CARLE PLACE, N.Y. – Elements Lighting & Décor received the ARTS Award for Best Lighting Showroom in the Eastern Region this year (its five prior wins placed it in the ART Hall of Fame), an accomplishment President Brian Kleinberg and Media and Client Relations Director (and Brian’s daughter) Hailey Kleinberg attribute to a hardworking, dedicated staff and a willingness to evolve. “That was a neat thing for us,” Brian Kleinberg said. It has been named a 2026 Retail Star by Home Accents Today.
Elements has been in business on Long Island since 1979, but Brian, who joined the family business 30 years ago, cautioned that it can be very easy to become stagnant. “You always have to reinvent yourself and navigate change in the business environment,” he said.
Elements’ product mix is 65% percent lighting and 35% décor and accent furniture. “We went from a lighting superstore into the home as well,” said Brian. Its assortment includes accent furniture, mirrors, artwork and decorative accessories. With the addition of ancillary categories, the team began to merchandise the store with an eye to visual merchandising, he said, rather than, “if you can fit it, jam it in.”
Elements prides itself on its personalized service. It’s hard to buy a piece that costs upward of $5,000 or $6,000 without seeing it in person first, Brian noted. “People love to come in here. We work one-on-one to help them understand their vision … it’s fun to show them what they didn’t even know was possible.”
The business favors brands that do not sell directly to consumers online. It recently added Arabella, Lib & Co. and Thesis to its assortment.
Elements offers many educational opportunities to its trade community and customers, including informational sessions with designers and architects, and events like book signings. It hosted a student intern over the summer last year. It will cater meetings for local organizations in its showroom, once hosted an art exhibition featuring the work of local high school students, and supports Ronald McDonald House and animal adoption organizations.
“It’s important to give back,” said Kleinberg, who has taught lighting design classes at two local colleges in past years. “You can become lost in the business world, where everything is focused on profit.”
A year of tariff whiplash layered on top of increased competition created by vendors doing more direct business with designers has made business particularly hard for lighting showrooms lately, and Elements is no exception. But Brian and Hailey Kleinberg are excited about opportunities in the hospitality and commercial sector, more custom work, and the number of innovative and exciting new products launched in January. Their goal is to help customers not only enhance their homes, but their lives.
“We’re in the business of making people happy,” said Brian.
