New $5.4M Saltaire Market Makes Memorial Day Debut By Timothy BolgerSaltairians hungry for the long-awaited return of their village’s lone market are preparing to feast on grub served up at the new $5.4-million eatery and general store that’s reopening Memorial Day weekend.Village officials tapped Patrick Adams, who recently sold Le Dock, his former restaurant and bar in Fair Harbor, to run the new 6,390-square-foot Saltaire market, which has been closed since the original store was flooded in Superstorm Sandy.“Patrick’s vision for the market matches what the community has been asking for over the years, Saltaire Mayor Robert Cox wrote in a letter to residents. “That is: friendly and quality service, more convenient hours of operation, and a better selection of produce, groceries and prepared foods.”The reopening followed more than three years of delays since the October 2012 storm. Last summer, after two years without a market, the village hired a food truck to keep residents fed until the permanent replacement could be built. Residents had to go to neighboring Kismet and Fair Harbor to food shop in the meantime.The Whitney family that owned the original market sued Saltaire after the village condemned the property amid the family’s failed bid to get the village to permit renovations to the old structure. The two reached a settlement in which Saltaire bought the property and the Whitneys were to operate the market. But the administration then replaced the Whitneys with Adams as the concessionaire.The village spent $850,000 to acquire the old flood-damaged market at 100 Broadway from the Whitney family in 2014. The rest of the $5.4-million tab included the cost of demolishing the old building, paying for permits to rebuild it, environmental remediation, purchasing equipment and more than $2 million for the new structure itself. The village bonded $5 million to pay for the work and is exploring the sale of surplus property to mitigate that borrowing.Residents volunteered to help along the way. Three ad hoc committees of villagers contributed to the market’s design: one that gave interior design suggestions, another focusing on the architecture and the third recommending how to meet the commercial needs.Adams was not available for comment at press time, but a market representative said that he is “tremendously excited about the opening…and looks forward to the increased foot traffic it will bring to the bayside of Saltaire,” adding that he hopes the market will “make Saltaire great again.”The ice cream shop will also open Memorial Day weekend, but the liquor store won’t return until July, the representative said. Patrons can get updates and suggest menu items on Twitter via @SaltaireMarket. The mayor added that a grand opening ceremony is also planned for early July. Cox said the new market will also offer catering services for occasions of all sizes.“We are very happy to have found such a well-qualified and enthusiastic operator and are confident that you will find the market to be a tremendous improvement to the quality of living in the village,” the mayor wrote.
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