The Ladies Village Improvement Society is the oldest organization in East Hampton. The society began in 1895 when 21 housewives came together to pay to have the dusty streets watered down and to clean up the old railroad station in the growing village. With more than 400 members today, the LVIS spends $60,000 each year caring for the village greens, including Town Pond, maintains a nature trail, plants and watches over trees, arranges for the display of American flags, and hands out scholarships. The annual LVIS fair, a favorite summer event, has been held for 114 years.
In 1987, the organization purchased the rundown Gardiner Brown House, which dates to 1740, renovated it and moved in two years later. Its headquarters houses the ever popular thrift shops, Bargain Books and Bargain Box Thrift Shop, which are staffed by volunteers who sell donated clothes, furniture, household goods, knickknacks and books.