Brinkmann’s new Miller Place store triples in size, owner eyes holiday opening

Ownership says the 30,000-square-foot store will add a major garden center and expanded paint department, hopes to sell Christmas trees there by December

Brinkmann’s True Value Hardware is zeroing in on the finish line for its new Miller Place megastore, and co-owner Hank Brinkmann told Greater Long Island that the family aims to have it open in time to sell Christmas trees this December.

The new store, rising on Route 25A between McDonald’s and Walgreens on the former Ging’s Nursery property, will be roughly three times the size of the current Miller Place location a mile away — growing from 10,000 square feet to about 30,000 square feet, Brinkmann said.

“It’s pretty obvious from a retail perspective that we needed a bigger box,” Brinkmann said, describing the existing store as too cramped for shopping carts, let alone a stroller. “We’re bursting at the seams in our current store.”

The expansion comes down to one thing — demand. Brinkmann said the current store can’t keep pace with customer requests for more products.

The new location will nearly double its paint department and add small-project lumber. That includes two-by-fours, two-by-sixes, plywood and moldings for home projects, though not full-scale additions, Brinkmann said. It will also carry an expanded selection of Weber grills, though Brinkmann said the store won’t stock major appliances.

“People loved and counted on Ging’s. But they were limited in what they could carry because they didn’t have an inside to their operation — it was basically just a yard,” Brinkmann said.

Construction is in its finishing phases, with mechanical systems going in, ceilings being painted and floors being finished. Brinkmann said a firm opening date is hard to pin down because it depends on how quickly Brookhaven Town issues a certificate of occupancy once construction wraps up.

The new store will be the second-largest of Brinkmann’s seven locations, behind only the Glen Cove store at 37,000 square feet. The family’s other stores are in Sayville, Blue Point, Holbrook, Jamesport and Plainview.

Roughly 35 people are expected to work at the new Miller Place store, up from about 15 currently, Brinkmann said.

Once the new store opens, Brinkmann said the old location will keep shift into liquidation mode and remain open for about a week. The existing property is under contract to be sold, Brinkmann said.

The family, which also owns Brinkmann Construction, is marking its 50th anniversary this year. Tony and Pat Brinkmann opened the first store in Sayville in 1976; their children Hank, Ben and Mary now run the business, with Hank and Ben overseeing operations and real estate.

_{Top: Brian Harmon photo}