Business & Tech

East End Business Notebook: Suffolk Theater Opening 2 Months Out

Also this week, a new pet supplies store announced it's opening in Wainscott, and a former East End supervisor was named the legislative director of the Southampton Business Alliance.

WESTHAMPTON-HAMPTON BAYS

Tom Otis to Lead St. Patrick's Day Parade

The 43-year owner of the family-run Otis Ford, of Quogue, has been named as the 2013 Westhampton Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal.

Tom Otis, a life-long resident of Quogue, was given the honor this week after a vote of the Westhampton Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade committee, which is headed up by parade committee President Tim Laube.

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SOUTHAMPTON

Skip Heaney Named Legislative Director of Business Alliance

Patrick "Skip" Heaney, a former Southampton Town supervisor and more recently the commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Workforce Housing, now has a new job: legislative director for the Southampton Business Alliance.

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The SBA is a not-for-profit that advocates for the business community in Southampton. Heaney was one of the seven co-founders of the alliance 20 years ago, being a business owner himself then. He said Thursday that his new job will be to make sure business owners have a voice on legislation that is up for consideration.

“Essentially, I will be representing the membership of the business alliance with regard to legislation that has a direct or indirect impact on mostly small businesses, whether they be Main Street operations or home builders — or any of the tradespeople in between that are represented by the business alliance,” Heaney said.

EAST HAMPTON

New Pet Store Coming To Wainscott

A veterinarian has decided to open a pet supplies store at his office building in Wainscott, following the closure of Pet Hampton & Aquarium last month.

Dr. Mark Davis, of the South Fork Animal Hospital, said he hopes to open the store by the end of January. The store won't sell live animals, just premium pet food and supplies, he said on Wednesday. He hopes that between his veterinary care and the new store, his complex will become "a one stop spot" for pet care needs.

Attached to the hospital, the store has a separate entrance to a 1,000-square-foot space that Davis renovated three years ago. He said it was always in his "master plan" to open a pet supplies store, but he held off because he didn't want to compete with Pet Hampton, which was there for 22 years.

NORTH FORK

Jazz on the Vine Lineup Released

Long Island Winterfest, Jazz on the Vine recently announced the lineup for its sixth festival, which will run every weekend from Feb. 8 through March 17. A kick-off to the festival will be held on Friday, Jan. 25 at Hotel Indigo from 7 to 9 p.m.

Spearheaded by East End Arts, in conjunction with the Long Island Wine Council and Long Island Visitors and Conventions Bureau, the six-week festival is expected to feature over 70 artists across dozens of wineries, playing each Saturday and Sunday to draw visitors to the North Fork during colder and otherwise slower months.

RIVERHEAD

Grand Opening 2 Months Out as Work Continues at Suffolk Theater

On a recent Thursday morning, downtown Riverhead rumbles on as usual. Cars buzz down Main Street. A couple walks out of the Riverhead Grill and Diner. A man walks his street bike into Twin Forks Bicycle for a winter tune-up.

Across the street at 118 East Main St., inside theSuffolk Theater, contractors, laborers, and a full staff inside the office are continuing to prepare for the theater's grand opening, now less than two months away.

The March 2 opening will feature Grammy Award-winners Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, which specialize in 1920s and 1930s jazz and will give a nod to the Suffolk Theater's roots.


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