Holding Ground: An Historic Town’s Fight Against Franchises

Sun dressed women drink and dance alongside men in summer suits and expensive swim shorts. The live band rocks its own twist to Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”. Servers dish out clams and sandwiches with smiles while speedboats and motorcycle gangs rumble their engines before parking at the party. This is the pier at Claudio’s Clam Bar in the heat of the Long Island summer. Where cocktails clash with clams and couture in celebration of the season.

Claudio’s Clam Bar & Restaurant is the oldest same family owned restaurant in the United States. It stretches out into the Bay from Main Street in Greenport, a small and picturesque fishing town turned tourist escape for wealthy New Yorkers who look to sleep, swim and spend their summer days outside of the Hamptons.

Today, the post-Sandy scene at Claudio’s is more salvage than celebration. Closed for the season with renovations moving along, locals worry that the storm may have pushed the restaurant and its owners past a breaking point.

“I really hope they can come back from this. You won’t see it on the market, but Claudio’s is always up for sale,” says life-long resident and local librarian Poppy Johnson. “If the price is right, of course.”

The past ten years have seen Greenport real estate double, even during a down market. Business owners fight like sharks for a piece of the up-and-coming quiet beach town with Manhattan variety, but most of what makes Greenport so desirable is already in place.

“I’ve been the owner and operator of Sandpiper for 33 years,” says ice cream parlor owner Paris Alatsis. “You’ll find me or my wife making our homemade ice cream every day of the week.”

Like Claudio’s, Sandpiper Ice Cream attracts visitors with its long family history. The old-fashioned popcorn machine and rotating pretzel stand pay a nostalgic ode to the old days of ice cream parlors, and everybody likes seeing a private owner work his business day in and day out. But, as Mr. Alatsis notes, “Things got harder when Ralph’s came.”

Ralph’s Italian Ices has enjoyed three summers of booming business in Greenport. The new kid on the block sings a familiar tune, as most of Greenport’s tourists have undoubtedly had dessert at a Ralph’s elsewhere in the tri-state area which the budding franchise spans.

“I’ve been getting dessert from Sandpiper since I was in high school. Back then it was the only parlor in town. We still go, but now my kids beg for Ralph’s every time we pass,” explains Julia Robbins, a local realtor.

Gone are the days of the highway diner, replaced by the golden arches of McDonald’s, familiar in both product and price. Like the rest of the world, Greenport is no stranger to franchise businesses outgunning family-owned operations.

But doesn’t that defy the enjoyment of a vacation? To escape from the familiar and experience the unknown?

“It’s tough, when the big companies move in, but people can tell if you love what you do,” explains Aldo Maorana while crafting several espressos behind the counter of his café on Front Street. “It’s all in the service. I’ve been making coffee for thirty years, but I don’t work the shop to sell people coffee. I live my life to share experiences with people, on a human level. “

Aldo’s Café was faced with a threatening intrusion when Starbucks, the unholy symbol of gentrification, moved right across the street. Perhaps it was Aldo’s philosophy on life and business that helped preserve his shop, as an uplifting victory for the home team saw Starbucks pack up and ship out after two seasons, when corporate headquarters saw that the business wasn’t meeting its quota.

“Greenport should be an experience, not just a business. I hope people can understand that,” Aldo explains.

The shop-lined streets of Greenport village have seen coffee competition come and go. New dessert eateries won’t even brew coffee out of respect for the hometown hero who beat out Starbucks. But corporate sharks feed wherever they can find food, and right now—with tourism increasing thanks to direct transport to the town from the Hamptons, Manhattan and even Connecticut—the money situation in Greenport is looking mighty delicious.

The next push is coming from Subway, the world’s largest franchise. Despite a good fight from Greenport Township, including the Building and Zoning Departments who seek to preserve Greenport’s pristine public image, the franchise famous for its $5 footlong subs looks like it will be taking a big bite out of every sandwich business in town very soon.

“There’s always this looming threat that things are going to change,” says Mark LaMain, owner of Butterito’s, formerly Butta’Cakes. LaMain took Superstorm Sandy as a sign to change his shop. He decided to expand from just cupcakes and pastries and include soups and fresh baked sandwiches to the menu. LaMain is proud to serve locally sourced foods.

“The hurricane was one thing, now Subway is moving in. I’m totally revamping the menu—again—to include burritos. And if Chipotle comes next year, then I’ll just take it as a sign to leave the town,” LaMain jokes. “It all comes down to the customer though. Where are they going to eat? Do they want something fresh or do they want something familiar?”

The historic family business of Claudio’s brings in big business. The mom and pop shops that precede it all attribute to the small town charm that attracts tourists and keeps them coming back. But Mark LaMain begs the perfect question. In a summer resort town hours away from the traffic of city living, do visitors want more of the same or something new?

Reaction to Liebling

Gambling at the track, opening clubs and conning investors; “Tummler” really grabbed my attention when Liebling wrote that all Hymie needed to open his nightclub was “an idea and a loan of fifty dollars.” From there it was a fast track through the course of Hymie’s absurd yet mischievously inspiring operation. This was easily my favorite of Liebling’s work, simply because the quality of the content was so rich and Liebling delivered it in a manner that matched the fast pace, rambling lifestyle of Hymie.

 

“Beginning With the Undertaker” was the first Liebling piece I read and it certainly set a strange tone for the author as I continued on reading. I view it as a fun superstition among Italians, told expertly by an inside New Yorker subjected to their culture. Although the majority of the piece did seem like a long tangent, I particularly liked the mood he created in the opening paragraph, with lonely policemen floundering through the undertaker’s store at all hours of the night.

“Apology for Breathing” is Liebling saying that New York is not for everybody, so just take it as it is. New York is different than every other place in America and tourists and visitors should know that before they come. All the “microcosms” Liebling writes of are what keep the wheels of this beautiful machine continuously turning. What a tourist views as hustle and bustle is really just a vibrant city functioning at its best.

 

Backgrounder: Greenport

Greenport is an interesting place to break down statistically. A seasonal village which thrives on tourism in the summer months, this vacation spot is still plagued with its financial troubles for local residents.

As of 2010, there are 2197 residents in the town, split nearly equally between men and women (50.2% to 49.8%, respectively). Population is heavily dominated with nearly 2/3 of residents (66.45%) being white. African Americans still hold a large part of the community, albeit their statistical representation of the population only bearing 10.4%. A trip here, and that 10% would confuse a first-time visitor because the village at times seems nearly split between white and black population. This is because a large majority of the black community resides in the heart of Greenport village, closer to places of work and in affordable rental housings. Other races–including Hispanics, Latinos, and people of mixed backgrounds–make up the rest of the population, although it is of interest to note that less than 1% of the population is Asian American. Given such large numbers of Asian immigration throughout the rest of New York City and State, and an increasing amount of Asian American tourists in the village, it will be curious to see if this number will dramatically rise over the next decade.

The most important number to note when scanning the facts of Greenport is its median household value. As of 2010, this number sits at a whopping $442,374, making market penetration for medium-income families increasingly difficult. In correspondence, median household income is at a comfortable $57,717 ,despite a 10% unemployment rate. The median household value rate is of particular interest to me because I have been tailing along with my mother (who sells real estate and has an undying passion for the village) over the past decade and I have witnessed the vast fluctuation of real estate prices. From the year 2000 to present day, the median home value has increased by nearly 200%, from $156,400 to the $442,374 that it is today. Due to the increase of tourism, many new houses of astronomical worth are being constructed, but largely this shift resemble the increase of an already established market. Homeowners of ten or twenty years are reaping the benefits as their houses double and triple in worth, while renters are suffering to afford the climbing rates. When looked at through the right eyes, these numbers can explain the shift that is bearing over Greenport. More and more wealth is moving in while the povertous are being pushed out due to a demanding, rapid increase in the village’s cost of living.

 

A town or city’s cost of living index is a complicated rate which is calculated by a large number of varying factors. As of this past March, Greenport’s index was 158. While not of immediate alarm when one is not familiar with the cost of living index, when Greenport’s 158 is paired next to the U.S. national average of 100, suddenly the picture is painted more clearly. This alarming cost of living is felt throughout a typical day, whether shopping in the local supermarket, filling a car with gasoline, or enjoying an evening out for dinner. Where many see this influx as troubling, others see it as opportunity.

The big moves taking place in this small village are overseen by Greenport’s mayor, David Nyce, and his five-member board team. Given Greenport’s respected status, Mayor Nyce has done an excellent job in enforcing the aesthetic maintenance of the village in order to cater to Manhattan elites and Hampton hoppers via the new direct ferry. A standard of safety, cleanliness, and natural beauty has been developed over the past few years and his intentions are only to continue improving in all aspects. Friendly policemen patrol the few bars and restaurants that thrive deep into the night, while increased receptacles and daily garbage pickup keep the streets clean for tomorrow. His creation and demand in preservation of the town’s glorified Mitchell Park has secured his positive image in the public eye, and if possible I am still hoping to secure an interview with him so that I can dissect the changes of this growing village from a higher, governmental level.

Greenport: Neighborhood Choice

At the spearing tip of Long Island’s North Fork is the fishermen’s village of Greenport. I have been spending my summers here since my grandparents bought their small ranch to escape the summer heat of the city in 1992; essentially all my life. I’ve watched the village grow from a quiet, underdeveloped fisherman’s port to the thriving beach resort haven that it is today. I have seen what was once only jokingly referred to as a town (a small strip of broken down bait shops and affordable delis) turn into an aesthetically pleasing center for wealthy Manhattanites to splurge on tappas dining and international desserts while enjoying the beautiful view of the Long Island Sound. The wealthy are shipped into the town by bus and boat from New York City and the Hamptons, willing and able to  buy and spend on whatever’s offered. Businesses are booming but the local population can’t keep up with a cost of living that rises in respect with the town’s popularity. I’ve held many jobs in and around Greenport town and the nearby wine vineyards that originally put the North Fork on the map. This year I helped launch a frozen yogurt shop in the heart of the town. Exposed to the foot traffic of thousands from a business operator’s point of view, I managed to learn the ins and outs of the town through serving dessert with a smile. The village still shows and respects its nautical roots, but the struggle for local survival amidst an aggressively expanding real estate market and the town’s transition into a premier summer escape for the wealthy are just some of the angles I would like to cover on Greenport.