Claudia Dowling Interiors moves from Huntington to Northport

On Saturdays, Claudia Dowling shops for organic olives, pickles and lettuces at the Northport Village Farmer’s Market.

The Centerport-based interior designer has long walked her dogs on the village sidewalks, and taken her daughter for ice cream nearby.

But in recent months, Dowling’s visits to Northport have blended business and pleasure as she prepares to launch her newest venture: Within These Walls, featuring Claudia Dowling Interiors.

“We’re trying to make it a lot like a home instead of a store,” said Dowling, of the efforts of herself and business partners Jennifer Indence – her daughter – and Samantha Bendl.

The home decor and design business has leased what Dowling described as an 875-square-foot space in the historic Thompson Building, on the corner of Woodbine and Scudder Avenues. Dowling’s door is located at the end of an alleyway on Scudder.

“It’s a little hidden, so we’ve got to do something about that,” Dowling said.

Just south of Main Street, the area is often overlooked, said building owner and landlord Joseph Schmitz.

“That part of Northport’s kind of ignored by a lot of people,” Schmitz said. “We’re trying to build that up, into something new.”

As she waits for a license to sell merchandise, Dowling said she plans to open the store to foot traffic this week to build public awareness.

Dowling’s design career has spanned decades and locations. She opened her first store in 1988 in Oyster Bay, and has moved in and out of eight brick-and-mortar shops since, she said. Northport is the ninth, she said.

At the end of the year, Dowling said she will close her Huntington location – a 3,000-square-foot store on New York Avenue, per her description. In the meantime, she will continue to sell furniture and decor there, she said.

In Northport, Dowling will continue to take on clients as well as sell merchandise on the floor. She has three other designers, she said, with a total of six employees including herself.

Schmitz said Dowling’s business seems like a good fit for his building because she appreciates the building’s aesthetics. She and her team will decorate the Thompson Building for the winter holidays this year, he added.

“It’s a great thing to bring a whole new crowd to the building that will appreciate how beautiful the building is,” Schmitz said.

Decorative items start at $20, Dowling said. A sculpture of a squirrel, fox and rabbit reading a book is priced at $26, she added.

“We’re trying to hit people on a budget, too, because it’s such a horrible time right now with money, and prices,” she said.

Dowling has taken on design projects of varying scale over the past several decades. Her stores have offered high-end textiles and tile, a furniture line, kitchen and bath fixtures.

“Happily, we could do an entire residence, and I’ve done it from blueprints,” she said, “And I’ve done a sofa. Or a lamp, a couple lamps.”

She is particularly conscious of cost now, she said, as tariff and freight charges have increased furniture prices. A sofa can cost $600-$700 for her to bring in, she said.

“I’m appreciative of people’s budgets, and what they can and cannot do,” Dowling said.

By Arielle Dollinger

arielle.dollinger@newsday.com@aridollinger

Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.