When GeekHampton co-owner Sheryl Heller announced she and her partner, Mike Avery, were moving their business from Bay Street in Sag Harbor to Hampton Bays, it was a bit of a gut punch.
“We had to make a decision,” she says of the move. “We wanted to stay alive.”
Tentative plans to reopen in the new location — inside the King Kullen shopping complex on Montauk Highway smack dab in the center of downtown Hampton Bays — are set for some time in early May, with Heller hoping to be finished at the Sag Harbor location by the end of this month.
Founded over 25 years ago and located in its current home for the last 15, GeekHampton is an authorized Apple service provider that offers expert repair for phones, tablets and computers, along with both in-person and remote tech support. And while yet another business is forced to say goodbye to residing in the former whaling village, the move to Hampton Bays opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for Heller, Avery and their tiny but mighty team.
Aside from the somewhat obvious issue of high rents, Heller says other reasons for the relocation include a lack of foot traffic, inefficient parking and a limited access to more potential employees.
“We’re in the middle of a build out,” she says of the new location, noting the new space is similar in size to the current spot. “It’s comparable, but it’s, you know, the cost is less.”
Heller, a resident of Hampton Bays, also says the store will be able to be open on Saturdays again, noting the daily hours will be longer because of the business being locating in a shopping center. “We’ll also have access to more employees, because that’s also a very difficult thing out here.”
Heller and Avery have been in the technical support solutions business for more than 25 years, providing customers on both the North and South Forks with high-level computer support and services. While the store transitions into its new home, Heller says she wants to remind people that GeekHampton will continue to work with customers remotely.
“We still have the the ability to pick up and deliver stuff, if it’s something like that,” she says. “I’ll still be going to see clients. Mike will still be going to see clients. We’ll still be doing that as well, but the headquarters will be in Hampton Bays. It’s a much easier parking situation, and it’s going against the traffic.”
