In just a few weeks, things are sure to get a lot hotter in Wading River with the opening of North Fork Fire, a specialty shop featuring hand-rolled cigars, candles, condiments and hot sauces.
The new store, which will be located at The Shoppes at East Wind, will be the second for owners Heather and Dale Suter, who opened Greenport Fire in Greenport Village about three years ago.
Greenport Fire evolved from an antiques store the Suters opened in 2011 at the same Main Street, Greenport location, said Heather Suter.
“We had a shop called the Vintage Vault where we sold antiques, cigars and a few jars of hot sauce,” she said. “We were trying to decide what direction to go in; it was more like a cigar lounge at the time. Then we came up with the idea of selling all things having to do with heat or fire.”
Heather, who always loved spicy foods, and her husband Dale, a barbecue aficionado, started researching hot sauces and barbecue sauces, particularly those made in small batches.
“The people who make these sauces are really passionate about their products and have such interesting stories,” said Heather. “We use companies from all over the world, even as far away as Australia.”
The Suters love to share the backstories of their products and offer tastings of 99 percent of the sauces they sell.
“We wanted to make it an interactive experience,” said Heather. “People come in and we let them taste everything and help them with flavor profiles or pairing a sauce with a food they’re cooking or a recipe they’re trying to create.”
The concept will stay the same at the Wading River location, as will the funky decor complete with old vinyl records hung from the ceiling in tribute to Dale Suter’s grandfather who was in the record business.
Aiming for an early September opening, Heather Suter is excited to be expanding.
“We’ve been looking for a second location for a while and thought the Shoppes at East Wind would be a good fit,” she said. “They have all different kinds of boutiques and specialty stores so we felt like we’d fit right in. Plus, we love the entire North Fork; we’ve lived here on and off for seven years.”
The Shoppes at East Wind are located at 5768 NY-25A in Wading River.
