40 Love Lifestyle Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
Last year, Shauna Devardo and Fiona Branchinelli opened the doors to their new tennis retail shop as 40 Love Lifestyle joining the Manhasset community.
“40 Love Lifestyle was created with the idea of bringing a unique experience to Manhasset, where our local customers could benefit from finding the perfect outfit, the equipment necessary and all the encouragement needed to pursue their hobby,” explained Branchinelli.
Now one year later, the store is thriving, 40 Love, which they refer to as a “Sportique”, combining both fashion and sport needs, has a wide array of selections for tennis players of all levels and ages, and has expanded to offer other sports.
Beyond tennis, 40 Love Lifestyle includes badminton, pickleball, racquetball and even golf. The goal of 40 Love Lifestyle is to provide its customers with equipment and apparel that inspires you to feel your best while being active and living your best life.
Prior to opening their doors early last year, the two co-founders had never owned or operated a retail store, let alone a tennis retail store. Devardo had experience owning a bakery, but as she says, that wasn’t comparable to the ins-and-outs of running a tennis place.
“I only started playing tennis during the COVID pandemic, so everything about this was new to me,” said Devardo. “So in year one, I essentially got a crash course in tennis, I went to tennis university. There are so many little things you learn along the way in addition to the typical day-to-day business decisions you have to make. When I went to buy my first racquet, I just wanted a pretty blue one, but now I know all about different models, and the specifications for each one, and which racquets are best for a particular person, so its things like that. I could fill a book with the amount of tennis knowledge I have now compared to when I started.”
Devardo has even learned how to string racquets now and says that that aspect of the business is thriving. Over the course of the last year, the two co-owners have learned a lot about both the industry but also themselves, and while some mistakes have been made along the way, those have presented learning opportunities which they will carry into year two.
“We hope to fix a lot of those in year two, like ordering things properly, or making sure we stay up to date what’s new and trendy,” Branchinelli added. “We then want to create a system, almost like a manual, that we can use to open up locations in other towns. That’s eventually the goal, and for the time being we are focused on doing our best to meet the needs of our community here.”
Beyond being simply a retail shop for tennis, pickleball or golf needs, 40 Love Lifestyle is a place where people can hang out, discuss tennis and meet new people.
“We’ve met tennis players from all over. We wanted to have that local feel where everyone can come together,” said Devardo. “I’ve played tennis with a lot of the customers who have come in, and it’s great to be a part of this tennis world. People come in and tell stories, they love telling us about their latest matches or what’s going on in their lives.”
40 Love Lifestyle has carved out its spot in the Long Island tennis community, and as they continue to grow their brand and business, exciting things are in store as they move into year two of existence. It’s more than simply a tennis shop, but a sportique that has something for everyone, from outfits and racquets to novelty gift items for the tennis lover in your life.
“We are doing the best we can and are excited for things to come in the future,” Devardo added. “We’re still figuring out what works and what doesn’t work, and we’re having fun doing so.”
