Creative Collaboration Builds Best 'Nest'

Donna Moschella, above, opened Nest on Main at 135 Main St. in Northport six months ago. (Long Islander News photos/Connor Beach)

Nest’s marketplace is stocked with high-quality home décor that hails from local vendors and artists.

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

Since moving to Northport with her family five years ago, Donna Moschella has become an active member of the community.

And since November, she’s planted her roots, or rather built her Nest in the village.

At her Nest on Main, a high-quality home decor shop, Moschella provides a place where local artists, designers and creative minds can spread their wings.

The historic 135 Main St. storefront – previously home to Ingerman’s Department Store – is now home to the goods of over 26 local vendors.

“We give them a brick and mortar place for them to display and highlight their work,” Moschella said. “It’s been a very collaborative arrangement that we have with everyone.”

Because the vendors, or “Nesters,” change, Moschella said Nest is “constantly morphing and evolving” to provide shoppers with a steady flow of new inventory to view.

“The store looks different every time you come in,” Moschella said.

Moschella said the idea behind the Nest started as a small furniture consignment store, but those plans evolved when she saw the large storefront on Northport’s Main Street was available.

“I knew I wanted to be on Main Street,” Moschella said. “When this space became available the idea grew to fit the space.”

The former fashion buyer for Macy’s corporate division said she has always been fascinated by the marketplaces of New York City where vendors sell a variety of handcrafted goods directly to customers.

“That’s what I wanted this to become,” Moschella said.

Using her community connections as a trustee at the Northport Historical Society, Moschella was able to build interest in Nest among the village’s community of artists and vendors.

“Word spread organically to the point that people were coming to me and asking how they could be a part of it,” she said. “That was really rewarding because they’re taking a chance on this unknown business idea, and to be able to give a platform to so many talented people has been an amazing experience.”

Although 26 different vendors display their products at Nest on Main, there are no stalls or dividers between the different goods, which creates a seamless transition and flow thought the space.

Moschella said collaboration is what sets Nest apart from other small businesses or home décor stores.

“Rather than the typical concept where one person opens a home décor store and that person has to be creative, this is a vast array of very talented people providing their creative input to the store,” Moschella said.

In addition to the large selection of retail items, Nest also offers a place where vendors can host workshops on everything from family butter making and pottery demonstrations to flower arrangement workshops for Mother’s Day.

“It provides a forum where they can talk about the business and share information with people,” Moschella said.

An active, creative community and walkable downtown, especially in the summer months, make Northport the perfect place for a store like Nest, Moschella said.

“The greatest compliment that I get is when people walk through the door and the first thing they say is just, ‘Wow.’”