Uncover hidden gems in Greenport's vintage and antique shops
Elizabeth Sweigart, owner at Times Vintage in Greenport, poses in the kitschy kitchen section.
If shopping for retro clothing, vintage jewelry and home decor is your thing, you can't go wrong with a trip to Greenport. There, you can spend hours strolling around this quaint seaside North Fork village and grabbing a bite to eat between stops at some of these charming shops.
Follow this vintage trail, with each spot within walking distance of one another, to discover antique treasures and worldly riches:
First stop: The Times Vintage

Ally Blazer puts colorful dresses on display at Times Vintage in Greenport.
At The Times Vintage owner Elizabeth Sweigart sells primarily vintage clothing and records, as well as an assortment of home goods and decorative items.
"To us, vintage is anything 30 years or older," notes Sweigart, adding that most of the clothing, hats and handbags is from the '70s. "We have vintage accessories, as well, and a huge vinyl selection," she says.

The jewelry and accessories section at the shop.
Though about 90% of its merchandise is vintage, The Times Vintage also carries locally artisan-made earrings, sunglasses and a few other contemporary items.
In the housewares department, there are many midcentury barware pieces, large colorful swung vases from the late '60s, lamps, artwork, maps, globes and radios. There is also vintage sterling jewelry, menswear, kids' clothes and dolls.
"You kind of never know what’s going to come in and we’re getting new items daily," Sweigart says. "That’s the fun of it."
Second stop: Lydia’s Antique and Stained Glass

Lydia Abatelli, owner of Lydia's Antiques and Stained Glass in Greenport. Credit: Randee Daddona
Though she used to sell large pieces of furniture, Lydia Abatelli, owner of Lydia’s Antique and Stained Glass, has changed her focus as Greenport has become more of a destination town and visitors want to take something small home.
"I’ve become very involved in what I will call ‘smalls,’" says Abatelli, referring to glassware, pottery, small paintings and pictures, and figurines. "Anything that you would use to decorate your house and spice it up a little bit."

Vintage treasures found at Lydia's Antiques and Stained Glass in Greenport. Credit: Randee Daddona
Depression-era glassware is very sought after right now, and items from the 1960s are particularly popular with younger customers.
"We’re kind of from the 1920s up to the '90s, with a little thrown in of newer stuff that fits the mold," Abatelli says.

Art glass from the 1960s on display at Lydia's Antiques and Stained Glass. Credit: Randee Daddona
The glassware comes in a wide variety of patterns and many hues: pink, blue, green, clear, amber, turquoise and cranberry.
"Milk glass is a big one right now because white goes with everything," says Abatelli, noting that she sells milk glass fruit bowls, pitchers, candy dishes, salt and pepper shakers and serving platters.
Uranium glass is also very popular now.
"It basically is either a green or a yellowish color, but when it is put under a black light, it kind of glows because of the uranium in it," Abatelli says.

The shop sells vintage goods including Depression-era glassware, stained glass, milk glass, furniture and more. Credit: Randee Daddona
Lydia's Antique and Stained Glass also carries a wide variety of stained- glass lamps and panels, along with Roseville, McCoy and Ransbottom pottery, all made in Ohio from the 1930s through the 1950s.
There's an entire nautical section featuring duck decoys, glass dolphins, old lobster traps, clam baskets, oars, anchors and ship models.
Third stop: The Weathered Barn

The interior of the Weathered Barn Lifestyle Boutique on Greenport's Front Street. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Located in an early 20th century building, The Weathered Barn offers products mostly made by artisans, including handmade jewelry, homemade bath and body products and hand-blended teas.
In vintage items, there are journals made from old newspaper prints by former New York Times photojournalist Robert Stolarik.
"He makes journals from scratch tearing each piece of paper," says owner Rena Wilhelm. "But the outside of the journal books are hard covers and he takes pieces of New York Times papers and then burnishes it into the wood."
There's also vintage silverware, hand-stamped with messages, like spreaders marked with "Spread Love."
Artwork of wildlife created by Wilhelm herself is framed with 100-year-old barn wood from the West.

Made from old silverware pieces, spoon rings created by Rena Wilhelm. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
There are beach glass suncatchers and an apothecary bottle light fixture made by The Goat and His Goldfish, artisans based in Queens.
"It’s all vintage glass from New York City," says Wilhelm, noting that it comes from Glass Bottle Beach in Brooklyn, the site of a former dump, which is now encrusted with broken apothecary jars, growlers, pitchers and china.
Fourth stop: Silver by the Sea
After 33 years in Freeport, Michael Verni, moved his silver business to open Silver by the Sea two years ago.
A silversmith by trade, Verni creates many skulls and other biker jewelry, nautical items, rings, necklaces, and chains, and carries new, vintage, and antique jewelry as well as custom-made pieces from local artisans.
Silver by the Sea boasts a large collection of Native American turquoise, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s.

Turquoise and silver jewelry on display at Silver By The Sea. Credit: Michael Verni
"Most of my stuff has never been worn, stuff that I bought when I purchased it new, back in the day," says Verni, a former touring musician and avid traveler who bought lots of artisan jewelry in bulk from around the world.
Verni also carries items that date to the 1800s, including a Scottish sword and shield brooch from 1850 and a pocket watch from 1898, as well as tribal jewelry from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kurdistan, which he collected during his travels.
Vintage treasures in Greenport
Browse some of the area's vintage shops:
The Times Vintage, 429 Main St., 631-477-6455, timesvintage.com
Lydia’s Antique and Stained Glass, 215 Main St., 631-477-1414
The Weathered Barn, 41 Front St., 631-477-6811, theweatheredbarngreenport.com
Silver by the Sea, 29 Front St., 631-477-6548