Mother-daughter setting up shop in former Down Home store
With a passion for design and a knack for business, longtime North Forkers Kathy and Annie Perretta are opening a one-stop shop for all things home and garden at the former Down Home Store, a landmark building on Main Road in Cutchogue.
Phoebe & Belle will sell home décor with an emphasis on clean lines and natural, organic beauty inspired by the North Fork. It will also have hostess gifts, kitchen and garden furnishings, similar to its predecessor, which closed last summer.
A self-proclaimed foodie, Kathy Perretta got the idea to open the shop last year to satisfy her love of design and need for a home décor store on the North Fork. With the help of daughter Annie, her business partner and a fellow design and art enthusiast, Phoebe & Belle will open later this month, after the final touches are in place.
NORTHFORKER: DECORATING TIPS and MORE PHOTOS from PHOEBE & BELLE
The mother, a former designer and public relations manager, and daughter, who previously worked on fundraising campaigns for Lincoln Center in New York City, said their appreciation for aesthetics was not their only motivation to buy and renovate the Main Road building.
“Everyone has memories of this building,” Annie Perretta said. “I remember being 8 years old and shopping at the Down Home Store with my mom. It is special to a lot of people.”
Adding to her daughter’s sentiment, Kathy Perretta said she didn’t want the historic former post office to go unkempt and vacant. In that spirit, they choose to keep the building’s original wooden floors and counter top.
“We wanted to revitalize this beautiful building, but also have some reverence for the space that was here before,” Kathy Perretta said.
The partners are now stocking Phoebe & Belle store unique home décor items, custom-made furniture and products for the garden room — which will feature flowers, plants and gardening tools.
