Business Profile: Coastal Island Treasures

When shoppers open the bright blue door at Coastal Island Treasures on Deer Park Avenue they step into a visually fascinating experience: “200 square feet packed to the gills with merchandise,” says owner Wally Levins.

From floor to ceiling, the store, which is long and narrow like a ship's hold, offers a dazzling display of nautically-inspired merchandise. 

And Levins, who with his beard and full head of hair looks a bit like an actual captain at the helm, keeps this ship well-stocked. 

“I once attended a seminar about retail showcasing,” recalled Levins. “I chuckled my way through the entire thing. You’re supposed to not crowd the merchandise, display things clearly, have a focal point. Well, here, the entire store is the focal point. Because of our size, we break every rule--we have to--but it works. And we’ve got great customers who love to come discover.”

The evolution of the colorful store is an interesting one, inspired in part by Levins’ personal history. 

“I grew up with boats,” said Levins. “One grandfather had a shipping business--schooners--and my other grandparents lived by the water. As a kid, I was already tying lines. And for five years, I lived on the water, in an old wooden cabin cruiser in Seaford.”

When the tech-bust of 2001-2002 hit, Levins’ job as a manager in a high-tech electronics company was outsourced overseas. So Levins decided on a “sea change” himself--a major one, into retailing.

“During trips out east and to Mystic, I wasn’t always happy with the nautical merchandise I found. I knew we could do better--introduce higher quality brass items, ship models, vintage pieces.”

Already a successful seller on e-bay, Levins also decided to enroll in what he calls “boot camp for experience in retail”: he opened a store in Eastport where he learned the ins and outs of selling. 

But the port-of-call out east was to be brief.   

“I learned a lot, but it’s extremely seasonal out there. After October, the volume of customers dropped. The commute was long. And I wanted to work in my own town.”

At the time, said Levins, there was only one place for rent in Babylon Village, and it wasn’t an optimal location. But he kept hoping, and finally, "one night, I turned up Deer Park Avenue and there it was--a 'for rent' sign in this spot. The sign had just gone up one day earlier. I jumped on it. Even with the small size, I knew I’d make it work.”

And he did. In autumn of 2005, Coastal Island Treasures threw open its hatches to fulfill Levins' vision of offering a quality selection with affordable pricing. Levins credits his family--wife Ruth and children Danny, 12, and Samantha, 8, with helping his success. “They’re very supportive of ... the things that go with owning your own small, local shop, always helping at our events.” 

And Levins speaks gratefully about his three years with the Chamber of Commerce, currently as vice president of events.

“I love contributing and am proud of the chamber’s accomplishments. There are great people involved. It’s a small chamber, so people’s voices matter and are listened to.”

"It's really fun doing this," says Levins. "I love my customers and selling these things."

Besides selling ships-in-bottles, Levins says his store once even served as matchmaker. "A man proposed to his girlfriend here. Two years earlier, they'd had an awkward first date, but then they wandered in here and began to talk about the interesting merchandise. That broke the ice for them. So when he was ready to ask her to marry him, he brought her here to do it. And ... she said 'yes.'"

Coastal Treasures is located at 61 Deer Park Ave , Babylon.