What’s new at Shoppes at East Wind, as it celebrates 10th anniversary this year

As the Shoppes at East Wind in Wading River approaches its 10th anniversary, new-business openings and ownership changes are reshaping the open-air complex, from all-natural desserts to crafts, custom parties and exotic plants.

Using all local natural ingredients, John Manzo, co-owner of Amber & Crumb, who opened at The Shoppes in November, makes everything by hand. He makes cookies, pies, cheesecakes and parfaits by hand, along with honey from his Cutchogue hives. and small-batch popcorn. All are free of artificial colors, dyes, preservatives and flavoring.

“It feels homey here. The Shoppes are at a crossroad between the two forks and it’s very accessible,” Manzo said. “There’s nothing like us on the North Fork. I use the old-fashioned recipes.” 

He said his customers value old-world recipes, and he often swaps honey for sugar in his baking.” It creates a healthier product, he said.  

Manzo added that he’s pleased with the volume of people coming to his shop. Legally blind in one eye, Manzo chuckled that he sometimes has to use a magnifying glass as he’s measuring the ingredients, but “at 63, I’m starting over and I love it!” 

Amber & Crumb, which refers to the hue of his honey and his homemade pies, also has locations in Holbrook and the Smith Haven Mall.

Entering the store at Long Island Crafty One, located near the ever-popular vintage carousel, visitors see the full array of ceramic mugs, bowls, vases, plates and figurines waiting to be painted. Owner Gabriela Schwender, who previously had a studio in Port Jefferson, said she opened up here at The Shoppes “because it’s unaffordable for families to drive up the island for things to do with their kids.” She loves to teach ceramic painting, flower arranging and home décor; her shop offers birthday parties, activities for private groups, after school programs, senior craft clubs and special classes for people on the spectrum who “are my regular customers.”

Salvatore Lopiccolo, the new owner at Bellissimo Pizzeria and Pasta, crafted one of his specialty pizzas, his hands dusted in flour, talked about how he located at The Shoppes.

“I had Rocky Point Pizza, but then I retired and at one point a friend said the pizza place in The Shoppes was up for sale,” Lopiccolo said.  “I said ‘Why not? Let’s get back into it.’” And he became the new owner in December. Asked what he is doing differently from the previous owner, he said, “We have more specialty pies, like sausage and broccoli rabe and eggplant rollatini pizza.” He said he loves the community feel here with all the shop owners working together.

Bella Anima — “Beautiful Soul” in Italian — is a custom birthday party shop just down the path from Bellissimo. Jenna Aiello recently became the sole owner after her partner left. 

Bella Anima focuses on what the young customers want for their celebration. 

“Right now, I’m getting ready for a ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ party,” said Aiello. “That’s the next best thing to Taylor Swift.” 

She also hosts karaoke, makeup, glitter and Lego parties, as well as neon parties where kid’s clothes are painted in bright colors that come to life in the blacklights that fill the space. In the run-up to Christmas,  it was all about Santa bashes where partygoers wrote letters to the big man in the North Pole and decorated reindeer cookies. 

“We offer smaller affordable to high-end parties and parents don’t have to do anything but drop their kids off.”

The youngest store owner in the complex is 21-year-old Giselle Segovia, proprietor of Valentina Verde Botanica.

“I’ve been collecting plants for five years and my mom is a garden designer, so I’ve always been around plants but indoor plants. It’s too cold to work outdoors like my mom,” she said. 

Exotic plants fill her space, which is bathed in bright sunlight thanks to the walls of windows on either side of the shop. 

Segovia said she wanted to “spread some greenery around” and she opened her store at The Shoppes in early December. 

Segovia holds botanical workshops, including teaching Kokedama, which is a Japanese gardening technique where plants grow in a sphagnum moss ball instead of a plastic pot. And this summer she’ll be holding classes on herb and vegetable gardening for kids. 

“I studied botany but figured to get a degree would cost $20,000 so instead I invested in my store.”

The Shoppes is a picturesque open-air mall with a winding brick walkway, benches, trees and a very popular carousel. Yellow, beige and blue one-story buildings in a village setting house 29 shops.

East Wind’s Director of Marketing April Jimenez said there’s a strong community feel to The Shoppes. 

“Some of the people are selling their wares that they make in their homes with love and they’re putting it out there for the world to buy,” Jimenez said. “It’s really like family businesses across the board. Everyone knows each other here. They build their following and some grow out of their space because they’re doing so well,” she said. 

Jimenez also said her office handles multi-channel marketing for the whole East Wind complex — the hotel, wedding venue and the Shoppes — with print ads, online marketing and social media. She reposts what the owners post and The Shoppes also hold events such as a recent tree lighting to increase foot traffic. 

Jimenez is also thinking about reaching out to walking groups to use their venue for exercise, like walkers at other malls. 

East Wind Facilities Coordinator Rob Cutinella, who oversees The Shoppes, said, “We’re a village of small business owners. We’re planning a big thank-you to the community in 2026,” to celebrate The Shoppes 10th anniversary.