CLIENT: OYSTERMAN’S DAUGHTER
DATE: 2023
DETAILS: INTERIOR DESIGN, GRAPHIC PROGRAM, VISUAL MERCHANDISING
PHOTOGRAPHY: SEAN LITCHFIELD
HUXHUX Design Inc was hired by Copps Island Oysters to design their retail shop in Norwalk, CT. It quickly became apparent that this project was not simply about retail, but rather it was an opportunity to center our creative efforts toward environmental stewardship education. From our first conversations with Norm Bloom, owner and operator of Copps Island Oysters, called himself a “blind farmer”...where he can’t see the fields he tends but cares for so deeply. He wanted people to leave the shop with an understanding of his multi-generational stewardship of the Connecticut coastline. It’s crucial that we approach the project in a way that enables his team to teach visitors about the environmental benefits of healthy thriving oyster beds. Over the years, our clients amassed an impressive collection of oystering antiques and ephemera. They frequently host school fieldtrips and guided tours of their operations headquarters. Our design needed to meet their request to leverage retail design in a more thoughtful manner–one with an intentional educational purpose.
At its core, this shop serves as a direct to consumer supplier of oysters, clams, lobsters and other fresh seafood. They also offer culinary resources, tools, and home goods. We are currently finishing the buildout of their second location in Stratford, CT and plan to launch at each of their key operations along Long Island Sound.