Where History & Future Intersect: The Sagaponack General Store

The Sagaponack General Store has been the heart of Sagaponack for 150 years. After closing in 2020, the store has reopened for 2025 and is embracing all the history, legacy, and community that comes with the space.

Located at 542 Sagg Main Street in Sagaponack, the General Store is open Wednesdays to Mondays (closed Tuesday) from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. They are ready to keep welcoming the community back to the restored space while honoring all the past generations that have helped shape it.

Owner of Sagaponack General Store Minday Gray spoke about the history and evolution of the store, what customers love most about it, including some of their specialty menu items, and the sense of community she hopes to continue to bring to Sagaponack.

What is the Sagaponack General Store all about?

MG: The store dates back to 1878 and has been the beating heart of Sagaponack through the decades. I wanted to celebrate the depth of this history while embracing the current Sagaponack community.

When was the store founded and how has it evolved?

MG: It has existed since 1878 when it was known as Chamberlain Bros. In this first iteration it featured a front porch, which I wanted to bring back since porches are natural places for communal gathering. It was always both a store and a post office so it was also important to restore the post office with historic boxes and nod to this connection by retrofitting rustic boxes so that they hold bins of candy by the pound.

Can you discuss the variety of items sold at the store?

MG: It is a modern general store so while there is not feed for farming animals, there is a vast array of yumminess to feed a wide array of palates. There are also locally sourced flowers, fruits and vegetables, candy by the pound, frozen yogurt, a chef’s corner of our favorite cooking ingredients, an apothecary corner, fabulous Sagaponack swag, delicious rotisserie chicken, breakfast biscuits, blueberry muffins, croissants, breads, and on and on. We also just got our license to sell beer so, cheers! Oh, and our coffee is super solid too. We’ve gotten the highest of marks from self-proclaimed super picky coffee lovers.

  
Can you discuss the history behind the store?

MG: The store is situated on Sagg Main Street in the center of the village. This was originally the “super highway” down which horse and buggies would take the wares that had been unloaded off ships that came into Sag Harbor. Farmers would sit around a pot belly oven after their days in the field and wait for the mail to arrive since this was also always a post office. Originally, the postmaster was the owner of the store.

 
What items or food is most popular with your customers?

MG: It is hard to limit it to a few, but the rotisserie chickens have been a fan favorite, as too our homemade breakfast biscuits, croissants, blueberry muffins, whipped ricotta, chicken soup, and definitely our honey which is sourced from the 10 hives that live behind the barn. We are planting fresh herbs and cutting flowers there soon so the bees will have even more to feast on.

 
Is there a specialty at the store that you’re known for?

MG: People have been coming earlier and earlier to secure breakfast biscuit sandwiches before they sell out, and also the rotisserie chicken.

 
Do you have any seasonal offerings you’re excited to share for the 2025 summer season?

MG: We are partnering with Marilee Foster and look forward to selling more and more local produce as it grows. Her asparagus has been absolutely delicious, and she is known for having the best tomatoes around!

 
Does Sagaponack General have any special events?

MG: I bought the store during Covid when we were all starved for community so building community was always central to the plan. We look forward to finding ways for people to gather here beyond just shopping and eating. We are ultimately hoping to host community events like book signings and bee harvesting and trivia nights.
 

What’s your favorite thing about being located in the Hamptons?

MG: Sagaponack is a special place since it’s where farmland and the ocean meet. What could be better than that combination?

 
What’s unique about serving the East End customers?

MG: Everyone comes in and smiles. People are so happy to have a place reopen that has existed for so many years and that has held such a personal place in their hearts. It’s magic to hear the stories of what it’s meant to them, from working here as kids, to eating Mary Spellman’s chicken pot pie, to being able to bike here alone as a little kid.

  
What sets Sagaponack General apart from every other business? 

MG: It’s really important that everyone feels welcome and treated with a smile. A lot of care went into celebrating its history, from the walking chicken logo that was literally plucked from a sign that hung in the barn, to original artifacts showcased throughout. In America, it’s rare to be in a space that is almost 150 years old, and I think people love discovering something new each time they enter.

  
Please share anything else you’d like readers to know.

MG: I am just so very grateful for the outpouring of support and appreciation I’ve received from the community and hope to make this a place that always puts a smile on people’s faces.

To learn more about Sagaponack General Store, click here