Knowledge Friday With Lisa Field

This month’s Knowledge Friday at The Church in Sag Harbor will feature Lisa Field — owner and protector of the beloved Sag Harbor Variety Store and until recently, president of the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce. Anyone who has spent time in Sag Harbor as a child holds memories of the Variety Store, more affectionately known as the Five and Dime. Whether it’s grabbing a $2 ice cream from the cooler, picking out the latest Barbie or begging your parents for 25 cents to ride the mechanical horse out front, the Variety Store provides it all and more. Throughout the years and as the East End evolves, many businesses have sadly disappeared, but businesses like the Variety Store with its signature yellow and red striped awning help conserve Sag Harbor’s unique small-town charm.

On Friday, April 15, at 6 p.m., Field will speak to the audience about place and community, and how the Variety Store has for years been in spirit and fact one of the principal anchors of our village.

“We are so grateful to have Lisa come to talk about her family, her store, and her devotion to our village,” said April Gornik who will host the discussion with Field. “She and her family business are a living example of the resilience of Sag Harbor through boom and bust periods. The Variety Store is one of the treasures of the East End, and living proof that a community with devoted leaders like her can define a place in the best possible way.”

In 2020, the Variety Store celebrated its 50th anniversary, however, the store itself has been operating as a five and dime since 1922, marking 2022 as the celebratory year of the store’s centennial. In 1970 the store was purchased on a whim by Lisa’s parents Phil and Roseann Bucking from previous owner E.L. Hanson. The couple had dreams of owning a business and although the merchandise they offer has evolved with the changing times — the two were keen on preserving the five and dime charm. With the rise of online retail conglomerates like Amazon, the Variety Store continues to prioritize the original concept — to offer a wide variety at attractive prices. Luckily, the store continues to run a steady business, in large part due to the friendliness of the staff and the convenience of having merchandise that ranges from shoelaces to art supplies to sewing materials, to cleaning supplies, and, of course, children’s toys.

Since the passing of Phil Bucking in September 2008, the store has been owned by Roseann Bucking and Field, who have continued to carry on the traditions first implemented in the 1970s. Field has quoted her father who used to say, “It’s not work. It’s just what we do.”

Admission to the talk is $10. The Church is located at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor. For details, visit thechurchsagharbor.org.