Hamptons galleries respond to Vered bust

The wine will likely remain corked at most Hamptons galleries this weekend, as dealers attempt for the first time to navigate an uncharted landscape of paperwork, permits, licenses and fees.

Since Ruth Kalb, the owner of the Vered Gallery in East Hampton, was taken away in handcuffs for serving alcoholic beverages to her patrons over Memorial Day weekend, local gallery owners have been scrambling to understand what happened and how to avoid having it happen to them.

Ms. Kalb, better known as Vered, has been at the center of a media blitz since news of her arrest appeared in several New York papers, all of which printed similar pictures of the enraged gallery owner being led into a squad car. Back in her gallery last Friday, and despite the incident garnering the business attention and exposure, a PR coup no publicist could buy, Vered was clearly upset by what transpired.

“I think I’m tired of the interviews,” she said, adding, “It’s just getting to be too much.”

Vered was charged with two state liquor law infractions, including sale of alcohol without a license, a misdemeanor, and having no permit for mass assemblage, a violation.

“If it was a law, then they didn’t do their job,” Vered said, explaining that in more than 30 years of serving alcohol at openings, she had never been asked to stop by East Hampton police. “They should have given us a warning.”

East Hampton Village Police also stopped at the nearby Walk Tall Gallery and the John Varvatos clothing store to check on the serving of drinks that Saturday night, but both businesses complied, closing their bars for the night and later learning how to get permission to serve.

“Usually, it’s the reaction of the public to the police that determines their next move,” Terry Wallace, owner of the neighboring Wallace Gallery said, explaining that Vered was arrested because she defied police, rather than accepting her ticket like Walk Tall and Varvatos. “Think about it from those guys’ point of view,” Mr. Wallace said of the police who arrested Vered for failing to cooperate. “They were polite to her.”

He pointed out two code enforcement officers who were going from store to store on Friday to measure square footage and make sure the spaces and their occupancy were up to code. “They’re going to measure every space,” Mr. Wallace said, noting that a very small store in East Hampton could easily get busted for having too many customers during the rush before and after movies. “Her behavior is what brought the building department.”

The unexpected crackdown did not extend beyond the village, but a ripple effect is spreading and galleries and the governments that preside over them aren’t taking chances. In Sag Harbor, Mayor Gregory Ferraris and Village Police Chief Tom Fabiano responded to the incident by sending a warning to local businesses. Mr. Fabiano acknowledged that his department will likely increase enforcement in the wake of what happened in East Hampton.

“Sometimes people take advantage of things,” the police chief said. Sag Harbor Police have not reported any incidents of alcohol being served illegally, but in the summer it occurs weekly in the village, according to gallery owners and patrons.

“We just passed along an informative memorandum,” Mr. Ferraris said on Monday. “We’ve never had any problems here in the past and we don’t anticipate any,” he said, adding that he and Mr. Fabiano are simply providing a reminder for business owners who may not have been aware of the law or that it applies in Sag Harbor.

Galleries in other parts of the East End are fearful of what’s to come and although there has been no enforcement so far in their various hamlets and villages, all those polled this week said they are addressing the problem. Many owners and employees asked not to be identified for fear of being singled out or prosecuted for past transgressions.

Southampton Village Police Chief William Wilson also sent out a notice to businesses in his jurisdiction this week, though his department appears to be taking a more sympathetic stance on the issue.

“All we wanted to do was avoid any confusion,” he said, explaining that the laws are in place and must be enforced in certain situations. “If the police department receives a complaint, we won’t be in the position to issue a summons,” as long as a business’s paperwork is in order, Mr. Wilson said. “If they don’t have the proper paperwork, we’d probably have to issue a summons.”

The State Liquor Authority requires that a business applying for the required permits to serve alcohol at an opening or other function file 15 days in advance and pay $31, according to Chief Wilson.

“If they’re desperate and they want the revenue, they can ask us for an annual fee to serve liquor,” Vered said, explaining that the application process is time consuming and difficult and her idea would solve the issue for everyone. “We’re very busy,” she said, noting that she has no issue with the cost of the permit and any gallery would be happy to pay.

“The price is perfect, I’d love to pay that all the time,” Water Mill art dealer Sara Nightingale said, noting that she’s been trying very hard to reach the SLA and move ahead with the application process, but has so far hit dead ends. “I called 25 times, I swear to you,” she said, noting that everyone would be better served if the process were streamlined. “It should be easy,” Ms. Nightingale said, suggesting an online application.

This weekend, Ms. Nightingale is having an alcohol-free opening she’s calling “Ice Cream Social,” where instead of wine and beer, she’ll be handing out scoops of ice cream and selling paintings featuring ice cream.

Vered and the other businesses cited over Memorial Day weekend are going before a judge in East Hampton on June 25.

“I hope the town will come out and support me,” she said.