North Shore Interiors Moves to East Main

Sharon Zalinger's  has been in business for over 20 years and she estimates that she has a client base of over 700 people. With the holidays approaching, she was also coming up on her busy season. So it wasn't easy when she was informed the store she was renting on  for more than six years had been sold and she had to move out to make room for a new business.

"I lost a month," Zalinger said. "I was not the time to move."

She searched for a new place and happened on an available space on East Main Street that ironically, her old neighbor had just vacated, an upscale stationary store called Just A Note.

"She was my neighbor on Barnum Avenue," said Zalinger.

She didn't want to go far from her old location and thought that the space was convenient for her customers so she rented it. Zalinger spend the next month getting the space ready for her business and moving all of her merchandise.

She explained that North Shore Interiors is a full service, custom interior design business that also sells furniture, flooring, blinds, window treatments and design accessories. She has all types of decorating items in her store and consults on jobs from total renovations to individual rooms for residential and commercial customers.

She says that her lifelong, hands on experience in custom construction helps when it comes design jobs and she works with contractors of every trade from kitchen cabinet makers to plumbers and painters.

"My family has always been in the custom home improvement business," Zalinger said. "I know all the right and wrong things to do from floor to ceiling."

Like most businesses North Shore Interiors has felt the economic crunch lately. Some things she's been doing differently include sending out DVDs to client to explain some of her new products and provide design ideas.

Despite the fact that she lost time on the unexpected move when her busy season should have been ramping up, Zalinger has put the whole experience into a positive light.

"It can be for the better," she said. "Things happen for a reason."

One thing she likes about her new location is the increased foot traffic, a big difference from her old location where she said almost no one just came in off the street.

"A lot of festivities go on here so now I can be a part of them," Zalinger said. "I'm more a part of the community.