Southampton retail vacancies down as tenants stay in offseason

Wealthy New Yorkers aren’t the only ones planning to stick out the coronavirus pandemic in the Hamptons. So are the retailers and art galleries that rely on them for business.

Thanks to them, fewer shops in downtown Southampton are vacant this offseason, according to Newsday. There are usually about two dozen vacant shops downtown this time of year, but this year only about six are empty, said Mayor Jesse Warren.

A number of tenants are in the luxury goods and art industry, including auction house Phillips and the art galleries Hauser & Wirth and JHB Gallery. Some restaurants on the East End are also planning to stay open into the winter, although some are doing that just to survive. [Newsday] — Dennis Lynch