Greenport is often called the heart of the North Fork. This tiny village is a rough-and-tumble place that, like seaports through the ages, has welcomed newcomers to its docks and stores and homes. Through boom and bust cycles driven by macro and micro-economic forces, the heartbeat of this village has always been the tough but compassionate people who call this place home — whether they were born here or not.
As many who love Greenport know and will tell you, the people here hold fast and they stay true. But this winter, Greenport needs all of our help.
We’re as concerned as many of you at the rash of recent business closures in the village. Many longstanding shop owners have picked this moment to retire or relocate, and we wish them all the best in the next phase of their lives. They’ve given their all to this village and they’ve earned a chance to move on.
But many other business owners are trying to do the math to find a way to stay in business, and it’s just not adding up. The Covid heyday of visitors who couldn’t travel too far from home is long over, and it’s no longer feasible to carry the payroll and overhead that was manageable in those boom times. For many, the rent is just too damn high.
Claudio’s has been a major driver of the village’s economy for more than 150 years, and the Claudio’s complex of restaurants and shops at the end of Main Street has been shuttered up like a ghost town all winter.
We’ve heard the new owners, who embarked last year on several dramatic experiments in changing the waterside experience — including a cowboy-themed bar on the Crabby Jerry’s dock — are coming back, but not knowing for sure has everyone shaking in their boots.
We’ve seen the social media posts slamming the slow pace of village government, trashing the upkeep of village streets and sidewalks and questioning when much-needed upgrades will come. Many of these concerns are real and valid, but many are also driven by economic forces beyond village government’s control.
Yes, Greenport needs a village administrator, code enforcement officers and an efficient building department. But the village is not alone in having difficulty finding qualified people willing to work at the far end of a very pricey island. The hospital needs radiologists and doctors too. But very few people can afford to buy or rent a home at today’s rates while working for the salaries any business or institution here can pay.
But we are optimists. The old timers will tell you that the sharp rise and fall of Greenport’s economy is the way it has always been. Every ending is also a beginning, and we are excited at the prospect of creative entrepreneurs working together to re-envision a year-round economy here that can work for everyone, one that can rebuild Greenport’s downtown.
As a neon sign on a new Front Street shop, Yvies 3 Rooms, reminds us, “What’s the Best That Could Happen?”
We’re heartened particularly by the work of Little Creek Oysters’ Hold Fast Studio on Main Street, a new non-profit whose mission is to support community-oriented businesses. It has already helped jumpstart a winter edition of the Greenport Farmers Market and saved Shellabration — a festival that benefits both Cornell Cooperative Extension’s oyster farmer training program and most of the restaurants in the village.
We’re hopeful that the village Business Improvement District and local entrepreneurs will pull together to reimagine this fall’s Maritime Festival as a celebration of everything that makes Greenport’s maritime heritage unique. The festival is a massive undertaking, long coordinated by the hardworking staff and volunteers at the East End Seaport Museum. They need a break, and we can all step up and help.
Quitting is not in Greenport’s DNA. All you have to to is walk through the village and you’ll see this in action.
Grab a coffee at Aldo’s. Aldo may be off enjoying his well-earned retirement, but follow your nose to the smell of his coffee, still roasting in the front window while you listen to the latest village gossip. Grab a winter read (or 10, depending on the forecast) at Burton’s Books. Pick up some unique gifts from the small, thriving shops. Check out new art at the North Fork Art Collective or one of Floyd Memorial Library’s great art shows. Cozy up with popcorn and a movie at the North Fork Arts Center. And meet your friends at one of the many wonderful restaurants in this little square mile that so many North Forkers know is the heart of our little peninsula. None of us can afford to quit on this place.
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