Local friends join forces to form Copperhead Club – Peekskill Herald

When Sue’s Sunset House closed its doors on May 15, Peekskill lost an iconic (and literally) corner bar. But thanks to Kacie Wilson (36), Carolyn Mosher (26), Zach Moore (37), Rocco Fultz (28), Meg Blatt (37) and Rob Blatt (42), the city is getting another cozy watering hole in the same spot. Together, the six friends spent over 2,500 hours renovating, painting and preparing for the grand opening of the Copperhead Club at 137 North Water Street in Peekskill.

Their goal is to open the doors to the public for a preview on July 4th – just in time for the annual harborside fireworks festival. After the holiday, they will close to the public for a few days to put the finishing touches on. The goal is to be fully operational by Thursday, July 11th.

The concept is a “beer-food-drink” operation, and when I visited in June (the project was only 21 days underway), the team was hard at work making the space their own. They’re all excited to be joining Peekskill’s small business community as owners, and their entry into the scene comes after years of being part of the Peekskill food and drink world.

It all started when Kacie, Carolyn, Zach and Rocco had logged enough hours in the industry to take the next step and open their own establishment. The four have an extensive and impressive reputation in the area, honing their skills at Cortlandt Colonial, Birdsall House, Gleason’s, Sue’s Sunset House, The Central, Fulgum’s, Peekskill Brewery and Kyle’s Pub. In 2020, they met Brooklyn natives Rob and Meg Blatt and the idea evolved into something that felt more like a real possibility.

When Sue decided to retire from Sunset after 24 years in business, she reached out to Carolyn in December to ask if they would be interested in taking over the space. Kacie said her answer was an immediate “yes!” Kacie has known Sue “her whole life,” she said. And Carolyn worked for Sue from 2018 to 2021, so the group has strong roots in this unique space. “(Sue) always said, ‘One day you’re going to buy this bar,'” Carolyn explained. Sue seems to have found the perfect heirs to carry on the legacy of a welcoming eatery with good food and fun for the next generation.

Rob and Meg came to Peekskill from Brooklyn in 2020. “Some of the first people we met here were Carolyn, Kacie and Rocco,” Rob said. “We met at Gleason.” Rob said he “casually joked” to Carolyn about opening a place in town, and when Carolyn said, “Talk to Kacie,” things took off. In early 2023, the group began focusing on a business plan and creative vision to turn the idea into a reality.

As chef, Zach focuses on creating a menu of comfort food without labels, which he describes as, “things that people want to eat every day, seasonal variations with ingredients, and whether it’s 12 in the afternoon or 2 in the morning, there’s always something available.” From SPAM fries to a mushroom banh mi, the goal of the menu is to offer a variety of dishes that will appeal to anyone looking for a pub experience on Water Street.

When asked who is responsible for the drink menu, Kacie laughed and said, “It’s all of us. That’s what we love.” They’re excited about working on homemade syrups, bitters and mixers. “If I can make it better than we can buy it, we’ll do it,” Kacie explained. “You’ll see a lot of craft beer, a lot of domestic beer, we’ll have something for everyone.”

As for entering the Peekskill restaurant scene as an owner, Kacie says, “It’s really exciting, we have so much support. Everyone reaches out every day and asks, ‘Do you need this? Do you need that? What do you need?’ We’ve been a part of it (the Peekskill restaurant community) and now it’s like we’ve graduated, so to speak.”

They all appreciate being a little off the beaten path. “Being a popular bar/restaurant has its challenges,” Rob explained. “You’re not as walkable as the downtown core with all the close-knit, nearby bar-hopper restaurants. You have to want to come here. We’ll be the first or last stop.” The unique location has another big advantage. Rob said, “We also have this whole parking lot where you don’t have to worry about where to park (making it an easy place to visit).”

The name Copperhead Club came about after two unsuccessful rounds of blind voting, in which the six owners suggested names, entered them into a spreadsheet, and voted on them independently. According to Kacie, the bar name was “probably the hardest thing” the group had to decide on. They knew they wanted to start a club and liked the idea of ​​alliteration, but nothing seemed to resonate.

About a week after the failed votes, Rob suggested “Copperhead Club” in a group discussion and everyone loved it. Kacie said once they found the right one and got into it, it made perfect sense because “Sue always had the copper top on the bar and all those copper accents, so it was like the name had always been there.”

Rob summed up what he sees as their greatest strength: understanding the city and having the experience to create something new that feels at home here in Peekskill. “Overall for what we’re doing,” he said, “there’s so much experience here that has basically built a lot of this culture that exists in the central hub or down in the station square that we can offer something that we know fits but is also a little bit different and ultimately is another piece of the bigger puzzle in terms of what Peekskill offers rather than a repeat of an existing concept.”

To bring this new concept to life, the six friends put a lot of thought into the atmosphere they wanted to create. Carolyn described their vision as a mix of cocktail bar and dive bar, where there is “a mix of grandpa’s basement bar feel with a bit of glamour and fun” and you will see: “Budweiser wall lights mixed with crystal chandeliers and wood panelling mixed with a little cheetah print.” If you follow us on Instagramyou can follow their progress and get all the updates on the holiday preview and official opening.

The collective decided to reach out to the community with an IndieGoGo campaign where contributors could activate their Copperhead Club membership through donations. Members receive swag bags and different membership levels come with a variety of merchandise and perks (the highest being a $5,000 donation entitled “Our Urinal, Your Name!” where you will receive a plaque above the urinal with the dedication or memory of your choice, as well as a dedication ceremony. To date, they have raised over $16,000, which is well over their original goal of $10,000. According to Rob, “we will throw a karaoke party for our backers when we reach $20,000.” To make this happen (or sponsor the famous urinal), check out the campaign on the IndieGoGo website.

Kacie is as determined as someone with a mission. She said, “I wrote my first business plan 12 years ago and over the years I’ve had a few failed attempts to find a location for my own establishment. Copperhead Club is not that original plan, but it definitely evolved from that. When Rob and Meg found out I had that plan and that it was really good, I knew we were onto something. It took some time and there were a few failed attempts to find locations, but with Sue’s retirement, everything fell into place.” She called her July 4th opening date “ambitious” and is glad it gives them a concrete goal to work toward. Look for a big celebration at the Copperhead Club to coincide with the July 4th fireworks spectacular at the Riverfront Green.