Lido

Lido is a global lifestyle brand with a shop in Greenport, on Long Island’s North Fork. Established in 2013, the owners named the store Lido as a nod to the beaches and the golden era of beach clubs in the South of France and Italy. Those that Slim Aarons so masterfully photographed. The store was originally created as a pop-up. Current owner Heidi, a long-time traveler, would return from trips abroad with clothing, jewelry, and vintage items that would be admired by friends and acquaintances. She thought it could be fun to open a summer pop-up shop with similar items from Memorial weekend though Labor Day, and suspected that there were sufficient people who shared her style. The three months went quickly and having put so much work into setting it up, and meeting so many amazing people in the process, it made sense to keep it going. Today, Lido is still seasonal, but the seasons have extended. Lido is now open early March through the December holidays with e-commerce active all year. Heidi travels globally to develop and produce a mix of affordable resort wear, home goods, accessories and jewelry. She custom designs most of the products which are manufactured by fair trade artisans mainly in India, Turkey, and Morocco with additional items found in her travels further afield. To invoke the vibe of beach shops found in Corfu, St Tropez, or the Balearic Islands, Heidi worked with her partner Grant Cowell, who art directed and built the space. Driftwood from a local beach and reclaimed wood was used for display racks, tables, and benches. Customers are second homeowners from NYC, interior designers, locals and visitors to the North Fork, Shelter Island and The Hamptons, who love Lido for their resort wear, French market baskets, vintage Moroccan pile rugs, and vintage silk kimonos.

The Shopkeeper

After a career in the music business Heidi Kelso established her own media and consulting company, HK Media Group, producing large-scale broadcast entertainment events and creating brand/talent partnerships. Lido, although still a side business, one she is very passionate about and allows for travel which is a big part of her life. Traveling for extended periods of time allows Heidi to better experience the culture of the people she works with and build stronger relationships with the artisans and their families. She is continually expanding Lido’s product offering, with plans to design and import ‘beach house’ furniture, and develop the wholesale side of the business.

On the Future of Retail

“The power of marketing and PR for social media has become a game-changer on how brands are telling their story. E-commerce has been strengthened by social media and that’s going to continue. In the past editorials or “stories” were left to the professionals (photogs, stylists, glam, etc) and they were very costly, but now everyone is shooting their own stories and essentially building their own PR. Camera qualities have changed and everyone has a good camera built into their phone so it’s easier for small brands to build more quickly without a massive financial investment. I’m not sure if brands like Reformation or Nasty Gal (both great storytellers) would have become as prominent 15 years ago because digital didn’t have as strong platform with the current capabilities. Social Media didn’t even exist.”

132 Main St., Greenport NY