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Nearly two years after a devastating fire forced it from its longtime home, Hammer & Stain Sayville is preparing for a comeback.
The DIY studio and shop at 15 N. Main St. is tentatively expected to reopen in early October with a completely reimagined space, new craft offerings and an expanded retail experience, owner Sandra Bernius told Greater Long Island.
For Bernius and her team, the reopening will mark the end of a long road that began when a November 2024 fire impacted several Main Street businesses in downtown Sayville.
She’s calling it a “rebirth.”
Hammer & Stain first opened in a small Bayport studio in 2019 before moving to Sayville later that year, offering DIY workshops, parties and events.
When the fire struck, the business had workshops and parties booked throughout November and December. Within 24 hours, Bernius and her team shifted to remote offerings and began working out of other locations.
Hammer & Stain later operated a temporary pop-up inside a Bayport flower shop before reconstructing the rear portion of its Sayville building, where it continued holding classes for about 10 months.
“It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t fun,” Bernius said. “But it kept us alive.”
The business also had a second location at Station Yards in Ronkonkoma already in the works when the fire occurred. That studio opened in October 2025, allowing Hammer & Stain to gradually wind down classes in the rear of the Sayville building as reconstruction continued.
The temporary Sayville space closed in December.
Bernius said the front portion of the building sustained significant water, smoke and soot damage in the fire. Much of the store’s contents had to be discarded, although the building itself remained structurally sound.
Now, Hammer & Stain is using the reconstruction as an opportunity to rethink the Sayville studio.
The reopened location will retain many of its familiar offerings while introducing what Bernius described as a new generation of crafts.
That will include glass-based projects such as mosaics and fused glass, along with longtime favorites including wood projects and chunky blanket workshops. Some of the new concepts have already been tested through pop-ups at the Ronkonkoma studio.
The retail side is also expanding, with more custom-order options, grab-and-go gifts and products customers can personalize on the spot.
Bernius said the goal is to blend an immersive shopping experience with social DIY activities and a handmade marketplace, giving customers the chance to discover and customize everything from welcome signs to gifts and other locally made items.
Customers can also expect to see plenty of familiar faces. Bernius said many staff members are returning to Sayville following the nearly two-year closure.
Hammer & Stain is already preparing for the holiday season, with plans to begin hosting holiday parties in November.
After nearly two years of adapting, relocating and rebuilding, Bernius said the Sayville studio will return with the same spirit but a much different look.
“It’s a fresh look with fresh offerings,” she said.
Top: The DIY studio and shop at 15 N. Main St. is tentatively expected to reopen in early October with a completely reimagined space. (Credit: GLI/Nick Esposito)
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