Eight vendors to do biz at Shelter Island beaches: One is told to rein in its operation
Eight businesses — all returnees from previous summers — have applied for permission to operate on Town property — mostly at beaches — this summer, and all but one had smooth sailing.
Planning to return this summer are Bon Spa, that provides massages for customers at Crescent Beach; Mr. Softee, which is the only returning ice cream vendor, who operates at Crescent and Wades beaches; Ride Shore, which provides transportation from Crescent Beach to Greenport and Sag Harbor; Shelter Island Kayak, which operates at the end of Burns Road; Trent Firestine, who plans to offer a workout class at Crescent Beach on Saturdays from 9 to 10 a.m.; and food trucks for The Islander and Stars Café.
The Islander food truck will be at Crescent Beach, while Stars will operate at Wades Beach.
The last returning business, which ran into Town concerns is Venture Out, won’t get all that operator Matty Stromberg sought. He has operated the kayak and paddle board business at Crescent Beach for years, but was told by Town Board members and Police Chief Jim Read that he must scale back the space he’s been operating in because it goes beyond what is allowed.
Mr. Stromberg said he tries to keep within the space, but needs more space at busy times for his paddle boards and kayaks. As soon as he gets customers in the water, Mr. Stromberg said, he pulls back and rearranges to use only the space allowed, but when things get busy, he has to have the extra space.
With all other vendors held to the 10- by 20-foot space requirement, to allow him to practically double the site he occupies, is something the Town can’t do, Chief Read told him.
A related request for a permanent parking space on the roadway outside the Venture Out tent was also rejected because other vendors — except for food trucks that operate entirely from such spaces — don’t get assigned parking. Mr. Stromberg can purchase a beach parking pass, but there’s no guarantee the space he seeks will be open to unload and load his gear.
Chief Read said something could be arranged if Venture Out moved its entire space farther toward the Perlman Music Program and Pridwin Hotel areas, but that’s something Mr. Stromberg said he doesn’t want to do.
It was finally agreed he would join Chief Read and Public Works Commissioner Ken Lewis Jr. on a walk in the area to establish space that Venture Out can occupy.
The relatively low fee established since the program began is something that has rankled Councilman Benjamin Dyett, who drove home his point Tuesday that the fee needs to be increased. The current $250 for the season is likely to increase for the summer of 2026.
