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After trying my best to explain to friends and family what the heck I was doing, I quit my job.
Soon I was getting my workdays started at Roast Coffee shop in Patchogue Village.
Greaterpatchogue.com launched three weeks later, on July 1, 2015.
It’s now been exactly a year since the site went live, and it’s been the most interesting, exhilarating and spiritually fulfilling year of my life —marked initially by the birth of my son, Owen Edward, on May 7, 2015.
It was in the hospital cafeteria where my parents and I hatched a plan to make this dream of something greater a reality.
A year later, I’m pleased to announce: “It’s gonna work.”
GreaterPatchogue.com isn’t going anywhere, at least not until they invent something better than the internet.
In the first year in its existence, the site was visited 567,000 times and viewed 875,000 times. (We’ll probably hit 1 million views next month.)
More and more each day, I look at the website as not belonging to me, but the community as a whole. And that’s how I prefer it. I never want greaterpatchogue.com to read like it’s from one person’s viewpoint, or even a small group of like-minded people.
I want this site to be a rolling kaleidoscope of humanity and everything that makes our little corner of the universe such a special place to live.
For that reason, I typically don’t write about myself on the site — at least not in the first person.
But I need to break my little rule today.
Because I need to say thank you.
Thank you to my parents, family and friends, and all the supporters of this website: the readers, contributors, advertisers, story subjects, well-wishers and morale boosters.
I want everyone to know no kind word or feedback has gone unnoticed or unappreciated.
I hate to make this column sound like a big acceptance speech — I’m not giving myself an award — but to put things into context, it’s the people of Greater Patchogue that have made a greaterbayshore.com possible.
You people are an inspiration.
I can recall a toast that my dad made last year on Father’s Day about the upcoming site. I had expected him to talk about business and success and making money.
Instead, he decided to focus on the people of the Patchogue area.
He called them lucky to have me, which of course was very touching and flattering and a nice confidence builder.
I’ve realized every day since, that I’m the lucky one.
Thanks for letting me share your stories. Many more to come.
In loving memory of Anthony D. Ferrara (1982-2015)
Please take a second to scroll down and check out at all the people, businesses, and organizations that helped make delivering #greatstories possible this past year through advertising.
Keep them in mind for your future needs!
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