Westhampton Beach Bookstore Named #1 On Long Island

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — A Westhampton Beach bookstore has gotten a Long Island-wide shout out.

Red Jacket Books, located at 77 Main Street, was voted "Best Book Store" in the 2022 "Bethpage Best of Long Island" competition, sponsored by Bethpage Federal Credit Union.

According to a description on the "Bethapage Best of LI Winners" page, Red Jacket Books is a "quaint, independent bookshop" that "feeds the souls of book lovers on Main Street in Westhampton Beach. Founder Ben Vengroff started Red Jacket Books in July 2020 as an online store and more recently branched out to create the brick-and-mortar retail location that’s become such a hit. Locals love to browse the collection and find their next beach read."

Whether ordering online or browsing the shelves, the shop offers a wide selection in all genres, as well as merchandise.

Vengroff, on the Red Jacket Books website, said he created the shop "out of a complete love for reading, writing, and everything in between."

Recently, Vengroff said the brick-and-mortar store was celebrating its first anniversary.

Why Red Jacket? Vengroff set out to answer the question: "Many years ago I was in California visiting a friend and saw a red jacket in the store. I fell in love with it and wore it every single day since then, and became known for it," he said. "Some people like it and some hate it, but it made an impression with almost everyone. Then in 2019, a storm caused a tree to hit my house and ruin almost all my belongings. All my coats and jackets were absolutely ruined, with the exception of my lucky Red Jacket."