by Caitlin Solis
Ask anyone where to shop for groceries in Montauk and the answer will most likely be the IGA. However, many long-term residents still remember the original community store.
In the late 1920s, Montauk’s most popular grocery store was owned by Peter Loftus in the Navy Beach fishing village. The store, adjacent to E.B. Tuthills’ Fish Market, served the fishing village community for over a decade.
The store faced many extreme difficulties that threatened it with permanent closure. In 1938, a disastrous hurricane struck the village. It left devastating results, forcing families to move out of their homes and into the Shepherd’s Neck neighborhood. The storm was just the beginning of Navy Beach’s epic shift from residential to commercial. Loftus’ store remained in service after the hurricane, but many of his frequent customers had moved away.
Five years later, the U. S. Navy claimed the Fishing Village, requiring Fort Pond for a Torpedo Testing Range during WWII. Even more families vacated the village. This time, Peter Loftus moved with them. Loftus bought a home in Shepherd’s Neck and reopened his grocery store. Once again, the store flourished in its new business location and continued to serve as a community favorite for many customers. Loftus’ store became a necessity for the church-goers, construction workers, and former Carl Fisher employees living in Shepherd’s Neck.
Throughout its time in Shepherd’s Neck, the store survived several incidents, but not unscathed. There were expensive renovations after floods and brush fires that were common in early twenty-first century Montauk but Loftus remained determined to keep the store afloat.
As the neighborhood expanded, Loftus’ store stayed at its iconic spot on South Elroy Drive. When the store first arrived in Shepherd’s Neck, it was responsible for catering to the needs of 34 households. By the time it left, it had served the community for several decades and expanded its reach past the 50+ houses in Upper and Lower Shepherd’s Neck. Although the town store was burned in a drill with the Montauk Fire Department around 40 years ago, the site remains a cherished landmark for many of Shepherd’s Neck’s residents.
Caitlin Solis was the Gardiner Young Scholar at MHS for the second year in a row this year. She spent her internship researching the development of Shepherd’s Neck.