VIP Ventures buys majority of Fire Island Pine commercial district for $17 million

Investment group FIP Ventures has purchased the majority of commercial property and establishments for $17 million. The assets purchased include: * 37 Fire Island Blvd., includes the Pavillion, Freshmarket, Bamboo, and Island Properties. * 41-45 Picketty Ruff, includes Bay Bar, Pines Liquors, and Aqua Gym. *49 Picketty Ruff, includes Hotel Ciel. * 56 Picketty Ruff, includes the Blue Whale. The FIP Ventures team consists of Matthew Blesso, president of Blesso Properties; Andrew Kirtzman, journalist and owner of The Madison Fire Island Pine; and Seth Weissman, a managing partner of Weissman Equities. Jon Wilner of Island Properties brokered the sale. Weissman, Blesso and Kirtzman have been busy preparing for the upcoming summer season. For the past several months, the three have been collecting input from a range of Pines community members, holding dinners with homeowners and renters to understand how to best improve and serve the community. The new owners have also met with the leaders of the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association (FIPPOA). "The Pines is a small town with a cosmopolitan feel," said Kirtzman, who has spent nearly every summer of his life on Fire Island. "It has its own traditions and its own culture. There's an expectation that you can walk barefoot into stores and restaurants and yet experience a professional level of service and quality. That's going to be our expectation as well." The transaction was an off-market purchase; the properties were not for sale until the team approached the previous owners. "This no-bid deal provided a rare opportunity to acquire a highly profitable set of properties at a below-market price," said Weissman. "We weren't surprised when appraisers valued the properties significantly higher than our purchase price." Weissman, Blesso and Kirtzman plan to leave major Pines institutions untouched (such as Low, Middle and High Tea) and refrain from raising prices at their bars and clubs. They also plan to restore some beloved community traditions that have fallen by the wayside in recent years: They are restoring the grand hotel pool deck on which the properties' owner John Whyte once hosted entertainers and fashion shows; they plan to make physical and technical improvements to the Pavilion. And they plan to raise the quality and service of the Blue Whale Restaurant. The new owners have brought in the owners of Almond restaurants in the New York Flatiron district and Bridgehampton, two acclaimed establishments with considerable gay followings. The owners, Jason Weiner and Eric Lemonides, run their Manhattan location in collaboration with restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow. The three owners are also designing a complete renovation of the hotel this fall, with the re-opening set for May, 2011. "The Hotel Ciel is the most visible property when people arrive in the community on the ferry," said Blesso. "Our aim is to transform it with a spectacular new design, so it serves as a welcoming beacon to residents and visitors." Blesso will spearhead the renovation, assisted by architect Andrea Steele. Blesso and Steele have collaborated on seven projects in the past. "The improvements we plan are geared towards all parts of the community," said Blesso. "There are very affluent people in the Pines, but there are also a lot of young gays who come here without a fortune to spend. That mix is a big part of the unique character of the Pines, and we intend to encourage it." The new owners bring to the project a track record of successful investments, an award-winning design sensibility and a deep history in and knowledge of the Pines. Blesso, a creative and socially-conscious developer, has garnered numerous design awards, including an American Institute of Architects New York State Award of Excellence in 2009. Weissman was named one of Real Estate New York's "Thirty Under Thirty" people to watch in 2008 and is a former Goldman Sachs investment banker and real estate investor at Perry Capital, a hedge fund. He is also on the Victory Campaign Board of the Victory Fund. Kirtzman, the former host of "Kirtzman and Co." on WCBS-TV and "Inside City Hall" on New York 1 News, is a former reporter for the New York Daily News and is the author of two books, Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City" and "Betrayal: The Life and Lies of Bernie Madoff, a New York Times best-seller. He has spent almost every summer of his life in Fire Island, and in fact got his start in journalism as co-founder of The Fire Island Villager, which he began publishing with a friend at the age of seventeen. In 2007, he opened The Madison Fire Island Pines. The group plans to open its properties for the season in May.