The Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce is reorganizing itself. It has closed its office at 34 Audrey Avenue and Executive Director Toni Junjulas is no longer with them. W. Adam Mandelbaum, Esq., spokesperson for the chamber said, "We are going under a restructuring to become more efficient, and more aggressive for the Oyster Bay businesses interests. We've cut our overhead significantly, by using our board members to volunteer their services and facilities. We are using my office at 10 Audrey Ave. for board meetings temporarily and I am responding to phone and mail inquires for the chamber.

"We've already gotten in line some local merchant discounts for members and we are working on more. They include my offering of a half-hour free legal consultation; Il Piatto, Canterbury Ales and Evolution Gym are offering discounts to members of the chamber."

Attorney Mandelbaum said, "Certainly the discount package is far in excess of the membership dues if someone wants to take advantage of them."

The first step in the restructuring was cutting expenses. He said, "The executive director position no longer exists. Board members have volunteered to take over those duties. That will save us a considerable amount of money. We are making much more use of the talent and expertise of our board members. We are trying to minimize our overhead so we can maximize the benefits to members."

He added, "Toni Junjulas gave six years of dedicated service to the organization and we appreciate what she did."

The chamber also closed its office at 34 Audrey Ave. in the rear of Sherlock Homes Real Estate. "We cut some $40,000 from our overhead and we are looking forward to new members coming on board. This is the phoenix that is rising from the ashes," he said.

"We will be using the office space of several members, including mine and John Specce's. We will use them for board meetings. We also have some exciting speakers in line for next year dealing with small business management and financial management and marketing. For example I will talk about laws the entrepreneur needs to know. Another person will talk about marketing for small businesses. Dr. Jack Mandel is one of those who will be an upcoming speaker. We also have a speaker from the Community Development Corporation who will give a presentation in the spring," he said.

"What I'd like to say is we are becoming more focused on tangible useful information for businesses in the hamlet. We will be having networking and cross merchandising opportunities for local businesses. This will be a whole different chamber. We are looking at 2006 for a whole revamped chamber," said Mr. Mandelbaum.

New officers for 2006 haven't been nominated as yet. That will happen at the Dec. 28 closed board meeting in Mr. Mandelbaum's office. Chamber Secretary John Specce said it will be a new board with new officers although that doesn't mean that present members won't be on the board.

The planned 75th Anniversary gala will not take place. Mr. Mandelbaum said, "Instead we plan to channel our resources into finding benefits for members. Not-for-profits have to realize that even though they are not businesses they must be managed in a business-like manner and we will be doing that for the chamber."

Mr. Specce said, "While this year the holiday lights didn't go up in the hamlet, the holiday banners did. Bob Whaley & Sons, through Tom Schwind's efforts, put up the holiday banners. For about the last 10 years, we put up wreaths and not the decorative lights the chamber had. Last year, a committee restored the lights and put them up. [Chris Briggs used his company's bucket truck to put the lights up.] This year we got approval from LIPA to put them up and we were going to install them but the cost was prohibitive. The town graciously looked into helping us with that but they couldn't do it.

"There are the lighted wreaths on Audrey Avenue that was done through the efforts of Main Street. Unfortunately we just couldn't do the lights this year. Perhaps next year we will be able to do it. Decorating a village is important. It provides a nice atmosphere, a holiday sense and people enjoy them. We just couldn't do it this year if someone wasn't going to do it on a pro-bono basis," said Mr. Specce.

Many merchants have made an effort to decorate their stores. Buckingham Variety store is looking wonderful as are Ben's Garden, Chalikian's, Dodds & Eder and Woodstocks on the corner of Lexington Avenue and South Street. A chamber member took care of decorating the gazebo area opposite the post office.

Mr. Mandelbaum said "This is the rebirth for a whole new chamber. It will be quality over quantity. We'll give them something useful.Our focus now, is all stuff and no puff. We are looking to become a real solid group. I've gotten a lot of inquiries in the last few weeks from people wanting to join. So maybe our renaissance will begin," he said.

The chamber has sent out letters to renew membership. It says, "We are focused on working with members' support to make the community a better place to live by strengthening our economic base, attracting new businesses and providing visitor services. The chamber is the only organization in Oyster Bay to speak with one voice on behalf of the business owner.

"As part of the dues structure, your business will be automatically listed on the chamber website and the 2006 Business Directory. Directories are distributed at all chamber events and located in kiosks throughout the village and waterfront. If you have a website for your business and wish a direct link from the chamber's site, please include it on your application. These are valuable advertising tools that help promote your business."

The chamber website has had some difficulties. Presently it lists Tom Vieweg as chamber president and Sue Manno as treasurer: Both are no longer with the chamber.

The website has a letter to readers that is dated Dec. 1, 2004 and includes a membership application for 2005. Mr. Mandelbaum said he is coordinating the chamber's website. "It is a work in progress," he said.

Rotarian Tom Reardon (of Reardon Raplee, Melman & Lindner) remembered when he was president of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce in 1980 and '79 and how they handled decorating the hamlet for the holidays. He said, "There was an energy crisis and there was a move afoot to save energy so we didn't put up Christmas decorations for about two years, around 1977, '78 or '79. One year, for the holidays, the chamber sold live Christmas trees. They were about 2 or 3 feet high, and we delivered them in a roasting pan and all the store owners were to decorate them with oyster shells.

"Then the energy crisis abated and we decided to try and do white lights in the hamlet because the Milleridge Inn looked so nice decorated with white lights.

"We hired someone to put the white lights on the trees on Audrey Avenue and South Street for about two or years. Joe McLaughlin and I went around and energized each one. We ran extension wires to each individual store. They gave us permission to go through a window or door or whatever. That lasted for a few years.

"Then someone said 'they don't look so good. Let's spend some money and get some great decorations.' We found a place in Pennsylvania that sold decorations and we bought terrific decorations.

"The cost was about $7 to $8,000 and the chamber had no money. So, myself, Demo Scutakes, Joe McLaughlin and Robbie Hallock - who else - we personally guaranteed a loan to buy the Christmas decorations and they got put up. At that time we had a very active chamber.

"Carol Lombardi would go around the downtown to the businesses and solicit money for the holiday decorations and we used to get donations and the chamber ended up paying for them. But we stuck out our necks - real far!

"Joe was in retail with Dodds & Eder; Demo ran the Sweet Shop, I didn't have a retail business, and Robbie ran Hallock Chevrolet.

"We also had a sign saying 'Happy Holiday,' not Holidays. The reason is because the street was not wide enough to put the 'S' on the sign. There's an 'S' around, probably in my garage. We just couldn't find a street wide enough for the "Holidays."

"Those decorations needed to be refurbished and the garland re-done. Every year someone says we should refurbish them. By the time they think of doing it, it's too late. You have to think of it in October, not December," he said.

Mr. Reardon said he was active with the chamber for about 30 years. "I started with the chamber in 1974, 31 years is enough."

[Mr. Reardon still volunteers with the Oyster Festival, which he helped start when he was a chamber member. He will be the general chair of the 2006 Festival along with co-chairs Paul Rosen and Judy Wasilchuk.]