By Ivan Pereira
After years of operating successful department stores in Great Neck, L.I., Kyuang Lee has expanded the business she co-owns with her husband with a new store in Bayside.
Lee, a South Korean immigrant, said she decided to open Bayside Luggage & Bags at 213-09 Northern Blvd. because Queens did not have any shops that gave consumers a wide variety of luggage, backpacks and other carrying accessories.
“I think in this area, people go to big department stores and find the luggage there is only a small part of the store,” she said.
The store carries a wide variety of bags that are suited for everybody’s needs from backpacks for small children to designer purses.
Lee said she offers brand names at 20 percent discount and she has thought about the different types of luggage consumers need for their specific trips.
“Families who go on vacation usually buy bigger luggage to fit all of their clothes. For a business trip you would need something that holds three or four suits. Students that go to camp or college, they need something that they can carry in a backpack,” she said.
Some 15 years ago, Lee’s husband bought Kossoff’s in Great Neck and the couple continues to operate it to this day. In addition to luggage, the store, which has been open for nearly 40 years, according to Lee, sells various goods like toys, games and stationery.
Lee said she and her husband have always considered opening a second store and when space opened up at the Northern Bell Plaza, they took a chance and opened Bayside Luggage & Bags in August.
Lee said Bayside was always their hope for the location not only because her family used to live there, but also because it was a welcoming neighborhood to commute to from her Great Neck home.
“I like the area. People are very nice,” she said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
