Dan's Papers - August 10, 2007 - The Calverton Enterprise Park Has Gone From Making Fighter Jets To Cotton

Cotton is synonymous with comfort. No doubt about it; when you slip on a comfy pair of cotton pajamas, or a pair of jeans; or even a casual t-shirt, you're going to feel pretty good. Snuggling up with a cotton blanket is even better. If you like cotton and are looking for some fun t's, polos, jeans or even a blanket or two, head on down to the newly opened "Cotton Market" store located in the Calverton Enterprise Park; the former location of where Grunman manufactured airplanes. Products sold in the Cotton Market are manufactured by South Bay Apparel, which has one of its manufacturing plants on the same property.

I headed down to the Cotton Market to see what this was all about. The people in the area are really friendly (thank you to the man in front of the steakhouse) and were as excited as me to find the place. When entering the park, ignore the old signs that say something like, "trespassers not welcome; if you don't have business here you are trespassing." Those were from the Grunman days. You definitely have business being there, you need to shop! Drive straight down and follow Cotton Markets carefully placed signs and enter the parking lot labeled with banners.

My family and I arrived on the inaugural opening day of Cotton Market's prototype store. We were greeted immediately by the friendly staff; who offered to show us around. The store is adorable. An array of fun t-shirts are displayed in wooden milk crates replicating an old-fashioned market place where you'd imagine fruits being sold. In the back was a large painted "box car" train housing a multitude of items. There was even a children's play area with fire engines and books. Unfortunately my generally well-behaved 3 year old did not want to leave "mommy" and go to the play area with my husband. Instead he clung to my leg; kind of awkward when I met up with Jim Graham, one of the master-minds behind the Cotton Market.

Graham was very proud of the hard work that the staff and designers did to create this store. "This store is just a prototype" Graham said flashing a friendly smile at us; seemingly unfazed by my cling-on son. The place is definitely family-friendly. Graham expects to open a store in Bellport "the second or third week of September" and a Rocky Point store "about 1 month later."

Cotton Market will soon be a common site on Long Island. A multitude of stores are expected to follow. Graham went on to tell me that, "We manufacture 90% of what we sell and we market them here."

With this in mind he said, "We have the ability to make things the way the public wants."

I thanked Jim for his time and wished him luck with what I'm sure will be a tremendous success.

Seeing my son still attached to my leg; now using his play camera to take pictures, the staff came over and offered to show us some items for children. He perked up at that and selected a very cute, "Chill Out" t-shirt with a Penguin on it which sold for a very reasonable $5.20. He was happy. So it was time for me to shop.

I loved the boat-neck cotton shirts (long sleeve) for under my jackets for the Fall, and was thrilled when they were $2.99 each. I grabbed three. The rest of the items that we liked ranged in price from around $8.99 for hoodie sweatshirts in a very thick cotton, to t-shirts that were sold for 2 for $25. Prices did vary greatly on the rest of the items; but they were comparable to market prices. Robert August surf wear for men was also a great deal at 50% off.

In addition, the store had some very cute accessory and novelty items. As Graham explained, "This is just a sampling" of what they have in mind.

He told me that new stock was due to arrive in next week. I did see some beautiful quilted bags, which sold for around $30, some trendy small totes for $24.50 and I loved the feel of the Cozy Cotton Blanket, which sold for $13.50. The Cotton Market's handcrafted soaps smelled wonderful. They expect to have hats arrive shortly. You can really see the potential for what they have in mind. The items are all well made and fun.

Graham said that they have a lot planned for the consumers; including "free sample weekends." So go on down and check out the first original "Cotton Market" store. The store is open from 10-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12-5 p.m. on Sunday. Happy shopping!