Everyone agrees: Riverhead is on the rise. The central hub between the two forks, Riverhead sits on the beautiful Peconic River, but for too long the downtown was blighted with abandoned buildings. That has been changing for quite some time, as the town is striving to reinvent itself and to become a pedestrian-friendly, quintessential Main Street type of community. And it’s working. Riverhead continues to lure mom and pop’s and boutique shops downtown, and summer 2012 will see some new faces on Main Street.
The Blue Duck Bakery will expand to its its third location on East Main Street. The bakery opened in Southampton Village in 1999, and it opened a second storefront in Southold about four years ago. The Blue Duck’s artisan breads, cakes, cookies, pies and pastries always delight East End dinner tables. Keep an eye out for the anticipated June opening.
The Blue Duck already has a buddy in the same renovated building, which can hold three tenants, as it’s the new home of Ralph’s Famous Italian Ice. Co-owners Ivan Albert and Frank LoPresti also operate Ralph’s in Greenport and in Port Jefferson. Among the frozen delights available are ice cream, shakes, smoothies, frozen yogurt, creme ices and water ice.
Also new to downtown is Twin Forks Bicycles. Located across the street from the Suffolk Theatre at 121 East Main Street, Twin Forks Bicycles carries road, mountain and cruiser bikes from a variety of brands. The new store is about three times larger than the old location on Osborne Avenue. And riders will be able to test ride their bikes on the Peconic Riverfront.
Ralph’s, the Blue Duck and Twin Forks Bicycles join last year’s cast of new businesses in the up-and-coming downtown. Restaurants getting ready to celebrate their first anniversary are Cody’s BBQ & Grill—try their ribs—and The Riverhead Project, which serves locally inspired dishes. Also relatively new to downtown is the Hyatt Place Long Island/East End and the Red Collection, which sells furniture and antiques.
Next summer, be sure to check out a new, three-story bookstore in the old Suffolk Trust building—we hear that it’s scheduled for a September opening—and, of course, all of the other wonderful businesses that have yet to decide to grace downtown Riverhead. Here’s to a great summer!
