MONTAUK: Hello, East End Concierge
East End Concierge is a new business in Montauk that wants to help people enjoy their visits out east without having to tend to the little annoyances in life. The concierge service was started by Mary Jo Walker, who has lived in the hamlet for 18 years and knows where you can get just about anything.
A waitress in various restaurants and a teacher at the Montauk School who was laid off because of budget cuts, Ms. Walker can order you flowers, find the best photographer for family reunions, and pick up your medical prescriptions. She will shop for your groceries before you get to Montauk and have them put away by the time you arrive. She can help out with an aging parent who lives alone.
She started the business just this summer when she noticed how many people were renting in the hamlet. She thought they might need help navigating the local businesses and restaurants. She also books fishing charter boats and can recommend the most family-friendly vessels.
“If they need a pool guy, I can tell them who the best pool guy is,” she said from her house while her two young children and two dogs romped and played in her backyard.
Ms. Walker said she noticed that concierge services were popping up all over the country. “But there were none in Montauk, which is busier than ever, so the service is needed now more than ever‚” she said. She has been thinking about starting the business for two years now, she said, and was prompted to do so when she saw the sizable crowds converging on the eastern hamlet in recent months.
Since she lives in Montauk she can charge a smaller fee for work she does there. A minimum flat rate starts at $50 an hour. Thereafter, fees are calculated for every half-hour. Services scheduled with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged a $25 convenience fee. Credit cards are accepted.
East End Concierge covers East Hampton, Springs, Amagansett, and Montauk. “We’ll go farther, though, if we’re needed.”
The service also arranges for personal trainers, pet services, plant watering, and handyman work, and if the cable or phone guy says he’ll be there between noon and 3 p.m., the service will wait at your house for him so you can have more beach time.
East End Concierge is on Facebook and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].