Purdy Avenue may play second fiddle to Purchase Street as a hub of Rye’s business district, but the street manages to pack in two dozen storefronts along its compact 550-foot span.
And this fall, Purdy Street is seeing a lot of commercial comings, goings, and relocations.
The biggest proposal for the stretch is to demolish buildings from 11 to 15 Purdy Ave. and replace them with a three-story mixed-use development.
MM Real Estate Partners received a variance on Sept. 12 from the Zoning Board that allows them to put storefronts and eight indoor parking spaces on the first floor of a 6,000-square-foot consolidated parcel and a total of eight two-bedroom apartments on two floors above.
The city’s Planning Commission was scheduled to continue its review of those plans.
Metro Nails at 13 Purdy Ave. is planning to eventually move across the street to empty space at 22 Purdy Ave. (most recently the home of Noble Pies) and rebrand as Atelier Nails & Spa, according to owner Cindy Kim.
Ai Bo Gallery owner Glenn Aber said he hopes to be in his current location at 11 Purdy Ave. until the end of the year and is looking for alternative space in Rye.
The Town Dock restaurant at 15 Purdy Ave. closed in June, ending a 27-year run.
Photo Lois Wald
Sunrise Pizza at 7 Purdy Ave. will expand into what for many years was the home of Falcon Cleaners at 5 Purdy Ave. Sunrise owner Alex Policicchio said he plans to renovate the entire existing restaurant and use the new space primarily for back-of-house operations.
Over the summer La Fenice Gelateria, at 3 Purdy Ave., was acquired by Sandra Lukic. A first-time café owner, Lukic said she plans to spend several months learning the business before making any changes to the décor, branding, or menu. Gelato-lovers should not fear; La Fenice will continue to scoop the Italian treat, she said.
At 8 Purdy Ave., designer and entrepreneur Kelly Farley plans to open the first retail location of her brand, Aly x Joshua, this fall. She is taking over a storefront that for 13 years housed The Open House, which offered “stylish accessories and gifts.”
Aly x Joshua features “unique clothing and accessories ethically designed and produced in NYC and California” that have a “rock ’n’ roll” attitude, according to Farley.
This latest wave of changes to Purdy Avenue follows the opening earlier this year of the Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Table and the Sunshine Coffee Roasters bakery café on the ground floor of the new mixed-use building at 12 Purdy Ave.