First quarter reports issued from two local real estate companies — Town and Country and Brown Harris Stevens — show an increase in sales for the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period last year, contradicting a report from Suffolk Research Services that showed a flat market or a marked decline.

    Brown Harris Stevens stated that the number of single family sales rose 32 percent on the South Fork compared to the first quarter of last year, but also acknowledged that 2011’s first quarter was lower than normal due to the pending expiration of the Bush tax cuts, which led many owners of expensive properties to put their homes on the market before the end of 2010.

    Also, according to Brown Harris Stevens, the median sales price of houses on the South Fork rose 5 percent to $815,000.

    Town and Country showed a similar increase in its release, with a median sales price of $817,500 for all the South Fork markets combined.

    The Town and Country report said that sales of single-family homes under $500,000 showed the largest jump over first quarter of 2011, up from 49 sales last year to 73 this year, a 49-percent up-tick. Sales up to $1 million increased by only 2 percent. In the $1 million to $2 million range, the increase was more marked, at 17 percent. The $2 million to $3.49 million range showed no increase at all, with 22 sales being measured in both first quarters. The biggest gain was in the $3.5 million to $5 million category, with a 67-percent increase over the first three months of last year, up from 9 sales to 15. The above $5 million group was up 10 percent, which was reflected by only one additional sale. 

    The report from Suffolk Research Services, which tracks all real estate transfers in the county and draws conclusions based on those transactions, compared first quarters for the past five years. For example, in Southampton Town, the first few months of 2008 saw a median sale price of $800,000 and sales volume in the amount of $506 million from 255 sales. In 2012, the median price was $650,000, with a total volume of $319 million from 224 sales.

    East Hampton Town fared slightly better. The first quarter of 2008 brought 100 sales generating $174 million, with a median price of $975,000. There were 111 sales this quarter, with a median price of $895,000 and a total sales amount of $150 million.

    A simple year-to-year comparison between the first quarters of 2011 and 2012 by Suffolk Research Services showed 224 sales in Southampton Town in both years, with no change, and a drop from 115 sales to 111 sales in East Hampton Town from 2011 to 2012.

    Brown Harris Stevens and Town and Country Real Estate both base their statements on numbers provided by the Long Island Real Estate Report.

EAST HAMPTON

D. Blaustein to M. Meltzer, 24 Wooded Oak Lane and lot, .6 acre, March 26, $595,000.

R. Gilliam by executor to Z. and E. Properties L.L.C., 164 Springs-Fireplace Road, March 26, $395,000.

The Leisure Tech Group to S. and L. Sommer, 72 Gould Street, .46 acre, March 27, $2,275,000.

311 Further Lane L.L.C. to E. Tiernan Trust, 311 Further Lane, .82 acre, Dec. 21, $6,600,000.

EAST HAMPTON VILLAGE

J. Humiston to Middle Lane L.L.C., 93 Middle Lane (vacant), March 7, $4,625,000.

MONTAUK

G. Moore and P. Ciaston to H. Barber Jr., 105 North Greenwich Street, .35 acre, March 19, $475,000.

P. Clark and G. and J. Ciccone to L. and J. Opalinski, 236 Edgemere Street, March 12, $310,000.

Laux Family 2008 Trust to 41 North Surfside L.L.C., 41 North Surfside Avenue, .48 acre, March 23, $995,000.

G. SanLorenzo by executor to C.J.N.L. L.L.C., 50 Agnew Ave­nue, Oct. 31, $690,000.

B. Delahanty to D. and B. Henningsen, 24 South Endicott Place, March 23, $575,000.

NORTHWEST

J. Gerstner and J. Smith to J. Guichay, 55 Three Mile Harbor Drive, .68 acre, March 23, $525,000.

B. Salkind to M. Lowlicht and D. Geller, 1 Barclay Court, March 23, $1,100,000.

M. and C. Kuritzkes to S. and D. Novenstein, 5 Hardscrabble Close, 4.9 acres, March 21, $4,100,000.

SAG HARBOR

R. Lyles to P. Margonelli, 61 Redwood Road, .24 acre, March 26, $510,000.

124 West Henry Street to J. Wilson and K. Huberty, 124 West Henry Street, .28 acre, March 30, $2,800,000.

SPRINGS

A. and M. Giaquinto to M. Biles, 15 Chapel Lane, .33 acre, March 26, $645,000.

Data provided by Suffolk Research Service of Southampton

    Romaine Gordon, an East Hampton resident and owner of B East, an Amagansett fitness studio, has launched the Hamptons Water Company, selling water that originates in the Catskills region of New York with an average retail price of $3 a bottle.

    Vapor distilled, enhanced with electrolytes, and bottled in B.P.A.-free recyclable plastic, Ms. Gordon called her water a “premium product.” Before choosing a company to be her water source, Ms. Gordon said she made many taste tests, searching for the best product and for the possibility of growth. “It’s also nice to keep it in New York,” she said.

    The idea began at her fitness studio, where she thought it would make sense to provide water she distributed herself, instead of buying it from someone else. She now has found local outlets and donated thousands of bottles to charitable causes, which helps introduce her brand.

    A portion of the proceeds, 5 cents per bottle or $1.20 per case, will support the Max Cure Foundation for pediatric cancer research, which was started in East Hampton. In addition, the company has donated water to other charitable events, including the recent Katy’s Courage 5K Run in Sag Harbor. It also plans to sponsor the Montauk Music Festival, three events for Paddlers for Humanity, and to make future donations to support cures for other cancers and diseases, animal rescue, or other community foundations.

    Competing against big corporations is “a nightmare,” Ms. Gordon said. “I’m not going to put Smartwater out of business.” Nor does she foresee distribution in 7-Eleven stores or supermarkets. She visualizes the clear, sturdy bottles with picturesque labels at beach barbecues, weddings, and other private events, as well as hotels. “I would love to grow it to N.Y.C., or see it trickled nationwide,” she said.

    The retail cost per bottle is a little more expensive than water that is not vapor distilled and has added electrolytes, she said, and comparable to water that is, such as Smartwater. Retailers are able to set their own prices for a bottle, and many are already on board and doing so, she said. Ms. Gordon and Rachelle Eldridge, a friend, have been doing most of the sales and deliveries so far, with plans to have a full delivery and sales staff by Memorial Day.

    Already, however, the Hamptons Water Company will be the official water on the Hampton Jitney this summer. The bottles have a smartphone code, which will take visitors to the company’s Web site, which Ms. Gordon said is soon to include “everything Hamptons.” Although the company expects to donate some 300,000 bottles to the Jitney, she hopes people will scan the bottle and browse the company’s Web site. Business owners will be encouraged to add their information to its directory without charge and to upload Hamptons photos.

AMAGANSETT

T. and L. Sears to America’s Capital Advisors, 97 Cross Hwy To Devon, 2.01 acres (vacant), March 2, $600,000.

T. Sears to T. Marziano, 99 Cross Hwy To Devon, 2.2 acres (vacant), Jan. 31, $600,000.

EAST HAMPTON

L. Carr to E. Margules, 6 Pine Close, 1.38 acres, Feb. 1, $1,800,000.

Town of East Hampton to M. Feliciano, 34 Blue Jay Way, .1 acre, Jan. 26, $5,000.

EAST HAMPTON VILLAGE

32 Sherrill Road L.L.C. to J. and S. Ruffo, 32 Sherrill Road, .2 acre, March 1, $1,200,000.

Cookinham and Bunim Trust to Dickey Family Trust, 18 Egypt Close, .92 acre, Feb. 16, $3,550,000.

Gracie Pond L.L.C. to 89 Lily Pond L.L.C., 6 Gracie Lane, 2.22 acres, Feb. 17, $20,000,000.

MONTAUK

N. and G. Kennedy to D. White Family L.L.C., 20 Talkhouse Lane, 1.09 acres, Feb. 4, $1,500,000.

H. and J. Knoblach to T. and K. Fagerland, 22 Roosevelt Road, .34 acre, Feb. 29, $401,000.

NORTHWEST

218 Treescape L.L.C. to M. Vincequerra, 218 Treescape Drive, .92 acre, Jan. 27, $1,400,000.

I. Goldfinger by executor to D. Ferrone and A. Starobin, 46 Bull Path, 2.2 acres, Feb. 24, $945,000.

C. Wade and C. Loewen to Town of East Hampton, 3 Red Spring Path, 4.11 acres, Feb. 29, $887,500.

SAG HARBOR

I.H. Group and J.C.R. Group to D. O’Connor, 52 Noyac Bay Avenue, .59 acre (vacant), Feb. 23, $700,000.

D. Martin to S. Kelley, 22 Oak Drive, .2 acre, Feb. 27, $482,500.

M. Cassidy to R.  and A. Williams, 15 Club Lane, 2.1 acres, March 1, $760,000.

SPRINGS

Joslin Lion’s Head I to Dellalfar and Persky Trust, 154 Isle of Wight Road, .43 acre (vacant), March 2, $600,000.

E. and M. Krom to J. Forst, 9 Sea Bright Avenue, .42 acre, Feb. 10, $415,000.

WAINSCOTT

R. and P. Shapiro to Z. Shohet, 6 Merriwood Drive, .92 acre, Feb. 29, $1,800,000.

Data provided by Suffolk Research Service of Southampton

Sag Harbor Perfume

    Bond No. 9, a Manhattan perfumery with an outpost located on Main Street, Sag Harbor, will soon release a scent named for that village.

    Sag Harbor is described in a press release as “a languid, flower-garden, ivy-coated, marine-scented ode to that quietly beguiling alternative South Fork town.”

    The scent follows in the wake of other Long Island-inspired perfumes from Bond No. 9, including Fire Island, Coney Island, and Andy Warhol Montauk.

    The new perfume will be released Memorial Day weekend.

Listings on the Go

    Sotheby’s International Realty, with offices in several South Fork towns, has created a mobile Web site for users on the go.

    After discovering that 17 percent of all its site traffic came from mobile devices, the firm created a Web site custom-designed for phones and tablets. It incorporates GPS technology to locate available properties, including M.L.S. listings when available. A new click-and-call feature is able to connect a client to a Sotheby’s broker, and agents can receive e-mail from the site for additional property information.

    The Web site address is sothebyshomes.com.

Architecture Award

    The Sag Harbor architectural firm Bates Masi and Architects has been recognized for innovation by Architectural Record magazine as a “Record House 2012.”

    The house, called Genius Loci, in Montauk, has been chosen as one of the nine worldwide to be profiled by the magazine, which dates back to 1891. It can be seen in the April issue or online at archrecord.com.

    Bates Masi has been in business for 48 years.

   When photography was invented, people said painting was dead, and when CDs came along, many thought vinyl recordings were dead. Then, with the rise of downloadable digital music, CDs looked destined for the trash heap.

    But things have a way of coming full circle. Painting is alive and well, and so, too, is vinyl, according to Craig Wright, who will open Innersleeve Records in Amagansett Square early next month, offering new and used LPs and CDs, along with rare poster art and music memorabilia.

    Not including downloadable music, “the vinyl format is the only music format that has seen an increase in sales over the last several years,” Mr. Wright said Tuesday. “All the major record companies are pressing most of their new releases [in vinyl] and repressing their classic old releases.”

    He ought to know. A manager for years at the now-defunct Long Island Sound music stores in East Hampton and Southampton, he brought vinyl back to those stores, then turned his attention to Internet auctions of valuable records after they closed.

    With newer, less bulky formats to choose from, why has vinyl survived? “People have different approaches as to why they collect. Teenagers like the cover art. Some people think the sound is superior, and some of these guys have to have an original pressing or nothing at all.” There’s something to be said, too, for “being part of the process,” Mr. Wright said. “I love being involved in flipping the record and putting the tone arm down, looking at the liner notes and the cover art, and when you download you don’t get any of that at all.”

    Mr. Wright sells all genres of music and is always on the hunt for collections to buy, but American jazz and blues have become his specialty and his particular area of expertise. His buyers hail from all over the world. “I’ve also had a number of Japanese clients come and visit and buy out of my storage unit,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I decided to open a store.” He wanted a place where his stock could be on display all the time, not just by appointment.

    The location — in shouting distance of Crossroads Music across the square and a short walk from the Stephen Talkhouse — seemed to provide a lot of synergy, too, making Amagansett a sort of local mecca for those who love, play, and collect music.

    Though Mr. Wright will continue to offer collectible vinyl for auction on eBay, he will also display his auction items in the store, so people can see some of the more rare LPs and bid on them if they like.

    The store will include a space where poster art, memorabilia, and antique audio equipment will be displayed, along with local art with a “pop culture” bent.

    For those who have “given up on the vinyl format” and gotten rid of their old turntables, Innersleeve will sell new and vintage introductory-level turntables “to make it easy and affordable” to re-enter the world of vinyl, Mr. Wright said.

   In a basement studio in Springs, amidst sewing machines, scissors, spools of thread, mannequins, and fabric, Temidra Willock enthusiastically presented a colorful collection of clothing she designed and fabricated and hopes to make accessible soon to the broader world. The small space was filled with sundresses, scarves with decorative trim, boxes of reversible beach hats, beach bags, and clutches, designed and sewn with dreams of a lucrative business under her label, Vivid Blueprint. It is “what I am meant to do,” said the 22-year-old designer.

    But making her dream a reality depends in part on being able to raise $3,500 by May 1 at midnight. Ms. Willock signed up for kickstarter.com, which helps to raise money online and offers rewards for those willing to offer their support. Pledges from $1 to $1,000 are accepted, and thank yous range from a simple personal note to T-shirts, scarves, and skirts.

    With 20 days to go to reach her goal, on Tuesday she had nine backers who had pledged a total of $852. The money will fund such things as labels and tags as well as marketing and sewing machine maintenance.

    If all goes well, she said, she will be able to get Vivid Blueprint off the ground and eventually expand into textile design. “I love prints,” she said.

    Her current collection is “easy to wear,” she said. “Throw on a sundress, a hat, and grab a tote,” she said. Designed for a day at the beach that turns into a last-minute movie or dinner, this is life for many women of all ages living in the Hamptons, she said. She described her creations as “relaxed and comfortable.”

     Ms. Willock, who grew up in Springs and graduated from the Ross School and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, begin sewing clothing when she was 8 as an alternative to the expensive outfits she couldn’t afford for her American Girl dolls.

    Her mother taught her how to sew by hand. Soon she was making Halloween costumes, then sundresses and more. Samples of her designs can be seen on the Web site, vividblueprint.com, and those who wish to support her label can do so at by searching Vivid Blueprint at kickstarter.com.

AMAGANSETT

A. Calero to M. Bompey and L. Almon, 233 Red Dirt Road, 1.23 acres, Jan. 25, $1,600,000.

EAST HAMPTON

15 Robert’s Lane L.L.C. to J. Behar, 15 Robert’s Lane, .78 acre, March 2, $2,875,000.

L. Branche and D. Roach to S. Grover, 10 Stokes Court, .7 acre, Jan. 24, $480,000.

SAG HARBOR

P. and J. Jensen to B. Covit, 12 Montauk Avenue Extension, .74 acre, Feb. 25, $1,650,000.

M. Mahoney to E. and H. Goodstone, 16 Windermere Drive, .23 acre, Jan. 31, $554,000.

SPRINGS

M. and A. Meredith to K. Levine, 1071 Fireplace Road, .75 acre, Feb. 13, $325,000.

R., S., and D. Herrlin by executor to J. Herrlin Jr. and Ludwig, 183 Three Mile Harbor-Hog Creek Road, 1 acre, Feb. 10, $2,200,000.

WAINSCOTT

P. and J. Young to J. and D. Capone III, 20 Bathgate Road, .45 acre, Feb. 29, $1,400,000.

Data provided by Suffolk Research Service of Southampton

Made in Montauk

     Ingrid Torjesen Kalfaian, a South Fork resident since 1994, has launched a new line of clothing and accessories, hand-dyed and hand-printed in her hometown of Montauk. Made in Montauk uses organic cotton for its yoga and beachwear, note cards, and clothing for children.

    The line is being carried at Tutto Bene in Bridgehampton, the Harbor Marina gift shop in East Hampton, and Gloria Jewel in Amagansett and Bridgehampton. Products can also be viewed online at montaukdesigns.com.

Hamptons Water

    There’s a new way to hydrate on the East End. The Hamptons Water Company, which is locally owned and operated, is selling vapor-distilled water bottled in the Empire State.

    The water is sold in recyclable bottles that come with a mobile phone Q.R. code, which when scanned takes customers to the Hamptons Water Company Web site and a listing of places to work out, dine, and shop. The company also donates to charity 5 cents from every bottle sold — currently the Max Cure Foundation for pediatric cancer research

    According to local real estate agents, and a handful of disappointed customers who waited too long, the 2012 summer rental season is the busiest in a while, and those who tarry will be renting elsewhere — not on the South Fork.

    John Gicking, the vice president and manager of Sotheby’s International Realty’s East Hampton office, said, “The rental market is very strong. We have customers who are disappointed that they missed out on an oceanfront rental for this summer, and are already bidding on the same house for 2013.”

    “It’s been a busy and brisk rental season,” said Patrick McLaughlin, the manager of the Sag Harbor Prudential Douglas Elliman office. “In fact, it started really early this year. I was working with potential renters back in October.” Mr. McLaughlin added, “It’s also been a good year for renters, in that there’s more inventory and choices than ever before. I’m discovering homeowners who in the past would never consider renting their homes are now getting on board.” Prices, he said, have “pretty much held steady over the past few years.”

    Jennifer Linnick, an associate broker with Devlin McNiff Halstead, echoed those thoughts. “The rental market has been lively,” she said. “A few of my high-end properties rented very early, and now after a small lull people have been coming out, excited to rent.”

    Some agents attribute the fact that East Hampton Village’s 2,900 nonresident beach parking passes have already sold out to the upswing in the rental market.

    Town and Country brokers were booked solid showing rentals in January, according to that firm’s chief executive officer, Judi Desiderio. “Fifty percent of all rentals were done by Presidents weekend,” she said. Usually, Ms. De­siderio said, rentals then take a back seat to sales appointments in March, but this spring, “My rule was broken,” she said with a laugh. “Both rentals and sales were out of control in all seven Town and Country offices. Thank goodness, the East End breaks every rule.”