Alley's has been closed for most of the spring.
Ray Ewing

Select Board Raises Concern About Shuttered Alley’s

Concerned about the shuttered state of Alley’s General Store, the West Tisbury select board said this week it will invite spokesmen for the Vineyard Trust to appear at next week’s meeting.

Concerned about the shuttered state of Alley’s General Store, the West Tisbury select board said this week it will invite spokesmen for the Vineyard Trust to appear at next week’s meeting to discuss the status of the renowned Dealers in Almost Everything.

The iconic general store, which is owned by the Trust and among other things is a stopping off point and one of the few stores on the route up-Island, has been mostly closed for remodeling since spring when its lease was taken over by the owners of Le Roux in Vineyard Haven.

“I would like to hear from the Vineyard Trust about what’s happening with Alley’s,” select board member Cynthia Mitchell said at the meeting Wednesday. “I think we should request their presence. We are now in the high season, and the place is shuttered. We thought it might be open, under new management.”

Town administrator Jen Rand said she had reached out to the Trust because she had similar concerns about the closure, and received a vague response.

“The answer I got back was, ‘we plan to open as soon as possible,’ but that was not a clear answer,” Ms. Rand said. “And so, I said, you may want to plan to come visit with us, because ‘as soon as possible’ for the centerpiece of our town is perhaps not an answer.”

Selectmen agreed to invite the Trust to attend next Wednesday’s board meeting.

The Trust has been under scrutiny in recent weeks following the resignation of executive director Funi Burdick, after altered applications for Community Preservation Act funds were discovered in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs.

CPA funding for the Old Whaling Church and the Flying Horses has since been put on hold and a police investigation is under way into the irregularities in public funding applications.

Trust board member Sally Rorer is the acting executive director.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 14:09

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Bob Edgartown

Get ready for a non answer to your questions as they are getting good at that. Sad to see this once great institution be taken down by a few bad apples or lets hope only a few.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 17:46

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Alan porter West Tisbury

Closed for Remodeling?
You would have been smart to wait till fall to do that !
The whole place was just repainted this winter and a fully stocked store?
Which you gave away!
Do you know what you’re doing?

WT Resident

Totally agree- the place was looking great before it closed. And why would they shutter right before the summer season with a store FULL of merchandise? Then sell it all off over a few days at 70% off. Does anyone know who took the proceeds from that? Was it the Trust? Must have been at least $250k worth of goods In there- maybe more.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 19:43

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Year Rounder MVY

Kudos to the West Tisbury Select Board for demanding a much-needed explanation from the "Vineyard Trust" about Alley's. Organizational leadership starts at the top. Patrick Ahearn is still the Chairman of the "Trust" and the folks in WT are right to expect accountability.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/02/2021 - 05:02

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Gabrielle West Tisbury

there should have been oversight when it became a boutique and reduced their hours. I'm not excited for the latest incarnation. I miss the days when it was a true community gathering space. The Trust should get an award for best destruction of a local gem.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/02/2021 - 08:16

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John Chilmark

Maybe some business people should be a part of the trust. They might point out that charging a 60% premium on milk, butter, eggs and just about everything else in the store is a sure. Recipe for failure.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/02/2021 - 12:51

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AB OB

Just remember, we have no idea of the condition the building was left in. There could be other issues also. My husband and I had a tenant leave at the end of a lease from our building on Main St., VH. A restaurant had been there and the kitchen had been totally destroyed. We had to renovate the whole space.

Jamie Alley Norwood

The Trust was the tenant/overseeing the business, the building is in great condition, recently painted and the floor plan made more open than it had been in previous incarnations.

T Bone Oak Bluffs

You're right. We have no idea. But the "Trust" does know the condition there and other issues around why the opening hasn't happened. And they're not saying anything. Regardless, it's another black eye for them.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/03/2021 - 07:44

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Karin West Tisbury

Sadly the Trust and the whole “village” of Edgartown has fallen under the spell of one man’s version of historic preservation.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/03/2021 - 18:55

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Up Islander West Tisbury

Maybe instead of assuming the worst in people the select board should walk over to meet with the new owners and find out what is happening. The new owners have been in business for decades employing Islanders and running successful retail businesses.
After years of missteps at Alley’s do you really think that building doesn’t have years of deferred maintenance?
Yes it would be amazing if they were open, but let’s stop guessing what is or isn’t happening. The new owners are investing their own funds and reputations to bring Alley’s back to life. That’s a lot of risk. Maybe we can hopeful and assume the best?

Up Islander, too Chilmark

I had a boss who used to say "Hope isn't a plan". Are you saying the Vineyard Trust hasn't been preserving Alley's and has deferred maintenance there since they've owned it? What have they been doing with our donations, then?

T Bone Oak Bluffs

The Trust bought Alley's in 1993. I'm assuming since their charter is to preserve that they've invested in maintaining Alley's on a current basis over the years.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/03/2021 - 21:20

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Ellen Chimark

If they want customers, they should bring back the old Alley's. Children were thrilled by the shelves of small toys & adults come find the random tool they needed. That was replaced by a spare space, selling almost nothing. Now the porch that used to be place to gather is empty. Instead of a fresh start, bring back the original!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/03/2021 - 21:48

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Old Disabled Veteran Aquinnah - Native

A very sad 4th of July holiday. There is absolutely No Accountability from the Top (WDC) all the way down to our local government and all our "Trusts".
All those men, women and families who sacrificed for our country from the beginning to this day are saddened what has happened and continues to happen to our nation.
As one who has served and has suffered greatly due to my service I am glad my days are limited because I can not deal with where our country is headed on this year`s "Independence Day".

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/05/2021 - 05:20

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Frank Brunelle Vineyard Haven

Calm down and show a little faith. LeRoux is perfectly capable of doing a fine job. Be patient.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 07/06/2021 - 21:39

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Gabrielle West Tisbury

I think the public deserves an explanation. There's no reason why they choose to reopen under new management now. I believe this incarnation came about before the financial inconsistencies were discovered, which makes the timeline and the process by which LeRoux took over the lease more curious. I'd like to know more....

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