LI Cleaners Recipient Of Barstool Sports' Small Business Fund

WEST ISLIP, NY — A local business struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic recently got the surprise of a lifetime.

Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, started a fund to help small businesses across the country. So far he has raised more than $20 million to help 93 businesses — including West Islip's Colony French Cleaners on the Montauk Highway.

Owner Charlie Stern said he and his family are big fans of Portnoy and Barstool and became aware of the fund through social media. They learned that Portnoy was very upset with "the way the government was handling shutting down the restaurants in Manhattan and shutting down businesses in general," according to Stern.

"He was very vocal about it, so somebody challenged him to put his money where his mouth is," Stern told Patch. "So he immediately put up $500,000 of his own money and invited 'Stoolies' to donate what they can to this small business fund."

After learning of this fund, Stern's daughter wrote in a letter about their business and Stern submitted a video.

"I thought, 'Business is really bad, we need to do something, so let's try it,'" he said.

Last week, he got a FaceTime call from Portnoy to say they are a recipient of the fund. The money will help Stern pay rent and payroll until the pandemic is over.

"The dry cleaning business was hit terribly because everyone stopped going to work, everybody stopped going to weddings, there was no prom season, no funerals, no nothing, so nobody was wearing dress clothes at all ... our business was stopped," Stern said. "Even though we were considered an essential business ... it became very difficult."

Stern, who opened his business in Sept. 1991, has lived in West Islip for 28 years and raised his children here. In that time, he said he has not experienced a hardship like the coronavirus pandemic since 9/11.

Stern said residents of West Islip and surrounding communities have stepped up to help keep him in business.

"The community has been so receptive of what's happened to me," he said. "The support that the people have given us has been overwhelming and it's just amazing."

While customers don't have many dress clothes to bring for cleaning, Stern said they have been finding things to bring to the cleaners, even comforters, just to help out.

Stern said he never expected Barstool Sports to help out, too.

"If there is another shutdown who knows what will happen, but this will help us," he said. "I want to give a special thanks to Barstool and the community who has helped us."