Tom New York Salon Celebrates Grand Opening in Style

Tom Pecora, owner of new Merrick salon Tom New York at 135 Merrick Road, likes to dive into things head-first.

While most businesses tend to hold what is known as a soft opening several months before their grand opening in order to iron out potential kinks in their operations, Pecora instead opted to throw caution to the wind and hold his ribbon cutting ceremony a mere one day after he opened his salon’s doors to the public.

However, despite only being in business for a little more than 24 hours, Tom New York was already bursting with clientele in all phases of the hair styling process.

“We’re hoping that the work speaks for itself, as well as the ambiance of the whole place,” he said. “We have a great staff who bring out the best in our customers and we’d love to have people come on down and give us a try.”

Choosing the former location of a salon called Osio Salon on Merrick Road to set up shop, Pecora, a first-time business owner, moved in and transformed the establishment to fit his vision for his own idea of what a hairstyling boutique should be.

“We came in and renovated it,” he said. “The salon that was already here is basically what you see now. But we did the landscaping and the grounds outside and added our own personal touches to it.”

Tom New York, unlike some salons, employs a more narrow and focused approach to their services.

“We’re strictly haircuts, coloring and make-up. That’s it,” he said. “We’re really just concentrating on just those three areas.”

Chopping locks is old hat to Pecora, who finally got the desire to open his own salon after his previous employer changed locations.

“I’ve been in Merrick for 42 years, working and cutting hair,” he said. “My former boss moved to Westbury and I didn’t want to move with him, so I decided it was time to strike out on my own. It was scary, but it’s been good so far.”

Tom New York’s ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by the Merrick Chamber of Commerce and several local politicians, including Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg (D-Merrick), who wished Pecora well in his new endeavor.

“Opening up a new establishment in Merrick in means several things,” Denenberg said. “For local residents, it means new business to help the local tax base. For the business, it means they have neighbors that know to shop locally and support their local merchants. And to anyone on Merrick Road, it means that our revitalization of the area is working.”

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