EAST HAMPTON, NEW YORK – The hunt is over for an authentic and affordable antiques store in the Hamptons. Old school antique hunting is back! Thanks to local architect Erica Broberg Smith and her husband Scott, owners of Smith River Kitchens and Erica Broberg Smith Architect, residents and visitors to East Hampton can once again savor the joy of digging through a treasure trove to find the perfect antique gift or home décor piece.
“Shopping isn’t fun in the Hamptons anymore,” says Erica Smith. “For me it’s corporate and generic and cost prohibitive. I kept saying to myself, ‘Show me something new. Surprise and delight me. Let’s go treasure hunting, like we used to.’”
Antiques stores in the Hamptons are now rare due to rent increases, skyrocketing property taxes and an influx of commercial chains like Home Goods, which have carved up the market making it challenging for the antiques industry. Despite this reality the Smiths took a leap of faith and followed their hearts in July 2016 and opened Hampton Gather in the heart of East Hampton.
Erica and Scott moved to East Hampton in 1999. Erica, an architect by training, founded an architecture firm that specializes in historic renovation, restorations and traditional architecture – al practice that continues to thrive today. In 2002 Erica and her husband founded Smith River Kitchens, an architecture-focused kitchen design company to serve alongside the architecture practice. The Smiths work closely with architects, homeowners and designers in the tri-state area and this connection with people led them to their passion of collecting antiques.