We recently paid a visit to Morris Variety in Valley Stream (you can read about it in the Leader Observer here).  Morris Variety is owned and operated by Jack Cazes who worked at Lewis of Woodhaven for many years and the influence of his years at Lewis is unmistakable in his own store.  Located at 227 Rockaway Avenue, just off Sunrise Highway, Morris Variety will be a nice walk down memory lane for many of you.  Housed in an old Woolwort's, Morris Variety is set up very much like Lewis of Woodhaven.

While inside, we spoke with Mr. Cazes and Robin Cabral, who also worked at Lewis, from 1981 to 1997.  The have very fond memories of their time in Woodhaven and they took all of that knowledge and experience with them when opening Morris Variety nearly 17 years ago.

When you walk around Morris Variety, you'll find almost everything you need.  Just like Lewis, there is zero waste space -- and there are times you will turn a corner and see something that will bring you back in time.

When we posted these on Facebook, many people thought they were looking at Lewis --

The great old-fashioned tin ceilings with the fans were great to see -- they date back about 80 years to when a Woolworth's operated here.

As stated earlier, zero wasted space -- but more importantly, excellent customer service.  That was always the difference that made Lewis special - the way a customer was treated.  That's a tradition that continues at Morris Variety.

If you are out that way, stop in to Morris Variety and take a walk around and see what we mean.

Oh, and one last thing -- we didn't notice this until we were leaving -- Morris Variety is on Rockaway Avenue -- guess what the cross street is?  How cool is that?

If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.  

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Photos by Joey Wendell