This Bayport garage has been reborn as Happy Moon Studio art space

Just off Montauk Highway, an often-overlooked garage has been given a colorful new life.

At 320 3rd Ave. in Bayport, a former mechanic’s shop is now Happy Moon Studio — a bright, welcoming art space filled with paint, clay and a growing sense of community.

At the center of it all is Nell Rae Fitz, a Blue Point mom of four who saw possibility where others saw a mess.

“When I rented it, it was a disaster,” Fitz said with a laugh. “When the door was shut, it was pitch dark in here—no light.”

After taking over the space in November, Fitz and her husband, Michael Eisenberg, spent three months rebuilding it from the ground up — patching walls, renovating the bathroom and installing a glass garage door that now floods the studio with natural light. By early this year, the once-vacant garage had been reimagined as equal parts creative studio and community hub.

After returning to Long Island during the COVID-19 pandemic, her focus shifted closer to home — but her belief in art as a tool for expression never changed.

“I really call it a community art space,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to have a space where everybody can just come and feel safe and make art.”

That vision is already taking shape, with a mix of kids classes, adult workshops, pottery sessions and open studio time designed to welcome all ages and experience levels.

“It’s not just for me,” she said. “I want it to be for everyone.”

At its core, Fitz said, the studio is about more than what people create — it’s about slowing down.

“Art is a form of expression and there’s no guidelines and there’s no judgment, and that’s what makes it fun,” she said. “Everybody is creative. I want people to take a moment from the politics and the world and just create something.”

“We live in this age of instant gratification and they’re like, ‘I’m done,’ but I tell them ‘No… think about it,’” Fitz said.

At the end of each month, those young artists get a moment in the spotlight: a full-fledged art show inside the studio. At the first showcase, more than 60 people packed into the space.

“The kids ended up standing by their sculpture waiting for people to ask them questions,” she said. “It was really amazing.”

Inside, the studio reflects Fitz’s hands-on approach. Much of the space — from thrifted tables to handmade shelving — was built by Fitz and her husband, with artwork from their children displayed throughout.

“This place is always evolving,” she said.

Even the name carries personal meaning. Fitz’s youngest child, Mooney — named after a waterfall at the bottom of the Grand Canyon — inspired “Happy Moon.”

“They say that’s where rainbows come from,” she said. “He brought everyone together… he is our happy moon.”