SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Loraine Koury has served as a staple in the Westcott Community for nearly 40 years. Last month, the founder of Boom Babies passed away and left a lasting impact on those around her.
Boom Babies general manager, Mackenzie Wilkinson, mentioned that Koury would hire young women, who maybe didn’t know what they wanted to do or just needed a job. And she would give them the confidence and the push they needed to do more with their lives. She also mentioned that along with empowering her employees Koury truly cared about the surrounding area.
“She would go to town board meetings and fight for the Westcott Community and the business nearby,” Wilkinson Said.
As for Koury’s impact on her customers, Janice Margatelli says that Koury “was always smiling and was a staple in everybody’s life.”
Boom Babies has been bombarded with love notes and gifts for the late founder. Her funeral procession stopped by the store on the way to the funeral, and was met with dozens of people showing respect for such an amazing person.
Although Koury has passed, her employees are continuing to run the store in her honor. Boom Babies is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and is open on the weekends from 11 a.m.-6 a.m.