By Emily J. Weitz
Sag Harbor Florist has been in business in the village for about 20 years, and in that time, it’s undergone a lot of change. It moved from a storefront on Main Street to its current home in a big old house on Bay Street, and Anastasia Casale purchased the business from the previous owners in 2004. This year, it has invited another business, Made, to share the space. In the front room, with windows overlooking the bay, Made has settled in to the Sag Harbor Florist building, and the two share a lot more than an address.
While the two businesses don’t compete with each other, they do bring a similar philosophy to their businesses. Casale, who lives on a farm on the North Fork, grows many of her fresh cut flowers on her property.
“In season,” she says, “we have our own hydrangea, peonies, viburnum all varieties of daffodils, lily of the valley. We start getting into flowering branches like cherry and dogwood as late winter approaches.”
What she can’t grow herself, she makes up for in her relationship with growers and importers in New York and all over the world.
“I go into the city twice a week to bring a beautiful selection of flowers back that you wouldn’t see everywhere else… [Walking around the] flower district is like being a kid in a candy shop. Every day there’s something new.”
Eleni Prieston, owner of Made, has been making her own gold jewelry in town for decades. The shop has allowed her to showcase not only her intricately crafted rings, necklaces, and other jewels. It has also created an outlet for makers of all stripes, from the unique thrown clay pots of Yumiko Kuga to the innovative jewelry by Rita Baek and the sassafras bench by Miles Jaffe.
The aim of the shop, says Prieston, is to encourage people “to shop with intention. It’s recognizing the elements and qualities that make everyday objects meaningful pieces of art that one uses and lives with daily.”
Together, the Sag Harbor Florist and Made offer wares that you can trace back to the source, and one space easily segues into the other.
“I’ve never shared this space with anyone,” says Casale. “I decided I had this extra room that overlooked the water and thought it was time to look into the possibility. I always thought it would be great to have another reason for people to come here. It’s such a gorgeous building, and people don’t know what’s going on on Bay Street.”
Casale’s musings hadn’t gone much farther than that, though. She hadn’t tried too hard to find someone when Prieston approached her with the idea.
“I thought it was a great match,” says Casale. “We complement each other, but we don’t compete. Everyone seems to think this shop within a shop is a great addition to the town.”
Both businesses inspire the customer to “live creatively,” says Prieston. “The idea that not all of us can be considered artists, but we can all choose to live as artists by making intentional and creative choices which nurture us by their presence, and nurture the maker by buying his or her wares, and are thoughtful and considerate in their use of materials, design, purpose, humor, creativity, and substance.”
Of course, this season is a big time for shopping, and some of the favorite items in these shops include “The mini succulent plants in moss in eco- friendly pots for $16.50,” says Casale. “But really, one of the best gifts you can give is something homemade, and we have plenty of things to accessorize. Go out and cut some evergreens and put them together. Then come here for some beautiful ribbon or creative ideas.”
And of course, if you don’t fancy yourself a maker, you can stop in at Made, where high end items like “The Carrera Marble Grouper sculpture or onyx carved shell, or my handmade 22K gold jewelry are lifetime purchases,” says Prieston.
Both businesses awaken the senses, whether it’s the plump feel of Casale’s succulent plants or the delicate scent of Prieston’s UB Healthy lavender oil.
“This time of year,” says Casale, “people yearn for the smell, the fragrance, the flowering. I love to call the shop a temple for the senses. It has everything. It’s beautiful visually, there’s a fragrance, you can touch it. It’s a little sanctuary. A jewel box on Bay Street that people need to come in and experience.”
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