The Cottagewood Store in Deephaven opens each spring for the season and closes again on the evening of Halloween, with special events in the fall and winter like a chili cook-off and a Christmas festival. This month, on April 29, the shop hosts its grand spring opening.
This nonprofit store is owned by community members as part of the Cottagewood Community Foundation Board, and during the off-season, it keeps a loyal customer base. “The Cottagewood Store is a community hub, a gathering place for coffee, a quaint lunch spot, the home base for numerous community events and a boutique selling charming home décor and nautical apparel,” says head of marketing Perris Deppa.
A historic gem, the Cottagewood Store has been open since 1895 with 22 different owners, eight remodels and 52 years of Independence Day parades. The store is known for its multigenerational staff.
“From grandparents to great-grandchildren, many people who are still living in the Cottagewood area grow up working together at the Cottagewood Store,” Deppa says.
When the Cottagewood Store reopens later this month, local kids will wait in line to check out the new candy selections, friends and neighbors will stop in to shop for nautical home décor and the “coffee ladies”—a group of women who meet at the Cottagewood Store for their daily coffee and chitchat—make their return.
“Opening day symbolizes just what is so special about the store. It is a busy day and doesn’t slow down all summer long,” says Deppa.
