A leap of faith turns a childhood love into a life calling
Servicing the spiritual needs of a community for more than 40 years, Greystone Abbey Religious Goods is an iconic sight among the many stores lining Westbury Road in Carle Place.
Upon walking through the front door of the shop, one is immediately overtaken not only by the many beautiful and emotionally poignant items for sale adorning the walls and shelves, but also by the sudden rush of tranquility that seemingly flows over you. This common phenomena is certainly no accident, according to owner Tamara Musella.
“We tried to make it peaceful. You come out of the chaos of life when you come in here, and you can just take a breather,” she said. “It’s about caring for people who come here and making them happy, and how I can do that is by bringing them closer to God.”
Musella, a Westbury resident, said that ever since childhood, she had been fascinated with religious stores.
“I would go to them, wherever they were, and stare at the statues and I just had to touch them all. I was just always so fascinated,” she said. “Growing up with that fascination, I would always stop in religious stores. I like the ambiance and seeing the kind of people who came in was always a big draw to me. Priests, friars, community leaders…people I wanted to surround myself with because they had something that I wanted, which was peace.”
Greystone Abbey has been open for almost 40 years. Its founder, Jack Graham, was a neighbor of Musella’s and under his ownership the business was primarily a bookstore. After 15 years Graham sold it to another of Musella’s neighbors, two women by the names of Joan and Rosemarie, who took the establishment from a simple bookstore and expanded its stock to include a greater variety of items. To that end, today’s Greystone Abbey humbly boasts of just about anything a Catholic or Christian could ever possibly want or need, including statues, greeting and prayer cards, candles, videos, garments, artwork and much more.
Joan and Rosemarie eventually looked to retirement, and it was then, in December of 2014, that Musella took Greystone Abbey over herself. Previously, she had worked in the hospitality business until getting married, moving to Westbury, and having two children, at which time she settled into the life of a happy homemaker. However, it was by her faith and fond memories of Catholic stores that she began to frequent Greystone Abbey as a regular customer. When she found out that it was up for sale, she said she and her husband jumped at the chance.
“My children are older now—my daughter is 12 and my son is 16 —and I talked it over with my husband, who is an attorney and he was very supportive,” she said. “This isn’t a get rich quick scheme, to be sure, but we decided to give it a shot…I prayed about the whole thing, and asked God if he wanted me to run a store while raising two kids. I’m managing to do it.”
Having no experience in the retail sector, Musella was given a crash course on the ins-and-outs of the business by the previous owners and soon was running Greystone Abbey like a champ. In addition to offering a huge amount of religious gifts, supplies, and items, she also hosts regular events such as prayer sessions and book signings by Catholic authors.
Taking her childhood fascination and making it a new part of her life in the form of a career is one of the best decisions she’s ever made, Musella said.
“It was a pretty smooth process, because the customers who come in here are very nice and helpful. Things are going very smoothly,” Musella said. “Believe it or not, running a store and working in hospitality or running a home are all very similar…you’re dealing with people and wanting to create a peaceful atmosphere where they can talk, enjoy themselves and be happy.”
Visit Greystone Abbey Religious Goods at 564 Westbury Ave. in Carle Place or online at www.greystoneabbeyny.com.
