A Look Inside Sag Harbor’s Romany Kramoris Gallery

Known as being “a little piece of Greenwich Village in Sag Harbor,” I might also add that Romany Kramoris Gallery is a mini Rizzoli bookstore—complete with a collection of music from around the world and a wonderful collection of books on art, architecture, gardening and design. But there’s so much more.

A visitor like myself could easily get lost for hours—moving from one area of intrigue to the next—from a box of vintage postcards to Day of the Dead theater figurines, punched tin Sacred Hearts and other fabulous examples of Mexican folk art.

Hanging from the beamed ceiling of the 1850s building are art deco and vintage-inspired chandeliers—while hand-blown glass vases adorn the tabletops and shelves throughout. Before opening her gallery, Romany Kramoris started out as a stained glass artist, with a studio down the street from the present-day location. From the studio, she sold her glass and also began showing the work of local artists. Now going on 38 years, 20 at the current location, The Romany Kramoris Gallery continues to be dedicated to local art.

“Bully Proof Vests” from feminist and activist artist Linda Stein, featured in an exhibition that ran from June through September of 2013, were still on view, as well as sculpture, ceramics and small paintings from her many gallery artists.

The past Spring/Summer season opened in May with the 2nd Annual Spring Flower Show, a group show of local artists’ “floral inspired paintings and photographs, as well as pottery and blown glass perfect for holding your fresh cut garden flowers.”

Exhibitions and openings continue throughout the year, drawing in members of the local Sag Harbor community, as well as weekenders and a vastly international crowd. Summer 2013 exhibitions included Barbara Hadden’s “Paintings of the Jordan Haerter Veteran’s Memorial Bridge,” which supported the Wounded Warrior Project, and “American Icons—New York City: The Woodcuts of Ted Davies,” to name a few. Kramoris’ “Holiday Invitational 2013” included small artworks by over 40 local artists—a format that allowed for broad artist participation and gift-giving affordability for the purchaser.

Indeed a gift was one of the first things to come to mind inside the gallery, as I perused quirky books, the kinds you wouldn’t buy for yourself but would absolutely love to own. Vicky Oliver’s The Millionaire’s Handbook offers instruction on “how to look and act like a millionaire even if you’re not,”—(so a propos for the area!)—while The Snark Handbook: Sex Edition: Innuendo, Irony and Ill-Advised Insults on Intimacy provides endless entertainment, as you can imagine. For the music lover, you’ve finally hit the jackpot in locating one of the only stores around that carries CDs—ranging from yogi chants to Brazilian samba, Beethoven to the Beatles, as well as dance-party electro-beats-Euro-lounge tracks—even the latest from Robin Thicke. I don’t care how convenient it is buying on iTunes, nothing beats having the full album, in all its physical, hand-held glory, with production credits, lyrics and pictures. Near the music, you’ll find the case of artisan jewelry with locally-made and original pieces in both classic and funkier designs.

Once you find that perfect gift, there are stunning wrapping papers, the kind you don’t throw out, towards the back, along with a variety of handmade cards and stationary.

Romany Kramoris Gallery is open year-round, seven days a week (with some exceptions, so call ahead), and is located at 41 Main Street in the heart of Sag Harbor. To contact the gallery, call 631-725-1698 or visit kramorisgallery.com.