Our conversion of a small former retail store on the Main Road in Mattituck to a beautiful space designed to house The Cooperage Inn’s NoFo Pot Pies location is a great example of what can be done to truly transform a commercial space into a welcoming environment that customers look forward to visiting.

The commercial building was a former retail shop that had closed and fallen into disrepair over the course of several of years.  The challenge lie in skillfully repurposing the structure without changing the footprint, especially as we wanted to retain the exiting non-conforming zoning. In addition, we wanted to keep it on-brand according to the parent company’s guidelines while staying within the bounds of Southold Town code in order to expedite the process.

Aesthetically, we explored and successfully executed ways to make the space feel bigger and more welcoming while still leaving room for a wide variety of products and a cozy ‘country’ feel and atmosphere. The existing environment was cluttered and claustrophobic, yet we did not have the option to expand beyond the build.

Through the use of angles, window placements, lighting choices, textures and finishes, in conjunction with re-configuring the existing interior and exterior spaces while staying within project parameters we managed to create a welcoming comfortable, environment that is also functionally usable for storage and back-of-house necessities.

Increased road visibility (not to mention excellent pot pies) has also helped NoFo Pot Pies grow into a successful, thriving year-round business.