On a cold, gray day in January, I stood in Clarke’s Boatyard, teeth chattering and feet planted in the muddy, sandy ground, mouth agape as I looked up at the underside of the Mashomack, one of the newer, larger ferries that bring cars and people back and forth from Greenport to Shelter Island.
Yes, I mean underneath it, not on it. It was a pretty awe-inspiring experience after a lifetime of riding back and forth on these boats, which transport over 900,000 vehicles and close to 1.5 million humans annually.
The Mashomack sat perfectly still and sturdy on an intricate set of wooden bolsters built by Greenport Yacht & Ship Building Co.’s George Van Etten and secured by him and his crew, who include ferry repairman Sooty Jimenez, a 20-year vet of the boatyard who proudly let me know his family was the second from Puerto Rico to take up residence in Greenport. They were repairing one of the boat’s propellers as efficiently and quickly as one can haul a multi-ton boat safely out of the water and get it back in.
Part and parcel to that activity was the civil-engineering brain of Erik Langendal, son of Anders Langendal, a name you might recognize from the sky-blue sign that hangs on their WWII-era steel warehouse at the end of Carpenter Street. It’s here that Anders has been building and repairing commercial and leisure wooden and fiberglass boats, alongside his sons Erik and Christian, for the last 30 of his 60 years in the business.
I was there that day to interview them about their work, but like so many stories about East End businesses, the Langendal’s is deeply woven into the fabric of our community in ways I hadn’t quite expected —with George and Sooty in Clarke’s Boatyard, with the commercial and sport fishing worlds, with other local businesses from Preston’s to Costello Marine. What they all do here is vital to everyday life on the East End.
It’s kind of a theme in our Mom-and-Pop issue this month — people who do things that make our lives richer and better, some more obvious than others. Like 100-year-old Minnie Costas and her daughter Elaine Fredericksson, who have spent a lifetime creating summer fun and memories for multitudes of families at Drossos. Like the father-daughter cleaver-wielding duo P.T. and Isabella Rutigliano of Wayside Market, who keep the art of prime meat butchering alive and well. There are the very cool female-forward businesses that have sprung up in Southold, giving big-box stores a run for their money and keeping our main drags vibrant (p. 64). And in our column The Dish, we take a peek into Sophie’s Rest, a beloved local joint whose come-as-you-are atmosphere makes everyone feel at home.
What would life be like here without these folks? It surely wouldn’t be the North Fork as we know and have known it. I beat this drum a lot, but small businesses are your neighbors and friends. They’re certainly a vital part of what keeps things both interesting and economically healthy here — and keep us linked. Arni Paperie’s Melinda Morris? I bet she made some lovely invitations for a big life event for your family. And I bet you haven’t just dolled up your home with items from Norine Pennachia’s TouchGoods but probably eaten dinner at her family’s warm and welcoming Cutchogue staple, Touch of Venice. Erik and Christian Langendal? I used to babysit them (speaking of first jobs!). P.T. Rutigliano? He and his dad delivered meat to my dad’s butcher shop. And now his daughter, a fellow butcher’s kid, is the next gen of Wayside. (Oh, and even our fearless leader, Andrew Olsen? He worked there in high school, no lie.)
Sometimes you just need a little extra, or some different perspective, to appreciate what these folks do — a peek behind the counter, a friendly chat with the North Fork’s mother-daughter mini-golf mavens, or a rare moment standing underneath a giant ferry boat and marveling at the way the gears keep running just beneath the surface.
Here’s to the moms and pops —
Amy Zavatto
Editor-in-Chief
