Business

Vicolo Pizza on Main Street Closes

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Vicolo Pizza Restaurant on Main Street, a high-quality food option in New Canaan for two decades-plus, has closed. The commercial space down the alley at 62 Main St.—‘vicolo’ is Italian for ‘alley’—has been emptied out and its phone had been disconnected as of Wednesday. 

It wasn’t clear why the restaurant closed—messages to Vicolo were not immediately returned. A mainstay of downtown New Canaan after succeeding the Mexican restaurant Lobos in the space, Vicolo had supported many community organizations and causes, including the New Canaan Coalition, New Canaan Baseball and the New Canaan YMCA’s Family Dinner Night at Home. It offered a wide-ranging menu of appetizers, wraps, wedges, pasta and pizzas, as well as traditional Italian fare such as Chicken Marsala and Chicken Scarpariello, in addition to a good-sized kids’ menu. According to a sign posted at the top of the alley, a new full-service restaurant—Best Pizza Shop—is coming soon to the same space.

Business

New Restaurant Planned for Elm Street

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A new restaurant is planned for a vacant commercial space on Elm Street, documents show. 

Floor plans submitted to Planning & Zoning show a 21-table restaurant with a 15-seat bar at 105 Elm St., most recently accessories retailer FatFace. 

The proposal for the commercial space has received a letter of support from Z Hospitality Group, according to P&Z. The company owns six restaurants, according to its website, including Solé in New Canaan, located next door to the proposed new business. It’s unclear what type of restaurant is planned. The property’s owner, Donald Hersam Jr., is seeking an exception to section of the New Canaan Zoning Regulations in order to allow the restaurant. 

Under the zoning regulations, the gross floor area of the second floor of any building in the business district cannot exceed by more than 15% percent of the gross floor area of the first floor of the same building (see page 89). According to a narrative that accompanies Hersam’s application to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a variance, the project requires 20% of the gross floor area of the first floor.

Business

Spa Planned for Former New Balance Space on Main Street

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Vacant for more than one year, the commercial space on Main Street that used to house New Balance New Canaan is poised to get a new tenant. A Westport-based spa is planning to open its second location in the building at 130 Main St., pending approval by the Planning & Zoning Commission. New Beauty & Wellness will “perform spa treatments that shall include facials, BoTox treatments, massages and other wellness treatments,” according to an application filed with P&Z. Under the New Canaan Zoning Regulations (see page 73), personal service establishments are allowed in the Retail A Zone under a number of conditions, including that “the retail component must be located along the entire tenancy facing the street” and “the retail area must be a minimum of 15 feet in depth.”

According to the application, just one part of an 86-square-foot treatment room will overlap with the 15-foot area, though the commercial space there “has a particularly wide storefront” and, as such, the applicant is seeking administrative approval from the town. “Additionally, the floor plan demonstrates the personal service part of the establishment is not located along the building’s immediate frontage and is set back and hidden behind walls from the street view,” the application said.

Animal 411

PHOTOS: New Canaan Dog Days Returns

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Tongues lolling, scores of leashed dogs gathered in New Canaan on a clear, hot Saturday for a popular canine-focused and -themed celebration put on by an established local business. Pet Pantry’s New Canaan Dog Days was held on the grounds of the New Canaan Nature Center, making its return after two years off due to the pandemic. New Canaan resident Niki Marmarinos said this was her first time coming to Dog Days and that she’d be back next year. 

“It’s beautiful weather,” Marmarinos said as she pushed her two toy poodles, Daisy and Lillybelle, relaxing in a baby carriage through. “A lot of vendors, they’re very cordial and welcoming. A lot of variety here.

Business

‘Boba Tea Shop’ Planned for Main Street

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A new tea shop is planned for a vacant commercial space on Main Street, records show. ‘Boba Tea Shop’ at 162 Main St. will serve hot and cold drinks, according to a building permit application filed May 4 with the town. Located next to Coldwell Banker, the long single-story brick-exterior building had housed a tea shop—Betsy’s Teas—in the past. The new tea shop is registered with the Connecticut Secretary of the State as Migoto LLC, records show.