Curtains up in Glen Cove as community theater takes over vacant hardware store

After the Charles of Glen Cove hardware store closed in 2020, the building sat vacant. A Glen Cove staple for decades, the blank facade now served as a memory of a once-thriving business — and as motivation for securing a successor. 

Next spring, the curtains are expected to open to a new era at 19 Glen St. when Christopher Moll, artistic director of North Shore Village Theatre and Jazz Hands Children’s Theatre, opens a community performing arts space. Glen Cove officials say it's part of a long-term plan to revitalize the city's business district. Glen Cove officials have sought to add an arts center to the downtown for several years as part of its comprehensive city planning.

The new destination for North Shore residents will “bring in the arts” and draw “people into the community,” Moll said. “It’s always been my goal to have a space in downtown Glen Cove.”

What is now exposed walls and floors covered in dust will be transformed to a 150-seat venue with a lobby, bar and stage. Its drop ceilings will be gone, as will the wood paneling.

The owner of the property, Bruce Waller, agreed to a 10-year lease with Moll. An architect is designing the new theater, which will be finished in phases, he said. Construction should start early next year, with an opening expected in April.

“It’s aggressive,” Moll conceded. “But I think we can do it.”

Moll plans to include shows from his nonprofit, a performing arts group for kids between 5 and 18. Other artists and outside theater groups will also be featured at the venue, including educational programming geared toward children, Moll said.

“I want to have things in there every single weekend,” Moll said. “There are so many talented artists in this area.”

Waller, the owner of the property and a Glen Cove resident, said a restaurant was proposed for the building but the plans fell through. 

“It’s just been nothing,” Glen Cove Councilwoman Danielle Fugazy Scagliola said of the empty building.

The theater will have ample parking during the evenings and allow patrons to eat at nearby restaurants and shop at local stores, she said. 

“It took a lot of like-minded people that care about this community and want to see good things here,” Fugazy Scagliola said.

Few retail stores and restaurants are open late into the evening, according to the city's 2024 comprehensive plan. The plan is focused on encouraging "a mixed-use experience with entertainment, retail, dining, grocery, performing arts, and cultural attractions."

Assemb. Chuck Lavine (D-Glen Cove), who attended an event Tuesday commemorating the start of the new lease, said the arts are an economic driver that can benefit Glen Cove. Programming can help teach important skills, he said.

"All those kids in Jazz Hands are learning to be critical thinkers," Lavine said. "These are the best investments we can make in our communities."

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ