Afternoon Coffee At Springs General Store
No pretense, no fuss. Just a small general store with a screen door, good food and an appreciation for it’s own history. The store stands sweetly just being itself itself and watching the passage of time. It’s Springs General Store and it was built in 1844.
My Sunday ride out to the east end of Long Island brought me to Springs. The temperature hovered around the 50 degree mark when I sat on the porch in a fading Adirondack chair. I just sat quietly, watching the sparse traffic go by. I sipped my coffee and felt the warmth radiating over my legs in the sunshine.
Since the history of the store and the man are so intertwined, I sat there thinking about what it might have been like when Jackson Pollock would come in. He was then an artist, yes, but not a household name. Did they see him as special? Did they know the real man as opposed to the romanticized version? Did they have any idea that he would leave an indelible mark on the art world?
A few weeks ago our family met Soth at the MoMa and spent the day looking at the Abstract Expressionist New York exhibit. I thought about that too, while I sat on the porch. I was sunning where Pollock and de Kooning, men whose works hang in the most prestigious museums the world over, would have come shuffling up the steps and in to the store.
Those men are gone from this world. The only thing that remains is their memory, the spark of their imagination, their work… and the store.
Stenographic Figure Jackson Pollock 1942 |
Woman, I Willem de Kooning 1950-1952 |
Springs General Store |
I Love This Place
The store feels special. It feels real. There is something honest in that it hasn’t been sanitized of it’s character over time.
Have you been to Springs General Store?
Springs General Store
29 Old Stone Highway
East Hampton, NY 11937-1611
Art Lover?
If you are an art lover & an iPhone/iPad owner, check out the MoMa app. It puts the collection at your fingertips!
Are those still iPhone pics? They look great!
Thanks for reminding me of the Moma app, I forgot about it. I’m still pissed that the Magritte wasn’t up the day we went >:(
Thanks, toots 🙂
They are all from my phone except the 1st one at the top of the post. Though i did have my regular camera, I actually shot dozens of photos with my phone all day long on Sunday. Its so handy to be able to just whip it out of your pocket!
I think you’ll like that MoMa app. Its pretty nifty.
Nice story about a cool place. I also like old General Stores and tend to give them extra time when I come across them in my fleetering about.
Thanks much, Claye. I always like looking at the small out of the way places you post on your blog. I appreciate your affinity for little post offices, too 🙂
I love the photo of the front porch! Wish I was somewhere sitting in the sun after a nice ride in the country. A girl can dream, right?
Thanks, Pam. I sent some warm wishes your way. They haven’t worked yet?!
This reminds me a whole lot of a place me and my wife ride to almost weekly during the summer. It’s in the middle of nowhere, plays music on Saturdays and has no pretenses. It’s the perfect place to find yourself for a late breakfast after a bit of riding.
Brady
Behind Bars – Motorcycles and Life
http://www.behindbarsmotorcycle.com/
Nice post: I like your perspective.
I loved and lived with a painter for 20 years. Her mentor and friend, Grace Hartigan, was an Abstract Expressionist who was a contemporary and friend of Jackson Pollock, Bill & Elaine de Kooning, et al. (The “d” in de Kooning is not capitalized.)
We spent many breezy afternoons in Baltimore listening to Grace tell us stories about the New York art-scene in the 1950’s. E.g., who was sleeping with whom, whose work was overpraised (Helen Frankthaler), who were the people in real power (Clement Greenberg).
They lived in a wild time. A surprising fact, touched on by you, is that almost all of these painters were poor during this period; most weren’t recognized until much later.
While several of the artists had studios out on the East End, they showed in NYC and hung out at The Cedar Tavern. Most were heavy drinkers.
I love to stop at places like this, Thank you for sharing…
Richard