By Lisa Kava

On the east side of Columbus Avenue, just north of 86th Street sits a cheerful shop that feels like one you might stumble upon in a small resort town rather than in the midst of a big city. The Sunshinery, with its bright yellow sign, scented candles, background jazz, and assortment of feel-good items has the feeling of a boutique one strolls into while on vacation after dinner and ice cream. The store carries jewelry, coffee mugs, picnic blankets, photo frames, reading glasses, note pads, calendars, weekend bags, water bottles, and more. There is also a small children’s section.

Owner Jennifer Simoni, who is in the store regularly, welcomes customers with an upbeat attitude and a contagious smile. “I grew up in a small suburb in southern New Jersey near the beach,” Simoni told West Side Rag in an interview inside the store. ”Main Street in my town was a hub of independent stores and I always enjoyed that. I wanted to recreate that vibe in the city.” 

Simoni moved to the Upper West Side with her husband in 2011 and immediately fell in love with the neighborhood, the access to Central and Riverside Parks, and the “friendly, interesting residents,” she told the Rag. Their daughter was born shortly after. “The Upper West Side felt like a small town within a big city to me and I love that Upper West Siders take a great deal of pride in living here,” she said. When Covid hit in 2020, and many NYC residents fled the city, Simoni and her husband had the opposite reaction: “People really looked out for one another here. I felt an enormous sense of community. We all checked on our neighbors and left packages outside our doors. We decided we didn’t want to live anywhere else.”

A former marketing executive, Simoni says she always dreamed of opening a “Main Street type shop” on an actual Main Street at some point in her life. When she and her family decided to set down roots and stay in the city, she began to search for the right spot. The space at 551 Columbus Avenue that is now the Sunshinery was empty for six years, and had once been a Western Union. Simoni passed it daily as she walked her daughter, now 12, to school, noticing the “For Rent” sign in the window.

Finally, in December 2022, she signed a lease and opened The Sunshinery right before the holidays, after renovating the space, painting walls, fixing the floor, and adding new lighting. “I couldn’t think too much more about it. I just needed to open,” she said.  “I wanted to appeal to people either strolling the neighborhood or looking for a gift. I wanted to create a ‘feel good shop’ with the idea of ‘shop local, shop happy’”.

Simoni tries to feature merchandise from women-owned businesses. She also strives to carry goods which are sourced from fair trade certified companies with sustainable practices. “For example we carry mugs from a company in Peru that teaches people in poverty-stricken villages how to make porcelain. The idea is to give them a skill so that they can earn a living. I want to support companies that do that.” 

Supporting the Upper West Side is equally important to Simoni. She sells hats, bags, and sweatshirts with an UWS logo, manufactured by an Upper West Sider. She sells paintings by local artists. She has hosted embroidery classes taught by a local resident. She has worked with the Upper West Side creator of Hats for the Homeless to help donate over 500 hats to local shelters. She speaks highly of other independent stores in the neighborhood. “Magpie, KT Collection, West Side Kids  have been around forever and I hope they are around for another gazillion years,” she said. “I firmly believe the more small businesses in the neighborhood, the better for all businesses.”

WSR asked Simoni how she came up with the name The Sunshinery. “I wanted a name that was made up, Sunshinery isn’t a word,”  she said. “I wanted a name that would evoke a feeling of happiness, a mini escape.” West Side Rag watched that happiness in action on our visit. One couple walked in and purchased a photo frame, another woman purchased a Taylor Swift themed candle as a gift for a friend. A young woman chatted excitedly with Simoni as she bought candles and beach towels for a baby shower gift. 

“It is my hope that feeling happy can have a ripple effect on the neighborhood,” Simoni told the Rag. “When someone leaves here with a smile, that person may pass it along to others as they walk down the street. It’s amazing to be a part of that.”

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