Little Creek Oysters To Close At Bait Shop: 'Sights Set On A New Home'
GREENPORT, NY — Sometimes, the sun sets on even the most beautiful of dreams: Ian Wile, who created Little Creek Oysters in Greenport in 2014 along with his wife Rosalie and co-owner Travis Zurawski, announced on social media Wednesday that the beloved little bait shop turned oyster shack is set to shutter this month.
The news comes after years of the scrappy little eatery, perched on the Greenport waterfront, surviving the wrath of countless storms, its owners doggedly bailing out water and dodging fierce winds and the wrath of the Covid pandemic to keep their business afloat.
Wile wrote a heartfelt message laced with resolve on social media. “To our beloved Little Creek community: For the past few weeks, we have been working through a surprise rent increase and lease negotiation with our landlord. After 10 years of treating this old shack like it was ours, saving her from destruction and more catastrophic floods than we can recall — the rent demand was simply irrationally high. It has become clear that there is a big bad fish that wants us out and no dollar value can keep us here.”
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He added: “We know that this is terrible news for our collective family and community, but we also know that this place was never about the building. It has always been about the love and care for each other, and a commitment to the people and places who make up our DNA.”
Wile said he hopes that the community will gather with owners after Oyster Fest on Sunday, October 13, for a special “anchor drop, as the sun sets on the journey that has been our time here at this old shack.”
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October 13 will be the last day of service at the Bait Shop.
“Looking ahead, we are fully committed to our incredible Village of Greenport and have our sights set on a new home with a long future. Have faith in us,” Wile said.
Wile told Patch: “We have been working on trying to negotiate for weeks but it just became clearer and clearer that we have no path forward here. . . We feel responsible for so many people. Their memories. Babies, dates, funerals, new jobs, Covid, love, loss, tears, laughter. It’s honestly too much. We are increasingly sure we will make a good landing, and hopefully fast, as we are responsible to so many families. In the short meantime, we will gather here for a couple of weeks and mourn a little bit for a different Greenport.”
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