Lucky in Lindenhurst: Local Store Sells Winning Powerball Ticket

A trip to the local stationery store paid off big time for a group of co-workers. Emphasis on “paid.”

The Maulik and Chandni stationery store on West Montauk Highway in Lindenhurst sold the sole winning ticket in Wednesday's Powerball drawing. The prize: a cool $201.9 million. A pretty impressive transaction for the store to go along with its daily sales of newspapers and Snickers.

"[It's] very exciting," store owner Parul Patel said. "First point it's New York, not out of state, then it's Long Island, then Lindenhurst. That's the big thing."

According to Newsday, the ticket was reportedly sold to .

A man who answered the phone in the store's administrative office Thursday afternoon said employees were "not allowed to disclose any information about that," when asked about the report of the lottery win.

The Newsday report said the 20 people with the sole winning Quick-Pick ticket were in a "lottery club" at the store on Broadhollow Road.

Carolyn Hapeman, spokesperson for New York Lottery, told Lindenhurst Patch Friday that, yes, the “popular rumor” was that the winners were from the Costco in Melville, but no one has “officially come forward with a signed ticket…they have a year from the date of the ticket to do that.”

Patel says the person who bought the winner had been purchasing weekly lottery tickets at the store for a while, and she believes that person resides in Lindenhurst.

"It's exciting, happy...at least [it's] more than one person, a group; that's a big thing, so many people. It makes me happy," Patel said.

This isn't the first time Lady Luck has descended upon the store. Maulik and Chandni sold a second-place Lotto ticket worth more than $96,000 a year ago, and sold a $1 million instant-win, scratch-off game in 2006, according to the New York Lottery.

"People always say this is a lucky place," Patel said.

It was a crazy day at the store, with the phone ringing non-stop. Reporters were stopping by since it was announced the store sold the ticket. Regular customers also offered their congratulations since the store will be awarded $10,000 for selling the winning ticket, according to the Lottery.

Mike from Lindenhurst says he'll make it a point to keep buying his lottery tickets here.

"Absolutely, to see if lightning strikes twice," he said.

The news that the jackpot was won here had folks scrambling to find their tickets, .

"For a split second I said, did I play?" said Mike Mancini of Lindenhurst. "I had a feeling it was you guys; you have a lucky store."

The winning combination was 8, 18, 38, 46 and 56, with the winning Powerball 31. If you're a winner, congratulations, and...why are you reading this? You're a millionaire; go out and celebrate!

Ryan Bonner contributed to this story.