Featured Story

Craft brewery could open Friday

AMBROSE CLANCY PHOTO Look for the umbrellas to be opened as a sign that the Shelter Island Craft Brewery is open Friday.
AMBROSE CLANCY PHOTO
Look for the umbrellas to be opened as a sign that the Shelter Island Craft Brewery is open Friday.

Tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow.That has been the refrain for two weeks for Shelter Island Craft Brewery owner James Hull, but this time, he really expects he’ll be free to open the doors of his new business at North Ferry and Jaspa roads before noon Friday.

Mr. Hull opened prior to the Shelter Island 10K, thinking all the paper work was in order, only to be closed down because the federal government said he still lacked some permits.

He has spent the past two weeks trying to get everything cleared, finally getting an okay from the feds Wednesday, only to learn that the state, which had previously approved his application, needed one more review now that the federal paperwork is in place.

Mr. Hull already missed the 10K and Father’s Day weekend that marked one of the Island’s busiest times. He doesn’t want to see the Independence Day weekend slide by when the season is short as it is, he said.

Numerous telephone calls have gotten him an agreement that he should be able to open Friday just before noon.

And, yes, he checked to be certain state workers would be on the job tomorrow, a day when many businesses are closing to celebrate the holiday that falls on Saturday.

The feds “did not go quietly,” Mr. Hull said. “It’s mind-boggling,” he said of his prolonged efforts to do everything by the book, only to stumble time after time, despite his best efforts.

“There are too many chefs spoiling the brew,” Mr. Hull said about the approval process for his new business.

But customers who did get to taste his beers and enjoy the ambiance at Shelter Island Craft Brewery before it was shut down in June gave it high marks, Mr. Hull said.

His advice to would be customers now: “Look for the umbrellas to go up.”

If thee red umbrellas are up, the Island’s newest business is open, he said.

[email protected]