Charlotte's Of Farmingdale To Display Vintage Comic Posters With Charitable Element

FARMINGDALE, NY — For two days, Charlotte's Frozen Yogurt will transform into a viewing gallery of vintage Marvel Comics posters dating back to the 1960s.

From noon to 11 p.m. on June 29 and noon to 9 p.m. on June 30, people can visit 294 Main St., Farmingdale, to check out the massive collection — and perhaps grab some tasty ice cream or frozen yogurt, too. Each wall will be decorated with posters, including blacklight posters.

While the larger 2 feet by 3 feet posters are on loan and for viewing only, all proceeds from the sale of posters that are 11 inches by 17 inches will benefit Olivia Hope Foundation, a charity that has the mission of ending childhood cancer. A portion of dessert sales will also benefit the foundation, said Charlotte's owner Nick DeVito.

DeVito, a comic book fan himself, has posters displayed in his dessert shop year-round, which he said kids love. But there will be 100-times as many posters in the shop as usual.

"It’s going to bring a lot of people here," DeVito told Patch. "It’s going to bring old comic book fans — old guys like myself — but it’s also going to bring all the kids who are interested in the whole Marvel universe to see this amazing display. Rather than just do it for regular advertising for the store, we thought if we could combine it with a charity and do a little good with that crowd that’s coming here, and bring a little awareness to the charity, then it’s a win-win."

Olivia Hope Foundation was founded in memory of Olivia Hope LoRusso, who died of acute myeloid leukemia in 2017 at the age of 12.

Shelley LoRusso, Olivia's mother, co-founded the charity with Amy Nikolai, Linda Donato and Lauree Vasta. Olivia's sisters, Gianna and Sabrina, are also integral members of the foundation. Olivia Hope Foundation dreams to cure childhood cancer while helping children who are fighting the disease.

"Childhood cancer is something that everybody wants to help," DeVito said. "If there is any charity that everybody wants to help, it’s anything involved in childhood cancer. Coming from Syosset myself and knowing [the charity is] connected with Syosset made that one stand out. That, along with their mission and all the good things they are doing, made me think that was the one we would like to work with. They have a great mission. They have great goals, and I thought that would work for us."

Shelley LoRusso thanked DeVito for the opportunity.

"We are extremely excited because we believe it will be so impactful for us," LoRusso said.

DeVito said he doesn't know if there has ever been so many vintage Marvel posters on display in one place at the same time.

"It’s a mixture of some extremely valuable posters from poster sales that used to be in the back of comics in the 1960s and 70s to more modern posters that anybody can find on eBay or Amazon," he said. "There’s a mix of everything, so there’s something for everybody."

Charlotte's also has a restored speakeasy from the 1920s Prohibition era in the basement of its dessert shop. The speakeasy has won Best Nightclub on Long Island in the Bethpage Best of LI Awards for two straight years.

People can call the Charlotte's office phone number for more information at 516-586-8530.