New Shop, Gifts & That, Opens In Greenport During Pandemic

GREENPORT, NY — A Greenport woman is seeing her dream of owning her own business come true despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Silvia Lorena Rojas Lopez, who has been living in Greenport for 18 years, said she will open the doors to "Gifts & That," located at 110 South Street, on Thursday. The shop will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and offer an array of items sometimes hard to find in Greenport, she said.

The store will stock greeting cards for all occasions, stuffed animals, candy, piñatas, balloons, gift bags, bows, wrapping paper, jewelry, perfume, and more, Lopez said.

Lopez said Greenport is the perfect place for her new venture, a "beautiful place" where she said she has found her neighbors to be kind, polite, and welcoming.

"I realized it would be a good idea to open a mini store here and offer people some items that you can't always find in Greenport, so they don't have to go far away to buy them," she said.

Lopez was originally planning to open last April, but then, the pandemic hit, so she and her family decided to wait.

Well-known in the community where she has long lived and worked, Lopez said friends and neighbors have been supportive of her new venture, wishing her "good luck" and congratulating her.

"I’m very grateful that I have this opportunity to open my little store and I feel very happy. But the most important thing is to believe in yourself, and never be afraid of your ideas," she said. "Just do what you have to do — never give up."