Author: Lola

Truly beautiful things are happening in Coney Island. Some of the most incredible outpouring of love & support I’ve ever witnessed. Coney Island is full of volunteers from all over the world, selflessly helping our community recover. The City has done a great job in organizing volunteers and  helping the community.  Councilmember Domenic Recchia (above)…

You can’t walk around Coney Island without seeing a strange and stunning juxtaposition of carnival items from the glittering days of Coney Island and the muddy puddles of today. I found this red dumpster full of dirty carnival prizes beside the Wonder Wheel. This dirty lone carnival game soldier was just hanging out of a…

In and effort to help raise money to rebuild Coney Island I created this “Coney Island Forever- 10-29-12,” design. The profits will be donated to the people and businesses in Coney Island who have been devastated by Hurricane Sandy. The Mermaid represents the Spirit of Coney Island carrying Coney safely through the storm. Even though…

When we cleared the entire  disgusting, mucky contents of my store out, I thought the worst was over….but I was wrong. I reached this high point of relief when my shop was clean & I envisioned being ready to start to rebuild. Then we realized that the nasty flood water had seeped into the walls…

  This photo was taken the day after the hurricane. There was vibrant sunshine behind me….in front of me darkness and the ocean. I still look at this photo and can’t get over the vibrant power of nature I felt that day. The waves crashing in this heightened state of urgency. The dark & white…

Morning came and much of Coney Island had been destroyed.  The beach torn to shreds and remains of homes, boats, industrial refrigerators covered the beach.  The rides were damaged from the salt water that swirled relentlessly into it’s gears.  A thick layer of disgusting muck covered everything.  Many of the cars on the street had…

So, I have good news and bad news…. Good news… The interior of my shop on the boardwalk miraculously has minimal damage. Bad news…. The interior of my shop in Surf Ave is totaled. It’s hard to comprehend how the water did so much damage. The police told me there was a churning whirlpool of…

THE LOLA STAR BOARDWALK BOUTIQUE’S STILL STANDING!!!! The morning after the storm, my friend sent me a photo of my shop. Miraculously, my beautiful new sign is still there! Only some minimal damage to the awning! My pink sand bags are still in place! There’s probably flooding damage on the inside but at least the…

“The worst of the storm is here, and it’s devastating Coney” ~ Coney’s Councilmember Domenic Recchia This heartbreaking photo shows Coney Island submerged in water. The dark storm howls outside as the neighborhood literally fights for its life. It is already apparent that the storm has caused extensive damage to Coney Island and the night…

Sigh… The flooding in Coney Island has already begun. The streets are already submerged and this is only the beginning of Hurricane Sandy. BUT My pink sandbags have really set a new standard in storm preparedness couture! Already they’ve been featured on NY1 News and, after being photographed by the Associated Press, they’ve appeared in…

Apparently this rumored Frankenstorm is no joke! I decided its better to be safe so I raced out to Coney Island to batten down the hatches of my shops! We filled pink sandbags & tried to move merchandise up! I hope it is all needless like last year’s hurricane scare! I have a couple of…