High-end ‘general’ store to open in Center

One-time political consultant Pam Stone and her business partner, Kimberly Auth, a marketer for Southern Wines and Spirits,said they want tobring to Shelter Island products they haven’t seen here at prices people can afford.

Table of Content General Store on North Ferry Road, just east of Geo Jo Video, will be stocking the shelves with jars of jelly, olive oil, vinegar  and Ms. Stone’s own line of artisan salts, spices,  sugars, candles and  kitchen accessories.

What’s more, there’s a tasting policy before a customer buys so they won’t get them home with a product and wonder why the pretty bottled prompted them to buy something they’ll never use, Ms. Stone said.

Looking at a “soft opening”  prior to Memorial Day, Ms. Stone is working with a crew to turn the space into what she hopes will be inviting retail space and a tasting room. That means tearing out tiles to create a high ceiling, re-carpeting the floors, putting up shelving and giving the store a fresh coat of paint.

She and Ms. Auth are determined to prove that you can be eco-friendly and still buy organic foods without spending an arm and a leg. She expects her average price for products will be about $15.
Olive oils and vinegars will be sold in attractive bottles, but they can then be refilled, she said.

The store won’t be selling books, but there’s book signing set up for June 1 for artist Eric Fishl and her ex-husband Michael Stone, whose book, “Bad Boy: My Life On and Off the Canvas” hits the shelves this week. She hopes to do the same for other local writers.

Table of Content will be a full-time gig for Ms. Stone who will be in the store with her ARF rescue dog, Maxine. She has even put her house in Water Mill on the market and rented a year-round house on Shelter Island so the store can operate full-time, not just during the tourist season, she said.