Ed Kurosz

Just a few miles west of the Village of Westhampton Beach you will find the hamlet of Speonk. Travel about 4 miles down Montauk Highway and you will find several restaurants that will pique your interest... one in particular TRACKSIDE CAFE if you are a big fan of a hearty breakfast like I am.

BREAKFAST AT TRACKSIDE CAFE IN SPEONK

For breakfast be sure to visit TRACKSIDE CAFE located on North Phillips Avenue at the restored Speonk Long Island Rail Road station. Originally opened in the late 1950s as an outpost for morning LIRR commuters heading off to work into New York City, this Speonk Station eatery has taken many forms throughout the decades. TRACKSIDE CAFE owner Bob Nidzyn acquired the rights to reopen the tiny breakfast / lunch establishment about six years ago in 2003 and it has flourished into a thriving morning and midday destination for many.

Those that still commute west into NYC can be found waiting for an early morning locomotive while grabbing the morning paper, perhaps a fresh brewed java or breakfast sandwich for the ride. Others have discovered the eatery as the ideal please to head for a hearty morning dose of breakfast or an early lunch.

Inside one will find many memories of Speonk's "good old days" hanging on the walls, a mere five or six small tables and a breakfast counter that seats only five people. Behind the counter will be Chef Tara Oliver creating your delicious home-style fare. I stopped in one day between real estate appointment to grab a bite and was pleasantly surprised to see this bright and cheery blond face... actually a face from the past. Tara and I worked together in a local waterfront restaurant 20 years when we were in college. The second I saw her I new I made the right decision and I was going to have a great mid-morning meal here at the TRACKSIDE CAFE in Speonk.

"Last Stop.... SPEEEEEEONK!"

STUDIO ART - WESTHAMPTON BEACH

Westhampton Beach is pleased to welcome Studio Art to the Westhampton Beach Village business district. This ingenious creation of local entrepenuer Karen Hogan offers a walk-in creative arts center for artists of all ages located just off Main Street at 22 Sunset Avenue along side the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. Karen is a certified art teacher who has spent the last decade and a half raising her five children. Karen and her husband Jamie invested in our community a few years ago as second-home buyers and loved it so much that the relocated their family here on a full time basis. Now that their youngest have gotten a old enough, Karen's creative streak has erupted once again... and the juices are flowing.

Studio Art offers an endless selection of art projects for children and young adults on a walk-in basis in her creative design studio. At any given moment you can fine several kids in her 2-story drop in art center working on a variety of projects - traditional canvas painting, clay creations, sneaker painting, UGG-style boot bedazzling. On one of my last visits on a hot day this past summer there were five new artists out back behind the studio splatter painting some very cool things... even though the cranky neighbor next door didn't find it amusing. Freedom of expression seems to flow freely at all times. The overall sense here is "let the inner artist emerge, flourish and most importantly CREATE!"

Taking things a step farther, Studio Art has become one of the premiere Birthday Entertainment venues in the area offering group parties to community children. It has just turned into a very positive location for local kids giving them a venue to express their feelings through the magic of art! Group parties have been hosted in house at the drop-in creative art center as well as off-site in private residences and other locals.

Kids just can't seem to get enough. A group of third graders vactioning here in this Hamptons village this past August spent the whole morning at Studio Art working a variety of projects while the Moms shopped the nearby boutiques. After two hours, they stopped back at the studio to find their kids having an absolute ball that the ladies decided to just continue on their way over to the Patio at 54 Main for a great midday lunch while the kids finished up their projects. When it was time to venture out to dinner later on that evening with friends, the kids were begging to be droped back off at Studio Art for a couple evening hours of creation.

"This Mom and Dad called right before I was closing one day and asked if I had evening hours. Their kids spent a few hours in my studio the day before and had an absolute ball. When it came time for the adults to head out to dinner, the kids were asking if they could come back here for a couple of hours of project time.", Karen explained. And a great idea was born! Karen went and networked at several nearby restaurants and developed a cooperative "Drop 'n' Dine Art Program" with these establishments. The program has just flourished into a great success. Parents are making reservations with local restaurants and asking if they are working with Studio Arts's "Drop 'n' Dine Art Program"... the kids go create while parents enjoy a pleasant evening in the local eateries. What a great concept!

Karen Hogan's Studio Art Drop-In Creative Art Center has been so successful in Westhampton Beach since her March 2009 opening that she opened an identical studio on Main Street in Huntington Village on November 1st. This local artist / entreprenuer has found an ideal niche and is scouting out other locations throughout the Hamptons and Montauk for Summer of 2010 opening. Go Karen!

I had an appointment scheduled last Saturday to show some 2010 Summer rentals to this couple and their two kids 9 and 11. After showing them the first home for consideration, the kids were getting a little anxious and bored. So before we headed off to see any more properties, I swung by Studio Art and introduced them to Karen at Studio Art. Three hours later we were back and the kids had finished two great arts and craft projects each while Mom and Dad found the perfect waterfront rental for next season's Summer vacation in the Hamptons.

Welcome to Westhampton Beach and thank you STUDIO ART ! If you are in Westhampton Beach, drop by and visit Studio Art or visit them on the web at www.yourstudioart.com

Even though Labor Day has come and gone, activity has been brisk in the greater Westhampton area this Fall of 2008. The local Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce has been sponsoring many post-Labor Day events bringing Westhampton Beach and its' surrounding communities to the forefront of people's minds. The local Farmers Market continued well into the Fall on Saturday mornings with local farmers, craftsman and artisans featuring their local self grown or made wares. The streets were bustling and the real estate community busy.

September brought several Main Street merchant sidewalk sales to the downtown business district giving the local retailers an opportunity to move some of their outstanding summer inventory and making room for wintery products. The local Bide-a-wee "Love On a Leash" festival on the Westhampton Beach Village Green followed by the now annual "Doggy Parade" down the main thoroughfare was a fun site to see this year once again. There was fur on a leash in every hand walking down Main Street and a choice few precious pets that were being carefully carried or pulled in their decorated little red "Radio Flyer" wagons. The summer season now seems to extend well beyond Labor Day jam packed with activities. The water remained warm this year late into the season and the weather held out nicely bringing many out to get a jump start on the search for the ideal summer rental for the 2009 Summer vacation season. Production overall in September was quite impressive. One office in particular, Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, posted a banner month in production - achieving top 5 office status out of all of their offices from Manhattan to Montauk with $24 Million in contracts fully executed. Very impressive indeed. And who said the market was down?

October followed with a endless activities on Columbus Day weekend. The Westhampton Beach Historical Society orchestrated the annual Fall Harvest Festival on their grounds on Mill Road in conjunction with the on-going Farmer's Market. The Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce presented their annual Fall Arts and Crafts Show on the Westhampton Beach Village Green at the intersection of Mill Road and Main Street. Weather cooperated for everyone as hundreds of people strolled the streets between all of the events including the merchants Columbus Day bonanza. The local kids all costumed up were once again parading down from the schools to Main Street where the local Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the Westhampton Elementary Partent Teacher Association and local Main Street business owners who hosted the 5th annual community Trick or Treat on Main Street event - a safe and fun Halloween alternative. The chamber and PTA provided over a done of decadent sweets for the community children, passed out by the local business owners, merchants and retailers along the strip. The generousity of local sponsors and the merchants contributing what seemed to be endless sugary booty made this friday afternoon Halloween event a raging success with what seemed to be the largest attendance ever - an estimated 3,500 costumed kids, parents and community members enjoying the day. Overall "Life was Good" here in Westhampton Beach despite uneasy times in the financial sector of Wall Street just an hour and a half to the west. Warm bodies were out and about continuing their summer rental searches while others carefully looked and educated themselves with dreams of positioning themselves for staking claims on new acquisitions.

November traditionally gets sleepier out in Westhampton Beach. The Farmers Market closes the third weekend as do a small portion of the local shops and well-known eateries. But the majority of merchants and retailers hang in for the long haul over the winter. Those that came out to Westhampton Beach to play were greated with broad smiles on Main Street as always open and ready to serve. Available Real Estate inventory grew a bit this month, with many die-hard lookers surfacing after finding some new and interesting properties on the world wide web and several good deals were put together by the local brokerage community. The financial roller coaster continued, but with a nice dip in rates at the end of the month with brought smiles to those who were smart enough to get in the game at this time. After a quick review, there are a lot of unique and interesting properties out there that are available right now than can be acquired such as a rare 4-unit apartment building in the village heart, a traditional 1920s craftsman home with legal carriage house boasting dual income producing apartments and a fresh crop of homes available for summer rental for next season that have never been available previously. The overall sense of real estate was somewhat invigorating here in Westhampton Beach which is traditionally insulated from the woes of the rest of the greater community. Being a huge second-home property community, it was rather enjoyable seeing an overwhelming amount of part-time and weekend residents come out and actually enjoy their homes with their families during the Thanksgiving holidays.

December gave way to leafless streets and the hunkering down for the commencement of the Winter season here in Westhampton Beach. In a final effort to bring some activity to the village street, the Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual Christmastime on Main Street festivities which always brings a fair amount of people out of the woodwork. This year, the cooperative efforts of the Village of Westhampton Beach, the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, the local chamber and an excellent number of participating merchants yielded an outstanding event filled with activities for both young and old alike - nearly 20 kids holiday craft stations, another 15 refreshment stations, horse and buggy rides in the downtown area, a community holiday movie at PAC - local radio stations broadcasting live on the streets, strolling carolers, a couple of Santas here and there and brightly wrapped gifts scattered along the sidewalks directing all to these different venues. Main Street was decorated for the holiday season with garlands, wreaths and white twinkling icicle lights everywhere in town in preparation for a glorious holiday season, the New Year and a thriving projected "next economy" in 2009 here in beautiful Westhampton Beach for both local merchants and the real estate brokerage community.

Hoping that 2009 will be good to us all!

Peace from Westhampton Beach!