VUE Long Island

While the store's name draws its background from one of the Hamptons' most iconic stretches of coastline, Meadow Lane in Tribeca is intended to reflect much more. "I wanted to exude lushness and growth while also embodying a destination of sorts," Sammy explains. "Meadow is lush, abundant, growing. Lane is a place, a destination, permanence." Concerned that the store's name could be misconstrued as "elitist or even aspirational," Sammy almost shied away from using the moniker until his friends convinced him otherwise. "I fought myself on that one for a while until my friends convinced me it was the right name for what I was building and that my intentions and inspiration for the name is the one that matters, not how others perceive it," Sammy states. In a stroke of marketing genius, Sammy utilized TikTok to document the entire 16-month long process of opening up Meadow Lane. Initially unsure of how best to share the journey, Sammy's videos began to gain traction and "I saw a path forward. I thought, how cool would it be to build this store in public and show people who dream of starting a business of their own one day what really goes on behind the scenes. So I ran with it," he explains. is behind-the-scenes approach has served Sammy well, connecting him with what–and who–truly matters most to him. "I built the business with my consumers," states Sammy. "I build new menu items and ideas with my consumers. ey are my co- founders, my board of directors, my advisors. Meadow Lane is for them as much as it is for me." IMAGES COURTESY OF MATTHEW KAPPAS V U E H A M P TO N S . C O M 3 3

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