Shopping Cove reopens after December fire

A Sag Harbor shopping strip that was damaged in a December fire has reopened after months of reconstruction, the owners recently announced.

The Shopping Cove, which has 11 storefronts clustered around an outdoor space on Main Street, officially opened Aug. 23 but will have more upgrades before next summer, the owners said.
“It was important for us to quickly bring the Cove back to the community as a central gathering spot for life on Main Street,” Karen French, president of property owner Sag Harbor Ventures LLC, said in a statement.

The Dec. 16 fire damaged the Cove and four other buildings and left a gaping hole in the middle of Sag Harbor’s downtown. Some businesses are still shuttered, including a real estate office and the Sag Harbor Cinema.

The Cove looks almost exactly as it did before the fire, which burned a hole in the roof of the south half of the building, spokeswoman Anne Steinberg said. The biggest change is that SagTown Coffee has expanded into a neighboring storefront, she said.

That expansion did not receive full approval from village officials, resulting in the issuance of two building code violations against SagTown two days after its reopening in early August, officials said. A hearing is scheduled in Sag Harbor Village Court on Sept.19.