Beast: Sports Clothing, Jewelry and Much More

“We are a store where you can find a better depth of selection of sports clothing than many local stores,” says co-owner of Beast Len Zaccaro, “and whatever team we do not have in stock, we can order for you in the sizes you need, no problem. This is what separates us from the big box retailers.”

“The key on what makes us successful,” added co-owner Mike Vicchio, “is we get
to do something we both love doing and working with merchandise we both like.
We enjoy to making our customers happy by listening to what they would want to
buy.”

Opened in 2012, Beast is a relatively new business to the Boulevard. Not quite a clothing store or gift shop, Beast offers an array of logoed sports clothing and caps, music clothing and jewelry. They also have an array of cell phone accessories.

“I met Mike originally at Sprint when we were both selling phones, so we both know a lot about that business. Although we don’t sell the actual service, we sell all the items that you would need for a cell phone like protective cases, chargers and decorative holders,” Len explained. If someone needed assistance with the cell phone, both can refer customers to their contacts in the industry.

“We sell a pretty extensive selection of sporting and music tees,” Mike said. “If we don’t have it in stock, we can order it quickly. You would be surprised that we get more orders for out of town teams than for the local teams. That’s what’s unique about the business. When you go to the local mall stores, you will only find a small selection of team clothing outside the Giants and Jets. If there is a special Rock Music tee that a client is looking for, we will research it and find it for them. We like the challenge of finding it.”

Len Zaccaro is a native of Paterson, a Don Bosco Tech Alumnus and had studied Music Education at Montclair State University. This Nutley resident credits some of the businesses success to his 17 year daughter.

“My daughter has been a good consultant. She gives us good advice on what kids are looking for today.” Mike Vicchio is a Cliffside Park native, a Cliffside Park Alumnus and is retired after four years in the Army as a Specialist. He currently lives in Hasbrouck Heights with his wife, Randy and his son, Tyler. On top of his time at Beast, Mike is also active in local sporting teams as a professional referee.

“That’s what I like about being my own boss,” Mike said. “Is the ability to pursue my other interests in the sports field.”

“When I left the Army, I was working various jobs until I went to work at Sprint. I worked for them for eight years and was managing the store when I met Len,” Mike said. “After a while, we both wanted to work for ourselves and create our own business selling merchandise that we liked,” Len added. “When the Sprint store closed, we decided it was time to be our own bosses.”

“We started selling the sports shirts and caps, then carried music tees and added all the cell phone accessories as we developed our client base,” Len said. “What made this location attractive is that we are close to the high school and get a lot of input from the students who shop here. They tell us things that they would like to see carried in the store and what other kids might want to buy.” “We try to order the most unusual items, things not available in the local stores,” Mike added. “The best part is interacting with the kids, which is something they would not get at a local mall store. The local high school kids enjoy shopping here.”

There is a whole selection of women’s goods as well.
"We don’t want our customers thinking this is a Men’s store. Beast carries a large assortment of jewelry, rings and bracelets, backpacks and purses,” Mike said. “These is pretty much something for everyone here and our prices are lower most of our mall competitors.”

“The response to the store has been great,” Len said. “We have had a lot of support in this community and our customers enjoy having a business like this in town.” ‘The nice part about owning your business is that you can also keep ahead of the trends,” Mike added. “We are able to change our assortment quickly to what our customers’ request. Their interaction with us is what has made Beast a big success in town and we hope to see everyone in soon.”

Beast
246A Boulevard
Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604
(201) 426-0558