Akkseum is officially open for business! Please come visit us whenever youre in Northport Village. The bar will always be stocked with wine, espresso, and water. Come Discover Functional Design. I want to give an astronomically enormous THANK YOU! to everyone who came out on Saturday night and also to those of you who were there in spirit. As a surprise to no one, I stayed true to my excessive personality, drank quite a few too many, and failed to record half of the night in my long term memory. So, I apologize if I leave a few of you off the tagged list. Please let me know if I did and Ill Edit you in. So, the last time around, I saved the best for last on my EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS LIST. This time, Ive changed the lineup. Batting Leadoff -- in honor of Derek Jeter (who may be on her list of 4? Or is it Brad Pitt four times?): Suzanne Lorraine Pettit, my partner in this life and for all of eternity. Even though, stealing a line from Larry David, I said, Until death do us part; Im gonna be a bachelor in the afterlife, Ive reconsidered and realized Ill always need you by my side. Its not easy living with a lunatic and she does it with grace, understanding, and humor. She reentered my life almost exactly 8 years ago, when I was just emerging out of a deep, dark hole and shes weathered all of my storms, captained our family ship, and been the MVP of the Yberg-Pettit Team. I love you more than I can possibly express. Thank you. Batting in the 2 spot, fighting over who gets to hold the bat, are Orion, who is undoubtably the most brilliant person I know, and GG, who not only has the most magnetic and charming personality of anyone Ive ever met, but also holds the distinction as the only person in existence who bosses me around and I actually listen to. They are my constant reminder that no matter if all else fails and I fall flat on my face, Ive already had my greatest success by creating 1/2 (as far as nature goes; Suzy is responsible for 95% of the nurture component) of the most precious and extraordinary creatures on this and any other planet in the multiverse. My Mom, who has a magnetic personality like GG, but has had no success at telling me what to do, and my Dad, who is the second most brilliant person I know -- stay tuned for the start of our ED TALKS at Akkseum. They instilled in me an unabashed freedom to think abstractly and taught me to believe in possibilities. Team Akke -- Willy AKA Papi, Nellie, Tata, Oscar, Eddie, and Craig -- who make every crazy idea I have (and many of their own that I mistakingly get credit for) come to life. Somehow they understand my concepts and work hard to translate them into physical realities. My Mother-In-Law, Mary Anne Pettit, for being so incredibly supportive and getting this whole thing off the ground by agreeing to allow us to make her our first piece of furniture and by continuing to clip out pictures of modern furniture to show me. The other artists/makers at the gallery: My sister, Signe, whos work is beyond spectacular -- she truthfully is the most talented artist in our family. I picked up one of her vases yesterday -- one that has an indentation where she squeezed it with her thumb -- and I honestly felt the energy and love that she poured into it. Pretty powerful stuff. Gretchen Fuss, whos paintings are mesmerizing. Im clearly not the only one who feels this way either, because several sold the first night. The ladies of MONDAYS (Jen Fiore & Nina Lalli -- BeyonSig has started a solo career). Their work is garnering so much adulation and demand that I hope they still have time to make a few pieces for us. John Clement for adding so much playfulness to the space by exhibiting his beautiful sculptures. And for being a role model for me as I navigate the rough waters of the life of an artist. Kerry Irvine for being so incredibly supportive and encouraging in the months leading up to our original opening. Lindsay Cowles for showcasing her work at our one-woman winter show and Diane Guariglia for hosting that show. Another huge THANK YOU SO MUCH, HOMEBOY! to Matt Gai for not only bringing much needed technical expertise to our team, but for having such a way with words that he coined our two tag lines and our mission statement for Akkseum -- to read them, watch our Akkseum slide show on the video page of gallerythirtyseven My aunt and advisor Liz Manocha, for providing the rational balance to my wild vision. Nick Voulgaris III of Kerbers Farm for so generously sponsoring the event, providing his organic savory and sweet treats, and being an all-around great person. Brian Tane for working his magic again with our Akkseum Slide Show. Thanks, BOSS! Daniel Tetrault for remotely leading our Graphic Design Team. Prepare yourself, young man. There are a few more projects coming up that we need to discuss. Rob Lowell for taking such beautiful pictures of our work. We have to schedule a big shoot in Southampton soon, Rob. Danny Schrafel from The Long Islander for writing such a killer piece on us the first tune around. You set the bar very high for part 2. I have total confidence that youll impress us again! The talented tradespeople who donated their hardwork and incredible skills to the new space (for their information, please stop by the shop): John Amato, my friend, my landlord, my spray finisher, and, I hope, soon-to-be partner on one of our next crazy adventures. Lisa Agosti for doing all of the decorative finishes and taking on everything I threw at her right up to the last minute, with a smile and her incredibly calm energy. Which included: Venetian Plaster on the charcoal wall, mahogany graining on our coffered ceiling, grey wash on our horizontal planking, silver (soon-to-be black-glazed) crown molding, stucco-ish finish in the kitchenette, and copper patina on our kitchenette mirror. Next up is liming the white oak wall. Ben Turley, whos an amazing artist and incredibly talented artisan. In addition to fabricating our concrete counters, he makes sculptural furniture of his own. Im looking forward to hosting an opening for him soon. Carl Horn from Eclipse Signs for making what is officially the most incredible sign in the Western Hemisphere. Hes AA-MAH-ZING! And, hes a man of his word; install happened one hour prior to opening and I gave him next to no time to do it. Andrew Golicza, my electrician who works night and day for me. We had a last second emergency and he was willing to drive from New Jersey to assess and fix the problem. Damien, from Lighthouse Electric, who without ever meeting me, came right over and got us up and running while Andrew was unavailable. Now I have two incredible electricians to recommend. I actually hope they join forces! My friends at Bru Na Bo. Were in the early talks of transforming the entire street into something very special. Bill & Jim at Northport Hardware. They always have exactly what I need when Im in a time crunch and scrambling to finish a project. My BBF, Anthony Medico, for his excitement, his dashing good looks, and his incredible business acumen. Were partnering up to take this whole thing to the next level. Yeah, its us, were back, we rigged it. My other Best Friend, Frank Algieri, who I met at the bus stop the very first day of Kindergarten and has never let me down since. Hes always there with much needed fatherly advice and, often, a last second, barely avoiding bankruptcy, interest-free loan. Chris Pettit, my Brother-In-Law and soon-to-be Akkseums Executive Vice President of Blowing This Sh*t Up! Dominic Cattagio from The Paramount. He, along with his partner Stephen Ubertini, gave me a working studio, unit #37 in an industrial park behind the train station, rent free for 18 months. When it was finally time to leave, they made a call to John asking if his space was available. In exchange for their generosity, Ive signed a verbal agreement to plug them every chance I get. You MUST see their newly expanded Founders Room. Its the greatest thing going on in Huntington. Jimmy Tchinnis of Swallow. For giving us his/our bartop back. If you havent been to the new-and-improved Swallow, what the eff are you waiting for?! Emma Brandt and Jo Ann Belistri for plugging us to the members of their amazing Green Light Fit health & fitness program. If you dont know about it, check them out on Facebook. Lastly, but by no means leastly, Id like to welcome and introduce the newest member to the Akkseum Team. Batting Cleanup -- which happens to be one tiny part of her responsibilities -- Kristin Spinelli. On her very first day on the job she impressed me, not once but, twice with two terrific ideas. She kept her streak alive the following day with another gem. Im confident that shell continue to offer new and fresh ideas each and every day from here on. Ive already told her that this is the only company shell ever be a part of. Oh, I almost forgot Darvos Egnard. Thank you for being our unofficial spokesperson. Once again, not that anyone is actually still reading, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!
Posted on: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 20:36:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015