Retail Landscape Additions
As the sidewalks in Amagansett and East Hampton fill with shoppers looking for that special something, several new stores have opened up to entice them with everything from swimsuits to bed linens.
On Amagansett’s Main Street, Tiina the Store, run by the Finnish-born Tiina Laakkonen, has items for the home as well as shoes, bags, and clothing for men, women, and children. Things in the store, which will be open year round, are not mass produced, “but have a human hand” to them, Kati Huurtela, the store’s manager, said Monday. Take, for example, the woven rattan chairs, handmade by blind workers in Finland.
The shop boasts luxurious and pricey items like cashmere blankets for $2,500, but also has gifts for as little as $9. “Design has to be for everybody, not just for the privileged,” Ms. Huurtela said.
Love Adorned, which opened in Amagansett Square, has an eclectic mix of ever-changing merchandise that includes, this week, everything from thimbles to textiles to jewelry, with soap, candles, books, and artwork thrown in. Almost all of the jewelry sold at Love Adorned is made by New York City artisans.
“It’s a collection of things that are beautiful and that we love,” said Vincent Martinelli, the merchandiser for the shop. “There are really simple, useful things, and not very useful but very beautiful things.”
This winter, the shop will host ceramics and composting workshops for adults as well as camping and survival skills workshops for kids.
Across the square, Innersleeve Records has been open since mid-May, selling new and used vinyl records, CDs, limited edition silk screens, and entry-level turntables. Craig Wright of Springs runs the shop, which was written about in The Star earlier this spring.
In the Main Street space formerly occupied by the Pamela Williams Gallery, Jimeale Jorgensen has launched Jimeale, a retail store filled with her brand of lifestyle and travel accessories previously only available in major department stores and boutiques. Ms. Jorgensen, originally from Australia, has a house in the area and thought Amagansett would be a good spot to launch her retail shop, according to Ashley Cirignano, the store manager.
Shoppers can find vibrantly colored cosmetics bags, diaper bags, shopping totes, and umbrellas, and a line of teen bags and accessories, as well as a new leather line of passport holders, iPad covers, and luggage tags.
In East Hampton, the empty stores of February have been filled with a new collection of retail pop-ups and a few new year-rounders.
Lexington, a Swedish-owned bedding, kitchen, and clothing company, has opened at 73 Main Street. Lexington Company was founded in Stockholm and now has 26 stores in five countries. The East Hampton store is the company’s first in the United States.
Described in a release as a “relaxed luxury brand,” Lexington “caters to seaside living and the Hamptons crew,” Nina Churchill, the U.S. retail director, said last Thursday. In addition to what’s offered on site, the store’s staff will also visit customers’ houses, take photos of the rooms they plan to redo, and create a customized design for the space. And if people like and buy what they see, the staff will install it all free of charge.
The store will have a grand opening celebration on Saturday.
On the other side of Main Street, Nili Lotan is new to the village’s retail landscape and Alice + Olivia has returned after a hiatus of several years. The two women’s clothing boutiques are side by side. Nili Lotan promises to be open year round. Alice + Olivia is here only until Labor Day.
At 66 Newtown Lane, the newly-opened local branch of the Everything But Water chain is selling resort wear, swimsuits, accessories, and one-of-a-kind jewelry, all specifically selected for the East Hampton store. The shop will host weekend trunk shows for Letarte, Patricia Underwood, Nanette Lapore, and more.
Farther east on Newtown Lane, Haute Hippie is new this year. Another high-end clothing store, it promotes an “effortless style,” and appeals to “the practical realities of global nomads everywhere,” according to its Web site.
For those who favor real retro, the Retreat Boutique Too, a sister shop to the Bridgehampton thrift store that raises money for the Retreat’s domestic violence services, might be the place. The store, which is on Park Place, has vintage designer clothing, shoes, and gowns, as well as jewelry, furniture, art, and items for the home.