New Sayville Pop-Up Event And Coworking Space Nears Opening

SAYVILLE, NY —The pandemic changed how many Long Islanders work, and even live, and one business owner thinks the changes also bring new opportunities. Stephanie Pappas is getting ready to open her new coworking and popup event space Open Gallery Space at 4848 Sunrise Highway in Sayville.

Pappas' mother is her partner on this new venture and owns the shopping center where Open Gallery Space is located, along with the center's anchor clothing store Eva. Pappas, who grew up on Long Island but now lives upstate, first worked in fashion in New York City before transitioning into hosting events for designers. She then switched to operating an open gallery space, where popup events could happen.

Now, Pappas tells Patch, the popup shared space model makes sense on Long Island.

"This is the right time for Long Island to have this," she said. "So many people and businesses have moved here [during the pandemic.] It's a space created for young creatives, professionals, so they can be in a space that's conducive to work and to network."

Open Gallery Space also has offices that can be rented on a temporary or part-time basis and common areas workers with a laptop can use. There are also membership options.

"With the pandemic there's been more demand for coworking, as people don't fully return to offices, as many offices will stay closed. And culturally, Long Island is changing, too."

Pappas is excited to open on the South Shore, an area she says is beautiful and has a lot to offer. So far she has done a soft launch and hosted an art show, and plans to fully launch in the next two weeks.

"I want to see what people are more interested in," she says, and plans to fine-tune the space use between events and coworking as she sees what people want.