Unweathered white cedar shingles and open doors beckoned customers inside the rebuilt Larsen’s Fish Market Saturday morning, when the market reopened after a winter-long construction project.

Customers were greeted with a bright new interior space and familiar fresh seafood offerings.

Albert O. Fischer

Customers were greeted with a bright new interior space and familiar fresh seafood offerings.

Albert O. Fischer

Sitting on a bench overlooking a calm Menemsha harbor, owner Betsy Larsen said it was good to be back after the old market was torn down and replaced with a new one over the winter.

“We’ve had a great outpouring so far this morning. A lot of loyal customers that really missed us, and I missed them,” said Ms. Larsen, who wore her trademark Larsen’s hat, shirt and knee-high boots. “I even had customers offering to help — they said they’d come down to stock shelves or if I needed to move anything, so that made me feel good.”

It was a local Vineyard scene.

Roy Scheffer delivered his Edgartown oysters. Kib Bramhall, a West Tisbury artist and fisherman, was one of the first customers.

Lobster pot chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

Ms. Larsen’s husband, Bob Sloane, had gone out in his new boat named Twilight, hauled two lobster pots outside the harbor and brought back three lobsters and a crab to give to his wife for good luck.

The Dutcher Dock fish market will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, Ms. Larsen said. The market has been a Menemsha staple since Betsy’s parents Louis and Mary first opened in 1969. Ms. Larsen has worked in the family business since 1974, and said she was anxious to get back to it.

“I had my first Memorial Day weekend off in over 40 years and I didn’t like it,” she said.

The reopening follows the eight-month long construction project. The old market, which was built in 1998, was knocked down to make way for a more efficient, modern space. The architect for the project was Schiller Projects of New York city (principal Aaron Schiller is also a Chilmark resident). Brian Smith was the general contractor.

Ms. Larsen's husband Bob Sloane brought a good-luck present from the sea for his wife on opening day.

Albert O. Fischer

Ms. Larsen's husband Bob Sloane brought a good-luck present from the sea for his wife on opening day.

Albert O. Fischer

“I had a wonderful architect, a really good general contractor and all of his crew that worked for him worked really hard,” Ms. Larsen said.

The construction project had its hiccups despite the solid team, Ms. Larsen said. Permitting took time and global supply chain woes meant getting materials to the Island was tricky.

“The usual things that happen,” Ms. Larsen said.

Ms. Larsen said she is pleased with the final product. The new design features more room for customers to move about, taller ceilings and a relocated raw bar so people can see their clams and oysters being opened. The display case — which houses fresh catches like sea scallops, tuna, shrimp and striped bass — is the only thing which hasn’t moved.

“We opened up the space and heightened the ceiling and that makes it feel so much bigger,” she said.

Customers seemed to like it too, as many gave Ms. Larsen their stamp of approval.

“Betsy, I love the lights,” one said.

“Aren’t they pretty? At nighttime they look really great,” Ms. Larsen responded.

But she said she is still getting acclimated to the new digs.

“This morning I was like a fish out of water. I wasn’t sure where to put stuff or where stuff was and my muscle memory kept going back to places that I was used to having it in the old fish market,” she said.

“I imagine as every day goes by it’ll just get easier, I’ll get used to it.”

One of Ms. Larsen’s young employees came to work and announced she had one hour’s sleep.

“Gosh, I went to bed at 8 p.m.,” Ms. Larsen responded.

 Bert Fischer contributed reporting.

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