Our History
Since 1938, Hommel has been a fixture in the community. We intend to keep it that way.
In 1938, "Boss" (as contractors were often called) Clinton A. Hommel, was running a contracting business at 401 Main Street.
He started selling plumbing supplies and appliances out of the building and in 1947 stopped doing contracting work altogether and focused just on the store. This ad is from March 13th, 1947.
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When Clinton Hommel retired, his secretary, Agnes Latham and her husband, Mr. Lorraine Geehreng, bought the business. Agnes was the president and Lorraine was the vice president.
The building behind it was connected to the front building, dramatically increasing its space. There's a little door on the second floor where you can see between the buildings--including the original shingles on the front building.
Here's an early 1960's ad touting $131.75 Frigidaire water heaters that provide "all the hot water I want--all the time!".
Here's another Hommel ad from the same era featuring $199.95 refrigerators.
In 1978, Bob Reeves inherited the store. Bob, the son in law of Lorraine Geehreng, had started working there in 1958. By then, it was mostly a retail store. He owned it for 24 years. Bob's son Tom Reeves started working there in 1978.
In March, 2006, Bruno and Felice Semon bought the store. They'd be just the third owner since it opened.
The Semon's refreshed and increased their inventory, made service a top priority, and they worked to grow their wholesale business. To this day, Hommel continues to have a strong relationship with East End plumbers and contractors.
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They also removed the signature hand-cut block letter sign and replaced it with a more modern one.
Proposed rendering of new sign
In 2021, Robert Morrow and family bought the business. The Morrow's have invested in Greenport for over 20 years.
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Because they knew how important Hommel is to the community it serves and its beloved place in Greenport's history, they decided to keep it open and invest in it to keep it strong.
Besides expanding their staff, inventory, and focusing on stellar service to the wholesale and retail community, Hommel is honoring the business’ history starting with a new logo that pays homage to the iconic block lettering from the 1950's.