On a gloomy day this week, I nipped into Gelatissimo to escape the rain. I was there to find out owner Nuccia Mazzonetto’s favorite local product or service as part of NewCanaanite.com‘s “Biz on Biz” feature.
Inside, I found Mazzonetto behind the gelato counter, serving two teenage girls with heaping cups of the frozen treat, while out the back a staff member churned fresh gelato as I watched.
When asked what her favorite local product or service was, Mazzonetto struggled to decide. Eventually, she landed on Elm Street Books.
“I love the book store,” she said.
Mazzonetto said her favorite part about shopping at Elm Street Books is the excellent recommendations they give—whether she’s buying a book for herself or as a gift.
“They help you,” she said.
“It’s more one-to-one,” she added. “They ask you what you need.”
Mazzonetto said, “I always find something there, and it’s always a good choice.”
She has been shopping at Elm Street Books since she opened her own Gelatissimo—located at 26 Forest St.—14 years ago.
After leaving Gelatissimo, regretfully gelato-free, I made my way up the hill through the drizzle to Elm Street Books, located at 35 Elm St., where I spoke with General Manager Kathleen Millard.
(L to R) Melissa Thorkilson, Eve Taben and Kathleen Millard at Elm Street Books. Credit: Olivia Oldham
Millard was pleased to hear that Elm Street Books was Mazzonetto’s favorite local shop, and particularly that her favorite aspect was the personalized recommendations she receives there.
“That’s really what small independent bookstores base their strength on these days—customer service,” she said, “Everyone on staff is a reader and we all read different kinds of books so that we can recommend different kinds of things to different people.”
“Everyone loves to share a good book,” she said.
Another important aspect of the bookstore’s business of ‘sharing good books’ was its partnership on events with a number of libraries in the area, Millard said, including the New Canaan Library as well as the Wilton Library and two branches of the Stamford Library system.