Sag Harbor Staple to Close

Vicki Nolan, the owner of the Country Lane gift shop, which has been a fixture on Main Street in Sag Harbor for 20 years, announced last Thursday that the store would be closing by the end of December. 

“As many of you know, our building has been sold and we are not going to be able to renew our lease, so we have no choice but to begin liquidating our inventory,” Ms. Nolan said in a post on Facebook. 

The shop is located in one of the buildings that makes up an assemblage of commercial and residential properties that is being purchased by Manhattan Skyline Management, a division of a New York City real estate development firm owned by Donald Zucker. The buildings contain six retail spaces with shops such as Palm Produce Resortwear, the Ethel and Row children’s store, and the Adornments jewelry store, which recently closed.

Manhattan Skyline Management also owns the Sag Harbor building housing Provisions Natural Foods Market and Cafe.

“You can see the trend here and I’m very upset about it, as are many business owners,” said Lisa Field, the owner of the Sag Harbor Variety Store and the president of the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce, referring to the closing of another owner-operated shop. “One of the things Sag Harbor is known for is its mom-and-pop stores.” 

The sale of the buildings has not yet been completed, but Ms. Nolan said that she made the decision to close “because of the uncertainty due to the change in ownership.” 

Country Lane is offering 50 percent off all of its products, including Christmas items, and Ms. Nolan said the closing date will arrive when the merchandise runs out. “It really has been a wonderful 20 years,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many customers I’ve had in here today who were in tears.”