Business

‘A little bit of the city’ comes to downtown Riverhead

CARRIE MILLER PHOTO  |  A look inside Chic Creations, which celebrated its grand opening Saturday.
CARRIE MILLER PHOTO | A look inside Chic Creations, which celebrated its grand opening Saturday.

Doors officially opened Saturday to Chic Creations, a new women’s clothing, jewelry and accessories store located at 49 West Main St. in Riverhead.

“We haven’t slept since yesterday,” said Wendy Martinez, owner of Chic Creations along with her husband Felix. “We’ve had about 70 customers so far. People are excited and we are too.”

Mrs. Martinez said she designs both clothing and jewelry, and hopes to have her own designs available this spring.

CARRIE MILLER PHOTO  |  Chic Creations owners Felix and Wendy Martinez opened their new store Saturday.
CARRIE MILLER PHOTO | Chic Creations owners Felix and Wendy Martinez opened their new store Saturday.

Wearing black cheetah print leggings, an item available and displayed on a store mannequin, Mrs. Martinez pointed out a few of her favorite items. One was a black dress, unique with a sweater bodice and pleated cotton skirt. A satin belt tied in a bow completed the look.

Merchandise ranges from $20 to $90, including clothing, shoes, jewelry and even undergarments.

“The prices are great,” said Dorris Laffey of Coram, who had several pieces in her hands as she shopped Saturday afternoon. “They have nice pieces, things you don’t really see.”

“We have a different style — a New York style,” Mr. Martinez said. “We wanted to bring a little bit of the city to this town. This is a great town. The people are really friendly and we want to be a part of the downtown area. I think this is the right time.”

The couple started renovating the store space in mid-November and turned it around in about two months, Mr. Martinez said.

“The wall color is the same as some of the Southampton stores,” said Mr. Martinez, who also owns Hampton’s Paint Masters. He did all of the renovation work himself, he said.

Colorful pink and green lights shine on the pinkish white walls, with black used as an accent on the bottom half of the walls.

“It reminds me of a city boutique,” said Connie Carpenzano of Riverhead, who was shopping with her mother. “I work down the street, so I heard about it by word of mouth.”

CARRIE MILLER PHOTO  |  Wendy Martinez shows off a piece of piece of custom-made jewelry.
CARRIE MILLER PHOTO | Wendy Martinez shows off a piece of piece of custom-made jewelry.

Mrs. Martinez said ever since she was a young girl dressing up dolls, she’s always loved clothing.

“She has dreamed about this for as long as we’ve been together,” said Mr. Martinez.

The couple, who reside in Hampton Bays, has been married for more than six years.

Chic Creations is Riverhead’s first new business to open in 2013.

Ray Pickersgill, business improvement district president, said he is excited about its opening.

“Providing unique shopping experiences such as his new boutique is essential to attracting repeated visitors to downtown Riverhead,” he said.

Shoppers asked said they would definitely be back.

“I would come here over Tanger,” Ms. Laffey said. “The style is today’s, it’s not last season.”

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