Cheese & Spice Market and Wines by Nature pair perfectly in Wading River
Close to a decade ago, Patty Kaczmarczyk had just opened the doors to Cheese & Spice Market, her first store and the inaugural tenant at the much-anticipated Shoppes at East Wind (5768 NY-25, Wading River, 631-929-3500).
Many storefronts at the open-air retail village, which opened in late 2016, were still unoccupied — but Kaczmarczyk knew a way to fill one. So she got in touch with longtime friend George Eldi, a local wine connoisseur, with a suggestion that would go on to enhance the course of their professional lives.
“[Patty] whispered in my ear, ‘Hey, you know what we need here? A good wine shop,’” Eldi recalls playfully.
In July 2017 — after getting permission from his wife, Nancy, Eldi laughs — Wines by Nature (Suite I, 631-886-2800) opened in a storefront adjacent to Cheese & Spice Market (Suite D, 631-886-1521). Ever since, he and Kaczmarczyk have supported each other’s shops with regular recommendations to customers. They also use social media to promote each other’s businesses, which focus on selling high-quality products from around the world at attainable prices, to a largely shared clientele.
They collaborate throughout the year with educational cheese and wine seminars, too. The events, open to the public and hosted at least two to three times a year at Wines by Nature, help “broaden people’s palates,” says Kaczmarczyk, who pivoted to opening Cheese & Spice Market after spending most of her career in the restaurant industry. Her résumé includes a managerial position at La Plage; it was there, at the French-American establishment across from Wading River Beach, that she first met Eldi, who was working as a seasoned wine rep.
