5 Businesses We Said Good-Bye To in 2013

While Riverhead and the North Fork were booming with new businesses in 2013, there were a few sad good-byes, too. Here are some of the shops that closed their doors for a final time over the past year in Riverhead and on the North Fork.

The Red Collection's Manager Looks Back As Store Takes Last Bow: On a sunny September Sunday, The Red Collection, a consignment shop that had been open for the past three years on East Main Street in Riverhead, customers wandered in steadily to admire the wide array of artfully arranged furniture, home goods, artwork and designer finds.

But the store soon shut its doors: Manager Susan Williams said the last day for The Red Collection was Sept. 28.

To that end, Williams said she had been marking down merchandise, with customers crowding in to snap up the savings.

"There's been a feeding frenzy," she said.

Reflecting on the reason for the store's closure, Williams could only speculate. The store's owners, Irene Pritchett and Thomas Hayes, have two other stores in North Carolina.

"I don't really know," why they decided to close the store, she said.

Looking around at the artistic arrangements of furniture and treasures, Williams, who has a background as an antiques dealer and in staging and set design, reflected on her sadness at seeing the business close.

"It's been a real contribution to downtown Riverhead," she said. "The Red Collection has become a destination." 

2) Sandy Victim: Love Lane Market Closes Doors; Community Reacts: Just over a year after Superstorm Sandy battered the business, Love Lane Market in Mattituck has shut its doors forever.

The specialty and gourmet grocer, which was opened by Michael Avella in 2011, was hit hard by the storm.

"It is with deep regret that I am closing the Love Lane Market," Avella said in a release in December. "I apologize to my customers, my employees and the community at large. Although I did what I could, we were not able to recover from the losses sustained from Superstorm Sandy."

3) Supervisor Reacts to Suffolk County National Bank Shutting Doors in Mattituck: After learning that the Suffolk County National Bank branch in Mattituck was slated to shut its doors in the coming months, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell expressed his thoughts on the closure. 

"It is unfortunate. The bank has employed many local residents over the years and it is my sincere hope that the parent company find room for them at other branches," he said.

The branch is slated to close by March; the bank is located just east of the Mattituck shopping plaza and is well known for its large digital clock outside.

The news comes only days after more than 30 years, the Water Mill branch of the Suffolk County National Bank closed on Oct. 4. 

4) After 30 Years, Southold Business Closing Doors: Three decades have passed since Ed and Joan Pressler set up shop on Main Road in Southold -- and since then, their business, Pastimes Antiques, has become a fixture on the local canvas. 

In May, Pressler hung a large sign across the front of his building that said, in bright red letters, "Store Closing."

And for many, the words signaled the end of an era. "It's something we've been thinking about for a long time," Pressler said on Saturday. "It's bittersweet. But with our age and so forth, it's time."

The store remains open as inventory is still being sold at drastically reduced prices.

5) Empty in Southold: The Down Home Store: Since it closed early in the year, the Down Home Store — which sold antiques, jewelry, crafts and fresh flowers at its location in Main Road in Southold — has stood vacant and for rent.