Please Help Keep Poppy Heart Open - New Location

Poppy Heart is closing its location in the center of Montauk town on November 13, 2022. Despite how sad it is, we’ve built something extraordinary together in just 15 months!

As families and friends learned of the news, they sent Poppy Heart’s Owner Tiffany beautiful letters of love and support. This one, written by a ten-year-old, captures the sentiment -

“This town needs Poppy Heart, all the kids love Poppy Heart, and everybody will cry if it is gone. Right when Poppy Heart opened, it was like a magical wonderland. I have so many memories and so do all my friends. I can’t imagine this town without Poppy Heart.”

Poppy Heart has also received incredible press coverage that we encourage you to read - from The New York Times, East Magazine, and Montauk Sun to Dan’s Papers. A statement that Tiffany made in her interview with Dan’s Papers sums up the love -

“These kids come to Poppy Heart, and they run up the stairs and hug me, and it’s the most magical thing. I think what Poppy Heart has become is kind of like a culmination of all the things in my heart that I want to be able to give to other people.”

So why is Poppy Heart in this situation? There are several factors:

Tiffany used her own money to help fund the renovation of Poppy Heart’s duplex space. Her goal was to build an extraordinary place for adults, families and kids to spend their time - all year long - for many years to come. Her investment went into renovating both floors that received all new electricity, plumbing, floors, walls, framing, doors, painting, the Cafe, HVAC and more.

Poppy Heart’s leases started in the 1st quarter of 2021, but it was not able to open for business until the end of July 2021 due to multiple construction delays during the extreme circumstances of the pandemic - therefore, rent was paid without any income.

Despite this setback, Poppy Heart grew a loyal following very quickly. Tiffany worked tirelessly, hoping to catch up financially. She runs Poppy Heart all year long, seven days a week, and works 10-hour days, and while she was under enormous financial pressure, you would never know it. Everyone was greeted with smiles and endless hugs, she hosted the most magical birthday parties and community events, and she always focused on the positive to ensure everyone who entered Poppy Heart’s doors had an exceptional experience.

Unfortunately, that was not enough. During the summer of 2022, Montauk experienced a slower tourism season, and Poppy Heart could not catch up with its bills as Tiffany so desperately hoped it would.

This GoFundMe has been started because hundreds of people have reached out asking how they could help financially.

The money that is raised will be directly applied to Poppy Heart’s debts. Loans Tiffany has taken out to keep Poppy Heart open, utilities, and paying off inventory bills and money owed to vendors. But most importantly, I know she would be heartbroken if she could not quickly get Poppy Heart up and running in a new and more affordable Montauk location. Every cent that hasn't gone to the bills will be applied to setting up a new site in Montauk.

Please help us keep this special business open all year for the hundreds of families and kids that depend on and so dearly love Poppy Heart.

Thank you so very much,

Juliana Purcell Sheehan,

Montauk Resident and "Poppy Heartist"