Southold IGA

By Danny McCarthy

With COVID-19 with us, I just thought to do a salute. Grocery stores are establishments that PAY-IT-FORWARD and I merely thought to pay a tribute to Southold IGA {!}

WOW! HOW THRILLED I WAS TO SPOT THIS ONLINE ENTRY OF The record {stet} dated December 28, 2006:

“NORTHPORT

Larkfield IGA Opens Its Doors

Father-son grocers open new location

By Leah Weinstein

‘Independent Grocers Alliance {IGA} stores stand apart from gourmet or family-owned grocery stores and have always aimed to be different than the national supermarkets as well. The motto of the alliance is ‘hometown proud,’ and it was started in the 1920s to give independent grocers a chance to survive at a time when national chains began to flourish. …’

‘… Charles Reichert and his son Tom, owners of the Larkfield IGA, have been in the grocery business for more than 25 years. The father-son team started at a Gristedes but when it went out of business{,} they bought stores on their own and have been in business together ever since. …’

‘… The Larkfield IGA opened its doors on December 20 {2006} at the intersection of Larkfield Road and Clay Pitts Road in East Northport.’

A Chris Blohm was then manager of that Larkfield IGA who said:

‘“The response from customers has been positive … I feel like we’ll fit right in.’”

“WRITE HERE AT HOME” BEING ‘HOMETOWN PROUD’ WITH THE SOUTHOLD IGA ~ Are you aware that the Southold IGA {Independent Growers Alliance} was formerly a town clerk’s office and then became a Bohack’s? That same building property located on the corner of Main Road and Youngs Avenue was actually where William Conklin Albertson “minded his own business.”

Geoffrey K. Fleming in his Images of America – Southold features an entry about the Albertson House: “{William Conklin} Albertson ran a farm produce shipping and supplying company that bore his name {in that premises}.” When William Albertson died in 1899, the property became “a boarding house called the Albertson House” {and} “Between 1955 and 1956, it was demolished to make way for the new Bohack Supermarket.” In 1923-1924 this house was used to house the second grade while construction was going on at the Oaklawn Avenue building. Miss Ethel Tompkins was the teacher. The Albertson House became Southold IGA. Over the years you would see Antoinette’s Luncheonette on the extreme right-hand extension of the Southold IGA.

Antoinette Doroski sold her luncheonette to Kelly and Dave Hunstein and the Hunstein’s had their Country Corner Luncheonette aligned on the right-hand section of the Southold IGA.

Southold IGA expanded with its vegetable and fruit section as Country Corner Luncheonette left.

Kelly & David Hunstein left the site of their former Southold Main Street & Youngs Avenue Country Luncheonette & re-located down the Southold Main Road . in a building formerly operated by Thompson's Emporium owner Irwin Thompson.

NOW OF COURSE TOO - THOMPSON'S EMPORIUM IS NOW REVCO ELECTRIC SUPPLY CORP:

https://patch.com/new-york/northfork/knowing-whats-store-thompson-s-emporium

{The IGA corporation began internationally in 1926. Records show that the Southold IGA started in 1992.}

Sag Harbor Express dated September 7, 2007 included this item:

“The North Fork Chamber of Commerce and Jernick Moving and Storage are hosting a Hurricane Relief Collection Event on Saturday, September 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 pm. At the Southold IGA. The moving company has donated a tractor trailer truck and driver to take supplies to Texas – but the truck needs to be filled with items for people in need. Drop-off locations all week long include Blue Duck Bakery in Southold, Greenport and Riverhead, Wendy’s Deli in Mattituck and Albertson Realty in Jamesport, Southold and Greenport. Food and basic necessities are requested by the Corpus Christy Food Pantry, including baby food and formula, diapers and wipes, batteries, toiletries, cleaning supplies, garbage bags, canned food items with pull-tab tops including vegetables and fruit, and protein items in pouches or cans with pull-tab tabs such as tuna, beef stew, chili and chicken.”

According to the Suffolk Historic Newspapers website after I entered keywords GREENPORT IGA within the search bar atop the site, there were 93 matches of which EVERY ONE OF THEM WAS PARTICULAR 1970s combinations of issues of The Long Island Traveler-Mattituck Watchman carrying GREENPORT IGA Ads! ~ THE REICHERT FATHER-SON TEAM OWN THE GREENPORT IGA!

The record {stet] from Huntington NY dated January 7, 2016 spotlighted “some relative information:

“TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

Southold Owners Eye Lease of Former Waldbaum’s by Jano Tantongco where it was presented the “tales” about the circumstances of

“The owner of Southdown Marketplace, a local chain of grocery {stores}, is in talks to take over the lease of the recently defunct Waldbaum’s in Greenlawn Plaza. The deal would bring back a much-needed grocery store for nearby residents, including seniors at Paumanok Village.

The shuttering of Waldbaum’s last month is one of many cases that have residents in the dust of the wake of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.’s chapter 11 bankruptcy filing this past July. …”

GOODTIME CHARLIE {Normally that titled goes like this ~ “Goodtime Charley}

‘… While details of the new store are being hammered out, earlier last week, Charlie Reichert, the owner of the IGA supermarket in East Northport, agreed to reimburse {whomever took a particular line called} HART bus fare of all village residents who shopped at the grocery.

“Within our capacity, we have made advancements and this kind gesture is another way of we can ease the burden on the residents. This is what being a community is all about.”

A gentleman with the name Spencer added:

“’I can’t thank Charlie enough and his family for stepping in to help.”

Alright? ~ So What Happened After Waldbaum’s Shut Down & A Place For Food, Glorious Food Actually & Definitely Was Needed?

According to the Greenlawn Farms online website:

“The finishing touches are put on Greenlawn Farms on Wednesday, one day before the supermarket was expected to open. Greenlawn Farms replaces the defunct Waldbaum’s in the Greenlawn Plaza shopping center.”

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS ...

I WENT ONLINE TO The Suffolk Times Charlie Reichert Archives LINK AND WAS SURE TO COMBINE SOME INFORMATION HERE FOR THIS MY POST FROM PARTICULAR ISSUES FOUND, AND, YES, YOU COULD DEFINITELY SAY THAT I AM SO PROUD TO MAKE “AN ISSUE” OF THOSE FINDINGS AS I AM SO DEFINITELY PROUD OF THE REICHERT FATHER-SON TEAM BEING A REGULAR & STEADY SOUTHOLD IGA CUSTOMER MYSELF!:

“Reichert family donation helps fund new entrance at Old Burying Ground” by Kelly Zegers was published in The Suffolk Times dated 06/16/2017:

“The cemetery committee of The Old Burying Ground next to First Presbyterian Church of Southold dedicated a new entryway Friday morning. The project was completed thanks to a “very generous gift” from the Charles and Helen Reichert Family Foundation, said cemetery director Jane Andrews.”

“The new entranceway honors the history of Southold Town and the contributions of the Puritan founders who are buried right there,” she said. “It will draw in more visitors to appreciate the artwork on the gravestones.”

“Southold, Greenport IGA’s donate plastic bag fee to hospitals” was in The Suffolk Times by Rachel Siford 02/11/2018:

“ … Since Jan. 1, Suffolk County has enforced a new law that requires shoppers to pay a nickel for every non-reusable plastic bag provided by the store. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that there are between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags consumed worldwide every year, and 14 million trees are cut down each year to make paper bags. Plastic bags do not biodegrade and can also be harmful to birds and sea life. …”

“ …The IGA supermarkets in Southold and Greenport are donating the five-cent plastic bag fee to local hospitals in an effort to give back to the community. … The IGA decision came from the stores’ owner, Charles Reichert, who has taken the initiative after getting feedback from community members asking why the supermarket should benefit from this new law.

‘… We have some customers coming in saying to charge them for five bags instead of one because they know now the money is going to charity,” Mr. Reichert said.

The Greenport and Southold stores will be cutting a monthly check to Eastern Long Island Hospital and the Fort Salonga and Larkfield IGAs, also owned by Mr. Reichert, are donating their nickels to Huntington Hospital. So far, Eastern Long Island Hospital has received $1,300 for the month of January and Huntington Hospital was given $1,200.”

HATS OFF TO YOU MR. CHARLIE REICHERT!

I THINK I AM EXACTLY “WRITE” WHEN I PRINT “WRITE HERE” THAT OVER THE YEARS BEING A SOUTHOLD RESIDENT ALWAYS INTERESTED IN LEARNING AND ULTIMATELY SHARING TOO;

I THINK I HEARD THAT CHARLIE REICHERT MADE ANOTHER DONATION TO THE TOWN OF SOUTHOLD BY HIS PROVIDING FUNDS TO UPDATE THE SOUTHOLD MAIN ROAD/YOUNGS AVENUE SILVERSMITH’S CORNER GAZEBO. I DO BELIEVE HIS DONATED FUNDING “SUPPORTED” THE ACTUAL RE-MODELLING OF THE “ROOF” PORTION ATOP THAT QUITE SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURE!

I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO MANAGE MY THOUGHTS ... I AM MOST DEFINITELY HONORED TO EXPRESS THAT BEING A REGULAR SOUTHOLD IGA CUSTOMER - THAT I DO "FEEL {'WRITE'} AT HOME" - THERE IS A TRUE DEFINITE CAMARADERIE FOUND FROM THE ON-SHIFT MANAGERS & STAFF & THE STOCK OF INVENTORY IS TREMEDOUS. SOMETIMES - PERHAPS - STAFF WORKERS ARE ACTUALLY BESIDES "THEM-SHELVES" - {"SO-TO-SPEAK"}

I HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO SING A RENDITION OF THE NUMBER THAT TOMMY TUNE SANG IN THE BROADWAY 1973 SEESAW ~ It’s Not Where You Start” - AS - It’s Not Where You Cart, It’s Where You Finish outside of the Southold NY IGA Supermarket!