‘Everyone I Know Is Playing It’: New Canaan Caught Up in ‘Pokemon Go’ Craze

For Anna Krolikowski, a New Canaan High School class of 1987 graduate, it seemed for a moment as though the town had been cast back to a simpler, less technological era. Driving to Bankwell on Elm Street on Monday, Krolikowski (née Valente) spotted four kids lying belly-down, on the grass outside. “I thought, ‘Oh look, how nice, they’re just chilling out. Kids being normal kids again,’ ” said Krolikowski, owner of Baskin Robbins on Main Street. “But they’re all on their phones.

SLIDESHOW: 20 Things You Only Know If You Shop and Dine in New Canaan

New Canaanites have plenty of reasons to shop and dine locally, and those reasons go far beyond the fact that the village center has scores of independent businesspeople—retailers, restaurateurs, service providers—who work here and have had a tough go with the weather these past few weeks. Our owners-on-site specialize in their fields and offer a wide range of expertise. They support most every community event that locals associate with the town—fishing derby, Waveny summer concerts, Santa’s visit, little league, Holiday Stroll, ice cream social, Halloween Parade. It’s hard to find two important community events in a row in New Canaan that aren’t sponsored in some way by Walter Stewart’s, Karl Chevy or both. Because familiarity breeds conversation and rapport, we can come to know our local small business owners and workers better than we may at, say, out-of-town chains. The slideshow above is a testament to that strong connection—click through to learn more about some of those who make up the economic lifeblood of the business district.