Hearts were heavy in Greenport Wednesday as a sign went up in the window of White’s Hardware, a longtime village institution, announcing a public auction.
A sign in the window of the shop states that the entire contents of the store will be sold at the auction, which will be run by David. R. Maltz & Co., on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at 11 a.m.
White’s, which has withstood the test of time in Greenport since it was established in 1930, was purchased in 1990 by Stuart and Therese Kogelschatz, who are now estranged.
The old-fashioned hardware store carried staples such as “hardine” items including wire, fasteners, paint and other repair essentials. The store also had a full stock of items for mariners, as well as foul weather gear, boots, waders, gloves, clam rakes, baskets and cutlery.
Stuart Kogelschatz said Wednesday night that he’d tried to keep the legacy alive, offering the store up for sale this spring. Sadly, he said, no buyer was found. “We just wanted to move on and get out, so we decided to have an auction and sell everything off.”
Although his predecessor Bob White was “quite helpful” in the quest to help Kogelschatz keep the mom-and-pop hardware store alive in Greenport, Kogelschatz said, “We had some issues and constraints come up personally, so we decided to liquidate.”
The decision wasn’t an easy one, Kogelschatz said. “It’s horrible, but we’re doing the best we can,” he said.
Merchandise from the shop will largely be sold in small lots, he said.
Saying good-bye to the store is painful, he admitted. “It’s been my baby. I went there every single day, for I don’t know how many thousands and thousands of days.”
But, he said, times have changed in the village. “The markeplace had changed and lower Main Street is a tough place to have a hardline hardware business. Day trippers and those kind of people don’t buy our main core items, and we weren’t big enough to sell lawn furniture or barbecues. The store is quite small, and we don’t have the room.”
In addition, Kogelschatz said, it was difficult to manuever big delivery truck down Main Street.
Still, he said, “I really feel bad. I wish we could have found a successor.”
And he’s not alone. As word spread on Facebook Wednesday night, heartbroken community members shared memories and implored someone to step up and buy the business. Some even volunteered their time to keep the shop open.
“Feeling low about this,” wrote resident Dan Horton.
With one chapter in his life coming to a close, Kogelschatz, 58, said he’s planning to travel, and look up “what’s left of the last generation of relatives” in his family.
But when all is said and done, he said, “I’ll probably work my way right back to Greenport.”
Originally from Sea Cliff, Kogelschatz said the North Fork is now and forever home. “The area is really hard to duplicate,” he said. “It’s such a wonderful combination of bays, the Sound, fertile soil and crops such as cauliflower and strawberries.” Kogelschatz, who said he loves gardening, added, “Very few places in the country have this combination.”
Looking ahead, Kogelschatz said his memories of White’s will last forever. “I’m really going to miss it,” he said. “I wish the store would continue and it may, who knows? As long as it doesn’t become a saltwater taffy or touristy kind of thing. We’ll have to see what happens.”
Told about the outpouring of community sorrow over the announcement of the public auction, Kogelschatz said, “That’s really great. It reaffirms my faith in human beings.”
