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Bargains in the Hamptons after Labor Day

BY SHARON FEIEREISEN | Special to Newsday; Joan Reminick

September 7, 2008

Wine tasting? Gallery hopping? Karaoke?

While fabulous bargains are probably not what typically spring to mind when you think about the Hamptons, a patch of Long Island notorious for $10,000 helicopter rides, multi-million-dollar houses, and $47 lobster salads, the East End is full of ways to have fun and relax without breaking the bank. Best of all, after Labor Day, weekend lodging prices, even at some of the most exclusive spots, go down considerably.

"I love it out here after Labor Day. A lot of places adjust their prices down and there are more locals and less city people. It's also nice because it's usually warm here in September, sometimes even through October, so the beaches are still popular and as you go further east there's the lighthouse in Montauk, which is beautiful in the fall," says Sarah Westerhoff, year-round Hampton denizen and waitress at the Southampton staple Barrister's.

To prove there's more to the East End than pricey summertime glitz and glam, we've searched up and down - from Westhampton to Montauk - to give you everything you'll need to entertain yourself for a post-Labor Day East End stay, on the cheap.

LESS-EXPENSIVE SHOPPING

Herve Leger runway looks 70 percent off? Diane Von Furstenberg dresses for less than $100? No, we're not talking about a sample sale. Come summer's end, prices, even at American Express Black Card magnets such as Bellhaus, Blue & Cream and Scoop, are slashed, as boutiques make room for their fall collections.

All is lost if you're in town after mid-September, when sales start to dwindle. The East End is a veritable playground for bargain-hunting, thrift-store-loving shoppers. In fact, castoffs in the Hamptons, as one might expect, can be absolutely fabulous.

For an all-out thrift-shopping, antiquing crawl, begin your day at the Animal Rescue Fund Thrift Shop (Main Street, 631-726-6613) in Water Mill, where recent sales have included secondhand Yves St. Laurent shoes for $50, an 8-foot drop-leaf pine table for $1,200 ($6,000 estimated value) and a 1999 Mercedes-Benz for $8,000.

"Many people have furnished their whole house with items purchased from our stores," says manager Gail Murphy (a second shop is located in Sagaponack, which carries primarily antiques and art). "It's designing on a budget at its best."

Next, make your way to Southampton's Main Street where you'll feel like you landed in heaven when you head to designer resale boutique Bargain Basement by Collette (10 Main Street, 631-283-1867), where you can pick up gently - if at all - worn Manolo shoes, Hermes bags, and the likes. Round off the Southampton part of your crawl with stops at tchotchke-heavy Elsa's Ark Thrift Store - think $2 china and $10 vests - (70 Main St., 631-287-2952) and Second Chance Antiques (45 Main St., 631-283-2988), which is stocked with 1950s costume jewelry, vintage china, silverware, and furniture.

Next, hop in your car and head east to Bridgehampton's Out of the Closet (2401 Montauk Hwy., 631-537-2470), home to high-end, designer vintage pieces sans exorbitant price tags, before stopping by Around Again (Long Wharf, 631-725-4067) in Sag Harbor, where you can pick up an LV bag minus a four-digit cost.

When you're all shopped-out and just want to kick back, you can head to any of Book Hampton's South Fork locations (bookhampton.com), where the staff can guide you through their well-curated selection.

THINGS TO DO

One of the best things about the Hamptons is the sheer beauty of the well-kept area - walking down Main Street, strolling along the beach, enjoying an ice cream.

"Pre-Labor Day it's more of a party crowd," says artist Michael Perez, who's owned his namesake Southampton gallery for over 10 years. "As it becomes the fall it's more laid-back. People still come out from the city and from around the world, but it's the crowd that wants to be able to park their car, walk around, go to restaurants without having to wait on long lines."

Take in the splendor of it all by renting a bike at the Montauk Bike Shop (725 Montauk Hwy., 631-668-8975) and heading to surfer-favorite Ditch Plains, which is the only beach that has permit-free parking year-round (at Ditch Witch). Other popular beaches include Mecox Beach in Bridgehampton, Sagg Main Beach in Sagaponack, and Main Beach in East Hampton, none of which require parking permits after Labor Day.

WINE & HARVEST FESTIVALS

The Southampton Historical Museum (17 Meeting House Lane, 631-283-2494), will put on a craft and country fair featuring pie-baking contests, food, and music, along with a children's tent on Oct. 1. Similar festivities will take place Oct. 8 during the Westhampton Beach Harvest Festival (Mill Road between Main Street and Church Lane, 631-288-3337), on Montauk's 24th Annual Fall Festival Oct. 8-9. The Montauk Chamber of Commerce hosts free concerts and fishing tournaments, along with a handful of other events throughout the fall (montaukchamber.com for details).

For family fun, "I love doing the typical country stuff like pumpkin-picking," says Bea Egan, who works at Intermix over the summer. Head over to the Milk Pail (1346 Montauk Hwy., Water Mill, milk-pail.com), for apple- and pumpkin- (as large as 150 pounds!) picking, along with squash, gourds and straw.

If movies are more your thing, The Hamptons International Film Festival takes place Oct. 15-19. You can catch independent films (and possibly a few stars), at various venues on the South Fork (hamptonsfilmfest.org).