New Canaan Now & Then: The Zumbach’s Building

77 Pine St.

‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris.

In 1967 the building at the corner of Pine and Grove was listed as owned by Railroad Avenue Corporation and then New Canaan Development. 

It remained under this ownership until July 1988 when the owners were listed as New Canaan Lumber Company. The corner was home to a few businesses prior to Zumbach’s and Pine Street Concessions.  Pine Grove Wines was operated by Charles Homer and is pictured in the same location as Zumbachs in the photo above. Mr. Homer, a Stamford native, was a plumber for 20 years prior to owning the wine store and was a volunteer fireman in Stamford. He sold the business to Robert and Aurelia McKenna in 1986, and died at the age of 62 in Florida on Dec. 17, 1995. 

Robert McKenna was born Aug. 5, 1930 in Bridgeport and was the son of James J. and Agnes McCormick McKenna. The McKennas made their home in Darien on Park Place. Mr. McKenna was a painter and his wife, Aurelia “Aury” retired in 1997 from United Hospital in Port Chester where she was the assistant to the hospital president. 

The McKennas relocated to Murrells Inlet, S.C.—Ms. McKenna passed away in 2009 and Mr. McKenna in 2012.

The Continental Tailor Shop also occupied a portion of this space and in September 1983 it was burglarized along with New Canaan Foreign Car. Another tenant, Caprice Coiffures, was owned by Frank Palermo. Mr. Palermo was born in San Fili, Province of Cosenza, Italy on Jan. 16, 1919. He served in the Italian Army, graduated from college, and became a teacher in Italy. The Palermos made their home on Middle Ridge Road which they purchased on Oct. 16, 1978. His wife, Mrs. Francesca Magliocco Palermo, died on June 30, 2016 and Mr. Palermo died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 96. The Palermos were married for 64 years. 

The Jay Clifford Salon was owned by Clifton V. (Cliff) Sprague. Mr. Sprague was in the first class of the St. Catherine’ Parochial School (Greenwich) when it opened in 1936. He was born in Stamford Hospital on July 28, 1928 and grew up in Cos Cob. He entered the Army, volunteering for the 127th Airborne Regiment and became a proficient paratrooper. He owned several beauty salons in Fairfield County. The space occupied by the salon is now home to Tony’s Deli. Mr. Tony Gencarelli is the proprietor of this New Canaan favorite, which opened in 2007. Mr. Gencarelli also owns Vavala’s Deli in Darien.

Mr. Doug Zumbach opened the beloved coffee shop in 1992. There were rumors prior to its opening that it was going to be a luncheonette. Mr. Zumbach worked in Manhattan as a vice president in human resources before he became the proprietor of the shop. On his opening day, he had no customers on what was then off the beaten path of Pine Street. However, that weekend, local celebrity David Letterman wandered in and Zumbach’s benefitted from a write-up in the local paper and a bit of fanfare. The rest is history. In 2006 Zumbach reported that he roasted between 220 to 260 pounds of coffee a day and that more than 50 types of coffee were sent to restaurants caterers and customers, including local businesses such as Gates and Tequila Mockingbird. 

Mr. Zumbach is also the founder of Caffeine & Carburetors, a major event—now a significant fundraiser—in New Canaan. The first Caffeine & Carburetors was held in 1995 and consisted of just 30 cars. The event was not held again for many years and was resurrected into the event it is today with proceeds benefiting local charities.  

This past June, the event generated $16,000 for the New Canaan Community Foundation. Mr. Zumbach and his coffee shop are a New Canaan institution and his support of the town, other local businesses, and the community at large is impressive. One of his friends, Peter Bush, quipped that he was “the Mayor of Pine Street”.

Pine Street Concessions was established in 2017 and was New Canaan’s first food hall. Peter Lane, LCLC Properties is the owner of the building and connected the three chefs that offer their diverse specialities to the community. Mr. Dante Mirafiore is the chef at Dante’s Pizza and his wife, Miyuki, is the chef at the nearby Miyuki Noodle Bar and the baker of amazing cookies. Greens on the Go, formerly of North Salem, N.Y., is the creation of Ms. Alyssa Kadow.