What’s old is new to an antique shopper and at Hampton Gather on Newton Lane in East Hampton the clients are in on the action.
“What sets us apart from other antique shops is our specialty in consignment (selling on behalf of customers), our architectural salvage and our affordable prices,” said owner and architect Erica Broberg Smith who opened the space in August with husband Scott Smith.
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The duo has called East Hampton home for 20 years and also operates kitchen design company Smith River Kitchens and architecture practice Erica Broberg Smith Architect in the same building as Hampton Gather.
“One of my favorite things to do is work on historical homes. I saw a lot of the hardware, details and lighting and learned all about the interior of the house. In my search for pieces to incorporate into the architecture, I would see a lot of vintage materials and thought they would be a natural fit in a Hampton’s home.”
image: hampton gather
Following this hunch, Hampton Gather was born—an “unstyled” habitat where shoppers should anticipate an authentic treasure hunt.
“A lot of East Hampton shops are hyper-curated, meaning the displays look perfect and everything matches. We deliberately stayed away from that. Everything at Hampton Gather is in [unrelated] piles so you really have to search for the items you like.”
The couple has searched the country for pieces to add to the shop. Trips to antique markets in Montana, Wyoming, New Jersey, Vermont and Massachusetts have expanded the collection dramatically, including some traditional Americana pieces. Standout finds so far include an original pigeon carrier from World War II, a 1890s five-foot wide carnival wheel that can be made into a coffee table, Hamm’s light up beer sign and apothecary wooden drawers.
But it’s the response from the Hamptons community that has really bolstered the business. The private basements of Hamptons’ residences have provided items like ancient doors from Bali, French Chateau shutters from 1700, signed original Bruce Springsteen album covers, an antique iron purchased in Israel and century-old Persian rugs.
“People come in with pure joy and when they take an item home they [usually] send us a picture of where they put it in the house.”
This beauty is something they want to preserve.