie Coyle wrote. Many wrote their recollections of the store’s workers fixing their record players and VHS players. Hildebrand wants to modernize the store’s ability to fix electronics by making the jump from cassette players to iPads. “I don’t know how to fix any of these new gadgets,” he said. “So we’re renting out part of our space to an electronic repair shop.” These days, the majority of customers who come into the store with broken electronics have digital gadgets, but Hildebrand has had to turn them away. Soon, though, he won’t have to. Hildebrand expects the construction of a small shop in the front of the store to take about two weeks to complete. In the summer, Hildebrand makes most of his money from air conditioner installations, and the store also serves as a thrift shop. Hildebrand’s eclectic business interests are reflected through the store’s messiness. He wants to take the opportunity of the repair shop construction to do some minor renovations and cleaning up. “A lot of people gather all this stuff and then at the end of the life they look at it all and they don’t know what to do with it,” he said, with three jackets from the Korean War hanging on a pole behind him. People often come in, Hildebrand said, wanting to sell their parents’ and grandparents’ belongings. And so the store has collected more than just electronic items. As the new repair shop goes up, the business is still open, even if it looks like the store is closed. “People ask me why don’t I retire,” Hildebrand said. “But that’s not fun.” WATCH OUT, 5TH AVENUE! Sunnyside to host holiday window contest BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] @aaltamirano28 Instead of decking the halls this holiday, businesses in Sunnyside will be decorating their windows, hoping to catch residents’ eyes and take home a big prize. Starting on Small Business Saturday on Nov. 29, the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District will be sponsoring the Holiday Window Contest, encouraging local stores to decorate their windows for the holidays. In its second year, the contest serves as a competition for not only businesses but also local photographers, who are asked to submit their photos of Sunnyside holiday windows to the Sunnyside Shines BID’s Facebook page. “The photo contest was so fun last year, and it really encouraged people to go around and snap photos,” said Rachel Thieme, executive director of the Sunnyside Shines BID. “Around the holidays, businesses go all out.” Los Verdes, a restaurant located at 46-26 Greenpoint Ave., was one of the businesses that took home a prize last year for their window display that included snow and holiday lights. “We’re currently working on ideas to see how we can top it this year,” said Javier Quezada, owner of Los Verdes. “It’s cool because it creates a unified atmosphere in the community.” To enter, participants have to take a Photo courtesy of Sunnyside Shines BID In last year’s Holiday Window Contest, Los Verdes, a restaurant on Greenpoint Avenue in Sunnyside, took home one of the prizes for its window decorations. photo of a business in the Sunnyside Shines district and their holiday window decorations. Then they must upload the image to the contest section on the Facebook page, and people can begin voting. There will be cash prizes for the top three businesses with holiday windows and also for the photos on Facebook with the most votes. The deadline to enter and vote is Dec. 24 by 5 p.m. For more info and to check out the contest, visit www.facebook.com/SunnysideShines after Small Business Saturday. Come have breakfast on our beautiful outdoor patio. FREE We have unlimited seating and plenty of room for large parties Potato Skins With purchase of Entrée One Coupon Per Table or Group (not valid on split checks). Not to be Combined With Other Offers. Must present this Queens Courier Coupon. Expires 12/17/14 FREE Spinach Dip With purchase of Entrée One Coupon Per Table or Group (not valid on split checks). Not to be Combined With Other Offers. Must present this Queens Courier Coupon. 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