Quogue Country Market Finally Opens Under New Owner

The Quogue Country Market finally opened this week following months of renovations to the Jessup Avenue store.

Reggie Sethi of Farmingville, the new owner, bought the business in January, but had to complete extensive renovations before holding a soft opening this past Friday. Originally, he had hoped to open his new business over the summer but renovations to the building’s interior took longer than expected.

In addition to roof repairs and structural modifications to the walls, the store’s flooring had to be reinforced with concrete slabs, he added. Today, nearly everything about the market is brand new, Mr. Sethi said.

“Unfortunately, the building needed a lot of TLC,” said Mr. Sethi, who also owns a similar market called Grove Market in Cherry Grove on Fire Island. “The construction and the foundation work, and the slab work, took a long time.”

Quogue Holdings LLC of Locust Valley, the building’s landlord, was slapped with a stop-work order from Quogue Village on March 10 after crews started making repairs to a leaky roof before securing the necessary building permit, according to village records. The landlord then applied for the permit, which was granted on April 15 by William Nowak, Quogue’s building inspector.

Still, construction work did not wrap up until October 12, at which time Mr. Sethi said he was able to start setting up his market, which features white walls and new LED lighting along a black ceiling. The market boasts wooden tables near its front, inviting customers to sit down and try some of the fresh and organic foods served there.

The new market will likely stay open year-round and is stocked with organic and natural foods—including pastas salads, cheeses and soups.

“We want to give them as much as we possibly can,” Mr. Sethi said of his customers.

The market also has a deli counter, a coffee station and will eventually boast a juice bar, he added.

“People were really happy to see us open on Friday,” Mr. Sethi said. “It was a long wait.”

Though no employees have been hired yet, Mr. Sethi plans for the Quogue store to have a full-time staff of between 15 and 20 people. If possible, he said he would like to hire those who worked for the old Quogue Market prior to its closing in December 2014.

Tommy Panebianco of Holbrook, who formerly worked at the Cherry Grove location, will be managing the Jessup Avenue market. Sitting inside the new store, he said the shop enjoyed a significant amount of foot traffic during its first weekend in Quogue.

“Seeing people appreciate all the things we did over the summer makes it worth it,” Mr. Panebianco said.