Village opens in Sayville with a focus on products for mom
Ashley Kost at Village, her shop in Sayville for women and moms. The store opened in April and features apparel, wellness items, glassware and jewelry. Credit: Village
Shop owner Ashley Kost looked to the saying “it takes a village” to name her 3-month-old retail baby in Sayville. It turns out that a strong support system has been essential at Village, her store catering to mom clientele.
“It takes help,” says Kost, who adds that her husband, cousin, mom, mother-in-law and uncle all pitch in at her retail endeavor. “I feel lucky for all of it.”
At Village, customers will find pregnancy and postpartum products, soothing teas and educational books, running around $20 to $30, mom-forward T-shirts and sweatshirts — “Don’t mess with mama” reads one logo — and personalized charm necklaces.
In addition to selling apparel, homewares and jewelry, Kost hosts fun and informative events. Village has already presented a clothing swap and tarot card reading and will host a hormone balancing workshop on June 19 and a book swap in the shop’s outdoor courtyard June 23.
“I want it to be a safe, supportive place,” says Kost, a Fashion Institute of Technology Manhattan graduate who married her Centereach High School sweetheart and has two boys, ages 4 and 2. “My goal is to build a sense of community.”
She looked to her own life for entrepreneurial inspiration. “I became a mom in March 2020,” says Kost, who was living in Brooklyn then. “I felt super isolated and just had a really hard time adjusting because of the pandemic.”
She figured that other moms felt the same way — and a business idea was born and percolated. It was informed by her work experience running an Airbnb, wedding planning and managing a jewelry business.
“It’s always been my dream to open a shop of my own,” Kost says. “I wanted to give it more meaning and intention.” When a retail space opened up minutes from her “new hometown” of Sayville, she seized the opportunity.
At Village there’s a large mix of merchandise. Kost aims to prioritize women-owned brands such as Sunflower Motherhood and The Bee & the Fox.
“There are some items that we’ve customized to make exclusive to Village, like our popular embroidered tote bags,” adds Kost. “Vintage housewares and jewelry are obviously unique in that they’re rare and sometimes one of a kind.”
Events are posted on Instagram.
Village, 36 Railroad Ave., Sayville, 631-256-5571, Instagram.