Stony Brook, NY – Stony Brook Hamlet is located in New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, just 60 miles from Manhattan. Stony Brook Village Center, created in 1941, is considered the first planned business community in the United States, and will make its mark on December 1 as the first community in the country to accept China’s leading mobile wallet payment platforms. Alipay and WeChat Pay account for 90% of the Chinese mobile payment market share with over 1 billion active users.
The majority of establishments in this quaint, historic village, as well as its environs, have partnered with CITCON, a cross-border mobile payment leader to accept Alipay and WeChat via CITCON’s smart mobile point-of-sale (mPOS), easy-to-integrate API and software products to provide the most preferred payment options for Chinese consumers. “We are thrilled to partner with Stony Brook Village and make it the first community in the U.S. to accept Alipay and WeChat Pay.” said Chuck Huang, Founder and CEO of CITCON, “Mobile payment is the future of commerce, and by accepting the most preferred payment options for Chinese travelers makes it easy for businesses to provide a delightful experience and engage with millions of Chinese consumers.”
Alipay, the world’s largest mobile and online payment platform, provides in-store payment service in more than 30 countries across the world; and WeChat Pay, a fully integrated payment solution within WeChat, the world’s most popular mobile social communications service with 980 million active users envisions and innovates new ways for people to connect, communicate and share. CITCON’s payment solutions enable cross-border payments for Chinese consumers to purchase goods and services overseas in Chinese Yuan and for merchants to be settled in local currencies. Adding these payment options allows merchants to gain the opportunity to better service the Chinese traveler, and tap into an even larger revenue stream from one billion Chinese consumers who are the largest spenders, and the fastest growing traveler segment to North America.
China is the largest market for U.S. travel and tourism goods and services and astronomical growth is anticipated in the next few years. Six million Chinese tourists are expected to visit the U.S. by the year 2020.
Discover Long Island’s President and CEO, Kristen Jarnagin says, “Chinese travelers are changing the scope of the international tourism market and Long Island is not only excited to welcome them but prepared to provide them with an experience steeped in convenience and ease that they are accustomed to. This new advancement, combined with our destination’s diverse assets and proximity to New York City, gives Long Island an unmatched competitive edge in luring the lucrative Chinese visitor.”
WMHO has spearheaded this effort with ALON Marketing Group to bring together 30 organizations including restaurants, hotels, retail services, attractions and transportation to offer these services. IN ADDITION, THROUGH THE PURCHASE OF A STONY BROOK VILLAGE CENTER GIFT CERTIFICATE AT WMHO’S EDUCATIONAL & CULTURAL CENTER OR THEIR MANAGEMENT OFFICE, 111 MAIN STREET IN STONY BROOK, Asian customers can also make purchases at: Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University, Chico’s, LOFT, Crabtree & Evelyn, Brew Cheese, Wish, Roseland School of Dance, MensRoom Barber, Village Coffee Market, Lake Side Emotions Wine Boutique and WMHO Heritage Gift Shop. This will accommodate Asian Long Island residents and Stony Brook University faculty and students. The Asian population, as it stands today, is 16% in a one mile radius of the Stony Brook Village Center. Gloria Rocchio, President of The Ward Melville Heritage Organization says, “Stony Brook is an international community. Partnering with Ali Pay and We Chat Pay provides the Asian resident and visitor with a familiar way of payment and makes the area Asian-friendly.”
Photo Credit: WMHO
About THE WARD MELVILLE HERITAGE ORGANIZATION
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO), founded in 1939, is a privately funded not-for-profit corporation. The Stony Brook Village Center, known to be the first planned business community created in the United States, is located at Main Street on Stony Brook Harbor. WMHO and the Stony Brook Village Center is the creation of philanthropist Ward Melville. Its many unique features include a sweeping village green and crescent shaped design. In its early years the American Institute of Architects hosted an annual conference in Stony Brook to study his creation. The mechanical eagle on the Post Office pediment flaps its wings every hour on the hour from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM daily as it has done for over 75 years welcoming thousands of visitors to its specialty shops, restaurants, attractions and hotels. Ward Melville donated the land that Stony Brook University stands on today. WMHO owns and maintains numerous historic structures and environmentally sensitive areas in Stony Brook, New York. Thousands visit each year to participate in community arts and cultural enrichment events offered by WMHO such as outdoor festivals, wetlands cruises, musical theatre performances, Chinese New Year celebrations and Customer Appreciation Day festivities. WMHO also owns and oversees various historic properties in Stony Brook, Setauket and Head of the Harbor, New York that are on the New York State and National Register of Historic Places. They are available by appoint for tours and special programs. Visit www.stonybrookvillage.com.
About CITCON
Silicon Valley-based CITCON is the mobile payment solution leader for merchants to accept the fast-growing mobile wallets at the global scale. In North America, CITCON is the first and largest authorized merchant acquirer for WeChat Pay and Alipay, two of the most popular mobile wallet providers in the world with over 1 billion active users and over $800 billion mobile payment volume. CITCON provides both in-store, and mobile / web / E-commerce payment solutions for thousands of merchants including renowned brands such as DFS, Pacific Gateway, China Unicom, YamiBuy among others, covering a wide variety of business sectors such as Retail, Hotel, Food & Beverage, Transportation, Entertainment Education and E-commerce. CITCON was founded by Chuck Huang, a mobile payment veteran with over 10 years’ experience in financial services and payment industries in both China and the US. CITCON management team consists of payment and technology veterans from VISA, PayPal, eBay, Uber, JD, Western Union. CITCON is backed by top notch Silicon Valley venture capital firms and received strategic investments from two public-traded multi-billion-dollar technology companies in China. For more information, please visit http://www.citcon.com/.
Stony Brook University 2017 Demographics Data
- 3,143 of non resident alien students are Asian (out of 4,685)
- More than half of the international students come from Asian countries
Alipay & We Chat Pay Participants
Restaurants
- Pentimento Restaurant
Phone Number: 631-689-7755
Contact Name: Dennis Young
Email: Info@PentimentoRestaurant.com
Address: 89 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Crazy Beans
Phone Number: 631-675-6964
Contact Name: Callie Martino
Email: CrazyBeansrestaurant@gmail.com
Address: 97 A&B Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Sweet Mama’s
Phone Number: 631-512-0479
Contact Name: Marios Patatinis
Email: sb@sweetmamas.com
Address: 121 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Fratellis Italian Eatery
Phone Number: 631-751-4445
Contact Name: Claude Cardin
Email: ClaudeC@Fratellis.me
Address: 77 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Robinsons Tea Room
Phone Number: 631-873-6516
Contact Name: Danielle Munoz
Email: Robinsonstearoom@gmail.com
Address: 97E Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Mirabelle Restaurant & Tavern at Three Village Inn
Phone Number: 516-551-9727
Contact Name: Dan Laffitte
Email: Dan@lessings.com
Address: 150 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- The Country House Restaurant
Phone Number: 631-751-3332
Contact Name: Bob Willemstyn
Email: Countryhouse1710@verizon.net
Address: 1175 Route 25A P.O. Box 271, Stony Brook, NY 11790
Accommodations
- Three Village Inn
Phone Number: 631-751-0555
Contact Name: Dan Laffitte
Email: Dan@lessings.com
Address: 150 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Holiday Inn Express Stony Brook
Phone Number: 631-471-8000
Contact Name: Denean Lane
Email: Denean@stonybrookny.hiexpress.com
Address: 3131 Nesconset Hwy, Centereach, NY 11720
- Stony Brookside Bed & Bike
Phone Number: 631-675-0393
Contact Name: Elyse Buchman
Email: info@thestonybrookside.com
Address: 48 Main St, Stony Brook, NY 11790
Attractions
- Stony Brook Village Center
Phone Number: 631-751-2244
Contact Name: Marie Gilberti
Email: mgilberti@wmho.org
Address: 111 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- The Ward Melville Heritage Organization
Phone Number: 631-689-5888
Contact Name: Gloria Rocchio
Email: grocchio@wmho.org
Address: 111 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Stony Brook Harbor Kayak and Paddle Board Rentals
Phone Number: 631-631-834-3130
Contact Name: Nick Barbera
Email: SBHarborrentals@gmail.com
Address: 51 Shore Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Long Island Museum
Phone Number: 631-751-0066
Contact Name: Neil Watson
Email: Mail@longislandmuseum.org
Address: 1200 NY-25A, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Whisper Vineyards
Phone Number: 631-257-5222
Contact Name: Laura Gallagher
Email: Info@whispervineyards.com
Address: 485 Edgewood Ave., Saint James, NY 11780
- The Jazz Loft
Phone Number: 631-751-1895
Contact Name: Tom Manuel
Email: info@thejazzloft.org
Address: 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook, NY 11790
Retail
- Chocolate Works Stony Brook
Phone Number: 631-697-4395
Contact Name: Chris Daniels
Email: Chocolateworks@StonyBrook.com
Address: 143 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Cottontails
Phone Number: 631-689-9147
Contact Name: Julie McGuire
Email: Cottontailsstonybrook@gmail.com
Address: 113A Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Camera Concepts & Telescope Solutions
Phone Number: 631-475-1118
Contact Name: Jeff Norwood
Email: Camcon102@gmail.com
Address: 85 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Mint
Contact Name: Nora Lynn
Email: shopmintstonybrook@gmail.com
Address: 119 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- The Crushed Olive
Phone Number: 828-485-8635
Contact Name: Mona Rossero
Email: info@thecrushedolive.com
Address: 133 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Rocky Point Jewelers West
Phone Number: 631-751-3751
Contact Name: Linda Mammina
Email: info@rockypointjewelers.com
Address: 137 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
Services
- Village Florist & Events
Phone Number: 516-459-2344
Contact Name: Amanda Haggquist
Email: Amanda@villagefloristevents.com
Address: 135 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Blue Salon and Spa
Phone Number: 631-944-2996
Contact Name: Cathleen Hansen
Email: Bluesalonspa97@gmail.com
Address: 97D Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Harbor Cleaners
Phone Number: 631-751-0106
Contact Name: Sue Chang
Email: KYungSookc@gmail.com
Address: 73 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- KAH Fitness
Phone Number: 631-751-6680
Contact Name: Kimberly Harris
Email: kahppt@gmail.com
Address: 97F Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Cervo Design
Phone Number: 631-364-9600
Contact Name: Andrea Cervo
Email: Archdesign.ny@gmail.com
Address: 145 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- WatersEdge Dental
Phone Number: 631-751-0099
Contact Name: Dr. Morelli
Email: Rmorelli2@gmail.com
Address: 97 Main Street Suite M, Stony Brook, NY 11790
- Wiggs Opticians Inc.
Phone Number: 621-553-6747
Contact Name: Paul Mastrorocco
Email: Brookhavenopt@optonline.net
Address: 125 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790
Transportation
- Mark of Elegance
Phone Number: 631-582-4180
Contact Name: Marc Weinstein
Email: Info@marcofelegance.com
Address: 1717 Motor Pkwy, Hauppauge, NY 11788
