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Will Gildersleeve of Renee’s Outdoor. (Credit: Lee Meyer)

Renee’s, the long-running furnishings and interior design center in Mattituck owned by Debbie and Bill Gildersleeve, recently opened an outdoor furniture and decor store on Main Road.

The bright and airy new store is filled with highly curated items including dining tables, seating arrangements, accessories and more, all designed for the outdoors. 

Renee’s Outdoor is run by the Gildersleeves’ son Will, who grew up around the family business.

“I grew up delivering furniture for them,” said Gildersleeve. “It’s always been a big family business, my cousins worked there. We’ve always sold outdoor furniture but we didn’t really have a place to display it.”

Gildersleeve says it was a combination of factors that led to the opening of Renee’s Outdoor, including his family spending more time in their backyard during the pandemic and realizing the need for an outdoor furniture store as well as the Main Road building becoming available. 

After purchasing the property, Gildersleeve spent the last year renovating it and building up inventory. Gildersleeve plans to rotate items out constantly and customers who make repeat visits to the showroom will often find something new.

Gildersleeve has always appreciated his family’s business, which his grandmother Renee started in 1978. 

“I’ve always been interested in the business from the standpoint of talking to customers,” said Gildersleeve. “But when I got older I started understanding more about the business and there were a lot of specific things I enjoyed.”

Some of the brands you’ll find at Renee’s Outdoor include Summer Classics, Marie Albert, Bernhardt, Armen Living, Essentials for Living and others. In addition to larger pieces like sectional sets, there are also smaller items like fire pits and planters.

“Our goal is to have nice stuff you might not find at places like Home Depot,” Gildersleeve said. “It’s higher-end stuff but not insanely priced.”

Gildersleeve is excited for the new venture and happy to work with his family on the business. 

“It’s a nice thing. We have overlapping interests, we’re business partners. [My mother] lets me do my thing. It’s been great to see things fall into place.”

Renee’s Outdoor is located at 10780 Main Road, Mattituck and is open daily from 11 a.m. Follow the store on Instagram.

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