By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — A “Remarkable” new home design store has opened on Main Street.

For those who remember, the downtown building at 177 Main St. was once the home of the bright pink Remarkable Book Shop, an anchor of the commercial district for many years that closed three decades ago.

The Eleish Van Breems Home store opened in the historic building on March 18, the latest endeavor of Rhonda Eleish and Edie Van Breems, Westporters who have opened several other stores and studios featuring Swedish furnishings, including three trade stores in Saugatuck. They also have home furnishing and design stores in the upstate town of New Preston and Nantucket, Mass.

Eleish and Van Breems, both graduates of Greens Farms Academy, lovingly restored the building at the corner of Main Street and Parker Harding Plaza for their new flagship store. The building, constructed in 1790 as a sea captain’s house, is listed as the Ebenezer Coley House in the Westport Historic Resource Inventory.

“We worked with local and European artisans, architects, carpenters and contractors who were each incredibly skilled, resulting in a team that understood not only our aesthetic, but could use local materials and traditional building methods. From the start, it has been a dream project and true labor of love to restore the building,” the owners said in a statement before the store’s opening.

In a nod to its history, the bottom floor of the three-story building has some custom-made pink upholstered chairs, books and small toys similar to those once found at the Remarkable Book Shop. And every afternoon that floor of the building becomes a Scandinavian-style Fika coffee bar, where the strong Swedish coffee is served to shoppers and guests.

The sea captain’s house became a doctor’s office in the 1940s, according to Brendan Dempsey, the general manager of the store. The bookstore closed in 1995, and subsequently housed Talbot’s clothing store, and briefly a few years ago, Local to Market.

“It took three years to refurbish it,” he said.

Eleish and Van Breems have been dealers of Swedish antiques for 30 years and the new store has antiques among the modern Swedish furnishings, housewares, accessories and other merchandise on display. The atmosphere in the shop is peaceful and uncluttered.

“They just want people to relax,” Dempsey said of the store’s owners.

A welcoming courtyard facing Main Street includes comfortable chairs and a stone fence from a Revolutionary-era farmhouse in the Van Breems family, according to the statement.

Inside, 18th Century hand-hewn chestnut beams were uncovered when the building was refurbished. Custom-built walnut and brass shelving handcrafted in Pennsylvania were installed. And an Italian company was commissioned to fabricate the store’s windows and doors. Wallpaper designed by Josef Frank highlights the sunny third floor.

“All of our Eleish Van Breems buildings have been historic restorations, and with this wonderful property, we carry on that tradition of honoring those who came before,” the duo said in the statement.

“At Eleish Van Breems, we believe that design is more than just how things look, but should evoke emotion and inspire joy,” Van Breems said. “And our hope is that this very special new Westport location promotes mindful and inspiring experiences for our guests and clients, from which new design ideas can spring to life.”

Eleish Van Breems Home, 177 Main St., is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Call 203-635-7774 or email westport@evbhem.com.

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Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.