Thursday, October 1, 2026
A downtown Rockville Centre property that was most recently home to Chat Noir has been sold, with new ownership planning a full renovation of the mixed-use building and seeking a new retail tenant.
Platinum Star Realty LLC, a local investor, purchased the building on 228 Merrick Road from Mash CD Inc. The approximately 2,800-square-foot property includes about 1,350 square feet of ground-floor retail space and residential space above.
The building was vacant at the time of the closing.
Tom Bigansky of North Village Realty represented Platinum Star Realty in the transaction. North Village Realty has also been retained to lease the retail space and is seeking a tenant for occupancy following the renovation, which is expected to be completed in 2027.
The property, at the corner of Merrick Road and South Village Avenue, has housed several businesses over the years. It was previously home to CD Island, a used CD and DVD store, before becoming Chat Noir, a French restaurant and tea house that operated at the site from 2009 until it closed in late 2025.
The new ownership plans to give the building a new facade and upgrade its exterior. Matthew DeGiaimo of the Rockville Centre-based DeGiaimo Group has been retained to design the renovation.
Bigansky said the corner’s visibility also makes the property attractive to potential commercial tenants.
“In commercial real estate, it all comes down to exposure,” he said. “A corner location has better exposure. So for any tenant or any owner, they’re always going to be more interested in a corner property.”
The property had been on the market for about a month before it was sold, according to Bigansky.
North Village Realty is currently seeking a retail or restaurant tenant for the ground-floor space. Bigansky said there has already been interest from prospective tenants, although no lease had been finalized.
“We’ve had a lot of interest thus far,” he said. “We haven’t found a lease yet, but we’re actively negotiating [and] actively speaking with multiple different groups.”
The prospective tenants have included a range of businesses rather than exclusively restaurants, Bigansky said.
“Right now we’re actively looking for either a restaurant group or any other retail group to take the space,” he said.
The renovation will reposition the ground-floor space for its next occupant while giving the long-standing downtown corner an updated appearance. The building’s residential component will remain part of the mixed-use property.
Bigansky said the location also benefits from traffic along both Merrick Road and Village Avenue.
