Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app.
After lying vacant for years, the old deli space at 156 West Broadway in Port Jefferson is getting a new lease on life thanks to new owners.
Maria Palmar, who represented the buyer on the deal, told GreaterPortJeff that local Port Jefferson residents who are also business owners in the village closed on the property acquisition in late July.
The deli building has been around for over a century and has gone by many names, including Pirate’s Cove, Portside Deli, and Custom Cafe. The location at the western edge of town has proved to be a challenge but all that has changed, according to Palmar, due to the evolution of Port Jefferson Village.
“The village was different 10 years ago,” she said. “Some of the establishments and developers have put their hearts and souls into beautifying Port Jefferson.”
She pointed out retailers like, Old Fields, Kilwins and Simply Good as examples of good stewards of downtown Port Jefferson.
“As far as residential goes, you’re seeing the village gentrified and updated,” she said.
With the Shipyard and Overbay communities now established across from the deli space, Palmar sees this location as a diamond in the rough.
“Anything wet space is going to be a hit with the right management,” she said.
The new owners are now looking to lease the building. The ink is barely dry on the acquisition but Palmar is already fielding inquiries.
“Oh yeah, I’m already getting a lot of phone calls for it,” she said. “It’s going to go quickly.”
The property is marketed as mixed-use, zoned for wet space – meaning it can be used for a deli, bagel store, or cafe — and has three apartments. The retail portion can seat up to 36 people. A property listing for the building says that it currently has a one-bedroom apartment on the first floor, with a two-bedroom apartment and a three-bedroom apartment upstairs.
The building has a total area of 7,500 square feet, with the food service area at about 2,600 square feet. The property has six parking spaces and about 121 feet of frontage on West Broadway, on the intersection with Beach Street.
Records show it was originally built in 1870.
Plans are to gut renovate the building. Palmar said the buildout is still to be determined but the owners are willing to build-to-suit.
“We could do a blank canvas,” she said.
The new makeup of the three apartments is still to be determined. Palmar estimates that the buildout will take about six months.
She’s marketing the property at $27 per square foot.
Richard and Mary Morrison are the former owners of the deli building at 156 West Broadway, who bought it and the building next door at 154 West Broadway after winning the lottery back in 2010. The Miller Place couple opened Graceful Rose restaurant a few years later in the restaurant spot. That space has also gone through multiple iterations, including Due Baci Italian Restaurant and most recently P.J. Harbour Club, which has since closed.
The Morrisons still own 154 West Broadway.
Mayor Margot Garant said that 156 West Broadway is an important corner in the village and she’s looking forward to a deli returning to the space.
“We need one desperately,” she said.
Top: Exterior of the building being turned into a deli in Port Jefferson. (Credit: Loopnet.com)
