Justin's Chop Shop's New Space In Westhampton Beach 'Ready To Go'

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — A popular butcher shop in Westhampton Beach is ready for its next chapter — and owner Justin DeMarco couldn't be happier to see his long-held dream realized.

Plans for the new space have been delayed over the past year, but now, DeMarco told Patch he plans to open sometime the week of Jan. 16 in a space at 71 Sunset Ave.

"We're ready to go," he said.

Speaking about the stops and starts of the past months, DeMarco was candid: "It was obviously a very emotional experience — financially, mentally. It was quite difficult at times for everyone, my family, my customers, my staff."

Costs escalated, he said.

"For six months, I was basically paying two rents," he said. "It wasn't an easy feat."

The delays were not the fault of Westhampton Village, DeMarco hastened to add. Many of the delays were due to Suffolk County Health Department requirements, including a new septic system, and the challenge of converting a former bank building — complete with a vault — into his shop.

"The experience almost deflated me; it was hard. I had to try and keep my smile on and keep going. It was draining, but I'm feeling better now," he said.

The community has been hugely supportive, DeMarco said. Once the doors open, he plans to roll out his vision for the business.

"I want to experiment with the community so once we go full steam we are firing on all cylinders," DeMarco said.

His plans include a wider range of grab-and-go options, including a Caesar salad with Bell & Evans grilled chicken, his signature steak over Romaine lettuce — and a full array of deli sandwiches. A beer and wine license is also in the works, so customers can sit out on the patio and have wine.

DeMarco hopes to host community events and fundraisers, including an event for the Westhampton Beach St. Patrick's Day parade.

"We did it last year," he said. "We didn't even promote it, and it was a huge success."

Now that the dust has settled, DeMarco, whose mind is spinning with creativity and plans, said he can't wait to show the community the new space, graced with incredible architecture and history.

"It's gorgeous," he said.

With a soft opening coming soon, down the line, he plans to host a grand opening ceremony.

The business means everything to him.

"I get very emotional. I worked very, very had in school to go for a job that didn't really transfer. I'm a very driven person, so to go back to slicing American cheese for people I went to high school with was a very humbling experience. Now I'm married, with a beautiful wife and family, and to be able to show this gorgeous place, it's really rewarding to me," he said.

DeMarco, who has had a small butcher shop on Mill Road for several years, expanded by moving into the building on Sunset Avenue that used to be an Astoria Bank, Westhampton Beach Village Beach Mayor Maria Moore said.

"We value the investment that Justin is making in our village, and we are all looking forward to the grand opening," Moore said.

Reflecting on his journey, DeMarco said his career began on Wall Street, where he was working as a paid intern and living in New York City. Then, he said, the financial market took a hit, and people began losing their livelihoods and their homes.

"Things never really recovered," DeMarco said; he'd been working as an escrow officer for a prominent bank and was let go, he said.

DeMarco, 42, originally from Shoreham, has a deeply instilled work ethic and never gave up. Working hard defines him, he said.

"As a kid, I had a million jobs," he said. He bartended, worked at a pizza place and as a break-dancer for an entertainment company.

And then, he worked at Cow Palace in Rocky Point, where he brought his financial acumen and experience to the proverbial table, implementing his business strategies and streamlining processes and orders, some of which had still been done on paper until he digitalized the process.

After his Wall Street aspirations dimmed, he went back to the butcher shop, taking over the managerial side of the business and later, teaming up with owner Tino Masotto as the Cow Palace expanded to Westhampton Beach, at the site of the former longtime Dean's Country Market.

When he worked with Masotto, he was living at home and saving his earnings; he borrowed $10,000 from a family member to invest in the business with Masotto.

Soon, Masotto handed the reins to DeMarco. "I was a 31-year-old kid with no clue about butchering," he said. But along with a seasoned butcher, Bob Schmidt, who walked in one day and decided to mentor him, DeMarco began to learn the proverbial ropes, soaking up knowledge.

The relationship was one he treasured, DeMarco said. Schmidt had lost a son; the two shared a deep bond. DeMarco also credits employees Ross Goldman and Alvin Maldonado, who he said, fueled his success.

"The fact is, I wouldn't be close to where I am, without them," he said.

A few years later, DeMarco decided to buy out Masotto's share of the business. "I was building relationships with my customers, with this small town community," he said. "I wanted it to be mine."

He teamed up with his brother-in-law Val Pompeo — who owns an architectural firm — buying him in to the business; today, the family all pitches in. DeMarco and his wife Marissa, an elementary school teacher in Westhampton Beach, have three children. His sister helps with catering; his wife handles staffing and payment for catering, as well.

"We are going to be basically transforming from a full butcher shop/ market to a full-blown gourmet market," he said. The shop will feature a full assortment of seafood, working with Braun in Cutchogue, as well as a broader array of meat, poultry and pork.

"We are doing our best to expand the products to a little bit lower price point to accommodate all budgets," DeMarco said.

In addition, because the former bank building is so much larger, he will have the ability to store and display a wider array of offerings, including salads, gourmet salads, and deli sandwiches.

Down the line, people will have the chance to reserve the full chef's kitchen to have a chef's dinner.

DeMarco has plans for seats on the patio where guests can sit outside and enjoy lobster rolls, "smash" burgers, sandwiches, and more, he said.

In addition, he plans to offer a full grocery, including Boar's Head cold cuts.

Before launching the new location, he, his wife, sister Brooke and Val toured markets in New York City for ideas.

DeMarco said he spent a good deal of time reaching out on social media, asking the community what it wanted in the shop.

The former bank building, he said, was transformed; the space echoes with history. "It's cool; it's an old school bank, the kind we had when I was a kid, where you'd walk up with a deposit card to an open desk." The bank even has a giant vault, he said.

DeMarco, who now lives in Westhampton, said while he grew up in Shoreham, he loves the small-town sensibility of the village, where he spent summers surfing and frequenting clubs in past years, "not knowing I was going to lay my roots here."

He met his wife at the store — she was a customer — her parents have had a house in Westhampton for decades, he said. "We met here and we love the community and want to plant roots here," DeMarco said. "We wanted to buy our home here. To take our success and live somewhere else, that didn't feel right to me."

And so, the couple purchased their home in the area and signed a 20-year lease for the business, signifying his deep commitment to community and clientele. "Here, everyone knows everyone," he said.

Westhampton is the kind of place where parents watch out for one another's kids, he said.

"Here, everyone has a smiling face," DeMarco said. "We want our kids raised here. We're not going anywhere."