Artisan House Of Northport Under New Ownership

NORTHPORT, NY — Artisan House of Northport may be under new ownership, but Ron Meyer and Randi Gothelf will keep the store the same as the one the community has remained in love with for 49 years.

The gift shop, at 80 Main St., Northport, was officially purchased from previous owner Kathi Kitts in November. Meyer and Gothelf have made a few additions to the store and moved the layout a bit, but that is where the differences end.

"The core is going to stay the same," Meyer told Patch. "It’s worked for 49 years. I’m not going to be changing it. It’s already working, why change it?"

The store will feature more jewelry; men's gifts like watches, whiskey glasses and cigar accessories; and plants.

Meyer and Gothelf originally wanted to open an indoor plant boutique, but they were turned down by the landlord. Meyer said he had given up hope when he was walking past Artisan House and saw a sign that the storefront was for sale.

"We love it," Meyer said. "We wanted to be part of the community. We definitely wanted to be part of Main Street."

Meyer spoke with Kitts around mid-August, acknowledging that the store is "her baby."

"She wanted to make sure whoever she was going to sell it to, was A) Somebody who was going to keep the store going and not close it and B) Somebody with the right personality," Meyer said.

Meyer spent two weeks in the store with Kitts before she gave him the green light to purchase the property.

Meyer and Gothelf kept Dee on as their employee, noting she has been a part of Artisan House for seven years and running.

"[Dee] is great," Meyer said. "Everyone loves her. She’s got a great personality. That was a major plus for us to have someone with the experience and help us out and keep the tradition of the store going along as it was."

Meyer said he wants to keep Artisan House open later, and he would like to see more shops in Northport open later as well.

"You go to a restaurant and you want to walk around after and nothing’s open," he said. "We’re planning on staying open later once spring comes. A few of the other newer merchants, we want to keep Main Street open later. We have the people down here. Why not be open and let them browse and buy?"