Mary Waserstein, the new director of the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce, is working on plans and advocating for changes to bring vibrancy to the East Hampton Village downtown business district. Collaborating with the previous director, Barbara Layton, Waserstein is focusing on annual events, positive changes to local rules, and long-term revitalization efforts.
An important step is to broaden the body of businesses involved in the chamber’s collaborations. Relabeling themselves as the Greater East Hampton Chamber of Commerce, Waserstein and Layton have expanded the chamber’s reach beyond the East Hampton Village. It is now set to include businesses in Amagansett, Springs, and Wainscott.
Additionally, they intend to involve businesses operating outside the typical retail and restaurant sphere, including landscapers, construction groups, service companies, and others involved in the broader business ecosystem.
“That is a big focus for me, turning the Chamber into something that advocates for all business,” Waserstein said. “Even if you are in different industries, you still have this commonality of experience that you are looking for. You want to understand what’s going on with local government that is going to impact you, be it signs on the sidewalk or whether you can use a gas leaf blower. We want to be the source for that.”
A New Community Focus
This is not the only change Waserstein and Layton are making to the chamber’s paradigms. She asserts that how chambers interact with their members has changed significantly in recent decades. Waserstein said, “They used to be these Mason-esque small fraternities. They were a place for shop owners to network and discuss business. Now they are structured more like a business themselves.”
Layton explained that this kind of operation didn’t work during the pandemic. She only took over as director following the pandemic, and having just passed directorship on to Waserstein, the pair have shared the duty of recovering from lockdowns that left the downtown business district gutted.
“People were yearning for connection and collaboration,” said Layton, who intends to make fostering collaborative events a new focus for the chamber. “Our emphasis is going to be on community in the business district—mixers, business seminars and conferences, and business referrals. We want meaningful events, well-thought-out events that benefit everyone—the local community and the high-end brands.”
Upcoming Events and Future Endeavors
Some of these community events will be designed to draw visitors to see area stores. This includes the upcoming “Spread the Love” promotion taking place on February 10. This event will include store-wide discounts across the entire village, as well as special Valentine-themed sales, and offerings of food and drink inside of shops.
Another example is the traditional farmers’ market planned for the Summer season, which is currently aimed at Thursday afternoons in Amagansett Square. Layton and Waserstein continue to work on additional community plans for this year.
Other areas of emphasis include advocating for local restaurants and eateries, helping the movie theater achieve a more modern design to succeed with post-pandemic movie-goers, and working with the town and village to get a new sewer system constructed in the downtown area.
