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Walter De Groot of Greenport Art & Design Emporium. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

One part gallery, one part home decor store and one part framing shop, the new Greenport Art & Design Emporium opened its doors  this weekend.

While those things might not initially appear to be related, owner Walter De Groot said the unifying theme of the Main Road business is making a beautiful living space.

“It’s a place to go if you want nice things for your home,” he said. “It has a vintage, nautical theme to it that I like. And everything is reasonably priced.”

A restoration sculpture artist by trade, De Groot has spent the majority of his adult life reconstructing crumbling historic awnings, columns and other ornate structures for some of the wealthiest and most famous people in the tristate area.

But at age 60, De Groot, who lives in Port Jefferson, said he was looking for a change in life and decided to open a store just like the handful of shops he ran in Holbrook, New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina three decades ago

“I got tired of going to New York City or Connecticut,” he said. “I would spend half my day on the road. So I decided to go back into retail.”

The second story of the 4,000-square-foot building is a gallery space and the first works on display are by Tyler Nichols of Port Jefferson.

“I wanted a place to showcase local artists,” said De Groot, who also makes custom cars and restores boats. “I know how hard it was for me when I first started.”

Interesting prints, handcrafted model airplanes, large moveable wine racks and furniture are among the offerings for sale in the first floor store.

Visit Greenport Art & Design Emporium at 67380 Main Road in Greenport. They will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week for the summer season.

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