Oct 4, 2012 1:54 PM

A handful of Southampton Village business owners were perturbed over a notice from Southampton Village Mayor Mark Epley early last week asking them not to put merchandise out on the sidewalk during this past weekend’s SeptemberFest.

Although a sidewalk sale has never been a part of the SeptemberFest, Karen Connolly, executive director of the Southampton Chamber of Commerce, which co-sponsored the event, said some merchants were upset that they were told they couldn’t set up their racks and tables to take advantage of the festival crowds.

“In an effort to retain the distinguished characteristic of the Village of Southampton, it was decided, as in past years, not to turn the event into a sidewalk sale,” said the letter from the village, which was delivered by the Chamber of Commerce at the mayor’s request.

Instead of allowing businesses to display their merchandise on racks and tables over the weekend, the village encouraged merchants to participate instead in a sidewalk sale this Columbus Day weekend, October 6 to 8.

This year’s Southampton SeptemberFest was organized by the Rogers Memorial Library, the Southampton Historical Museum, the Chamber of Commerce, the Parrish Art Museum and the Southampton Cultural Center, but the decision to leave merchandise off the sidewalks was made by village officials. The village owns the sidewalks and generally prohibits sidewalk displays.

“There were requests for everything,” Mayor Epley said last week. “The reality is that you can’t do that—it would be one big flea market all over.” He also said that keeping the sidewalks clear made it safer for the festival entertainers who were walking up and down Main Street and Jobs Lane, such as stilt walker Keith Lief.

Some merchants weren’t pleased, however, saying the decision alienated them.

“I thought this was supposed to be for merchants,” said Toni Lea Corwin of Corwin’s Jewelers on Main Street. “The whole point to SeptemberFest was to bring people into town. If there’s an individual with a problem, then an individual merchant should tailor it back. Don’t penalize all merchants after telling us for three years, ‘Let’s make it work,’ ‘What are you going to do that’s special?’ ‘Let’s make it festive.’”

Ms. Connolly said that SeptemberFest has not incorporated a sidewalk sale and is instead about a “collaboration of nonprofits to benefit the arts and culture.”

“The mission is to generate interest in the community, music, and create a festive atmosphere,” she said.

Mayor Epley said he didn’t think the lack of sidewalk sales would impact sales at all. “This is not intended to hurt anyone’s business,” he said last week. “It’s intended to help business.”

Suzanne Reynolds of Aunt Suzie’s Clothes for Kids on Main Street expressed some frustration about how “last minute” the letter was and said she should have been able to put a rack of clothes out this year like she has in the past. “A lot of people would drive through town and say, ‘Let’s stop,’” she said about last year’s SeptemberFest. “I think it enhances the weekend.”

Other merchants, like Valerie Revere of Twist on Jobs Lane, said she’s okay with the village’s request and grateful for the traffic that SeptemberFest brought. “Anything the village promotes offseason is a plus for us,” she said.

But with such drizzly weather on Saturday, few stores put merchandise out anyway.

According to Ms. Corwin, she and her family had put together a display with balloons specifically for SeptemberFest that sat under their overhang on Saturday.

“It was wet and a little quiet, but we were proud to put out our table,” she said, adding that she’d like to set up the table every weekend.