The days that elapsed since the April 16 reopening of the Sagaponack General Store have affirmed the vision that its owner Mindy Gray had when she bought and began renovating the store four years ago.
“It’s been absolutely fabulous,” says Gray. “I’ve gotten the warmest welcome from the community, which has meant so much to me.”
Stepping into the sunshine-filled store is an uplifting experience. The scent of coffee and baked goods fills the air. A wall of penny candy offerings (for which the old Sag General was well-known) — displayed inside repurposed post office boxes, an homage to the legacy of the post office next door — reminds folks of simpler times and bygone eras. The list goes on: hot soups, grab-and-go sandwiches and salads, ice cream, seasonal produce sourced locally, a selection of artisanal cheeses and butters, upscale provisions such as fresh pastas, and much more.
“There’s nothing better than standing by the front door and watching people walk in and smile,” Gray says. “My face hurts so much from smiling. Everyone is saying ‘thank you.’ They recognize the care that went into this.”
It’s been an immediate hit in the community, reminding people of what came before and what’s possible in the future, all at once.
“It was really important to me to lean into this history of the general store and honor the legacy of those who came before me,” she says. “We’re embracing that rich history and bringing it into the present, but never forgetting its beautiful and important past.”
Historical artifacts, like an antique cash register, milk crates once used at the Osborn Dairy in Wainscott, Mary Hildreth’s dollhouse, old framed photos and a vintage sign bearing Thomas Hildreth’s name and business logo, tell customers that history does indeed matter to Gray.
Speaking of important things, the Sagaponack Post Office will be back up-and-running shortly, too. It had been operating out of a temporary trailer on Hedges Lane since the renovation began.
Respecting and returning the post office “was a priority for me. I wanted to make sure the post office stays because it’s such a central part of our community,” Gray says. “I spent the last three years working with a gentleman in North Carolina to help source the boxes to match the historic ones that are there. They’re all matching, all bronze, all works of art like little jewel boxes. They’re gorgeous.”
Notably, a few modern twists are evident. The store was lifted and moved five more feet away from the street with an eye toward pedestrian safety. But that created space for a charming front porch, exactly the kind of gathering space every little community needs.
The store dates to 1878, when Sagg Main street was just a dirt road to accommodate horse-drawn carriages. According to the store’s website, “Ships docked in Sag Harbor to offload their wares to the one store in town which sold everything, from farm equipment to Gold Dust Soap powder.”
Gray, whose family is originally from Philadelphia, credits her father, Philip Basser, for instilling in her an appreciation for history, antiques and metalwork and wood framing. Basser himself spent his later years living in Sagaponack; he died in 2023 at the age of 105.
Gray raised her children in Sagaponack. The general store “was the first place that we could all go, first by stroller, then walking, then biking on their own,” she says. “There’s a connection in that way, so when this was for sale — it was during Covid and we were all siloed and feeling isolated — I was thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, what happens if this doesn’t reopen or it becomes a place that we can’t go, what happens to Sagaponack? My family was incredibly encouraging and said, ‘You should reopen it.”’
Glowing comments are pouring in from friends and customers from all over the South Fork.
Springs resident Erica Velasquez calls her experience there “instant happiness.” Michelle Montak, a Sagaponack resident who runs Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue, says, “I was in the other day and it’s beautiful. We’re local and so excited.”
The Sagaponack General Store, located at 542 Sagg Main Street, is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Wednesday to Sunday.
“The hard part is over,” Gray says. “This is the joyous part — gathering together with the community.”
