News

As you are probably aware, our Surf Ave Boutique was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy! We’ve just begun rebuilding our shop and recreating it into a brand new manifestation of glittering fabulousness that will be 1,000 times more incredible than the first version of the shop destroyed by the storm! It will have a whole new…

Sick of the bitter cold? Well don’t fear! Here’s a sign that springtime warmth, thrills & Coney Island sunshine are just around the corner!  

Today I met with the insurance adjuster who reinspected the damage at my surf ave shop again. The Hartford Insurance refused my claim due to some unfounded reasons. after arguing with them they agreed to send the adjuster out again. Fingers crossed that they come to a fair conclusion this time. What a disillusioning experience…

Come visit us on the foggy, mysterious boardwalk today!  

It’s a beautiful, sunny day on the boardwalk! We’ll be open till 4pm! Come get your last minute holiday shopping done without crazy crowds & support a small business while breathing in the fresh sea breeze!  

This is one of the saddest post Sandy Coney sites I’ve seen. A depressed & dirty spook house mummy discarded by the side of the road, head hanging at his side.

This is what the Mayan end of the world looks like in Coney Island!

Theres no better place on Earth to celebrate Small Business Saturday than Coney Island! Without bold dreamers there would be no Coney Island. It was created by visionaries who made their dreams a reality on our shore. Coney Island was born out of the love, creativity & hard work of thousands of unique small businesses!…

Who needs electricity to shop? Not us! The Lola Star Boardwalk boutuque will be open this Sat & Sun 12-6! We still don’t have electricity but we’re not letting that stop us from debuting our brand new tee shirt collection! Shopping with electricity is overrated! Join us in the mysterious darkness for a shopping adventure…

Truly beautiful things are happening in Coney Island. Some of the most incredible outpouring of love & support I’ve ever witnessed. Coney Island is full of volunteers from all over the world, selflessly helping our community recover. The City has done a great job in organizing volunteers and  helping the community.  Councilmember Domenic Recchia (above)…

You can’t walk around Coney Island without seeing a strange and stunning juxtaposition of carnival items from the glittering days of Coney Island and the muddy puddles of today. I found this red dumpster full of dirty carnival prizes beside the Wonder Wheel. This dirty lone carnival game soldier was just hanging out of a…

In and effort to help raise money to rebuild Coney Island I created this “Coney Island Forever- 10-29-12,” design. The profits will be donated to the people and businesses in Coney Island who have been devastated by Hurricane Sandy. The Mermaid represents the Spirit of Coney Island carrying Coney safely through the storm. Even though…

When we cleared the entire  disgusting, mucky contents of my store out, I thought the worst was over….but I was wrong. I reached this high point of relief when my shop was clean & I envisioned being ready to start to rebuild. Then we realized that the nasty flood water had seeped into the walls…

  This photo was taken the day after the hurricane. There was vibrant sunshine behind me….in front of me darkness and the ocean. I still look at this photo and can’t get over the vibrant power of nature I felt that day. The waves crashing in this heightened state of urgency. The dark & white…

Morning came and much of Coney Island had been destroyed.  The beach torn to shreds and remains of homes, boats, industrial refrigerators covered the beach.  The rides were damaged from the salt water that swirled relentlessly into it’s gears.  A thick layer of disgusting muck covered everything.  Many of the cars on the street had…

So, I have good news and bad news…. Good news… The interior of my shop on the boardwalk miraculously has minimal damage. Bad news…. The interior of my shop in Surf Ave is totaled. It’s hard to comprehend how the water did so much damage. The police told me there was a churning whirlpool of…

THE LOLA STAR BOARDWALK BOUTIQUE’S STILL STANDING!!!! The morning after the storm, my friend sent me a photo of my shop. Miraculously, my beautiful new sign is still there! Only some minimal damage to the awning! My pink sand bags are still in place! There’s probably flooding damage on the inside but at least the…

“The worst of the storm is here, and it’s devastating Coney” ~ Coney’s Councilmember Domenic Recchia This heartbreaking photo shows Coney Island submerged in water. The dark storm howls outside as the neighborhood literally fights for its life. It is already apparent that the storm has caused extensive damage to Coney Island and the night…

Sigh… The flooding in Coney Island has already begun. The streets are already submerged and this is only the beginning of Hurricane Sandy. BUT My pink sandbags have really set a new standard in storm preparedness couture! Already they’ve been featured on NY1 News and, after being photographed by the Associated Press, they’ve appeared in…

Apparently this rumored Frankenstorm is no joke! I decided its better to be safe so I raced out to Coney Island to batten down the hatches of my shops! We filled pink sandbags & tried to move merchandise up! I hope it is all needless like last year’s hurricane scare! I have a couple of…

This Wednesday 7PM at the Brooklyn Historical Society!! Join us this Wednesday at the Brooklyn Historical Society to see Lola Star speak about the state of affairs, recent changes and the past 7 years of redevelopment of Coney Island. She will be speaking with photographer Harvey Stein, whose forward she wrote for his recent book…