Business

‘A One-Stop Shop’: ‘Resource360’ To Open on Main Street

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Todd Sell developed the idea for Resource360 soon after he started renovating properties, about eight years ago. The New Canaan resident found himself bringing together a number of carefully vetted professional resources for the work and thought, “It would be really valuable for a lot of people to have a place where you can tap somebody that actually has done it before, and then also has all the resources to help you do it,” he said. “And it’s just a place where you can come and ask questions,” Sell told NewCanaanite.com on Wednesday afternoon from inside 99 Main St., whose most recent long-term tenant was Family Britches. Soon, the vacant commercial space will feature a retail area near the front for both kitchen and bath, with large sections for cabinetry and vanities, as well as a number of services, such as property management and interior design, and professional referrals for suppliers and trades such as painters, electricians and plumbers. “My vision for this place is to be a one-stop shop for whenever you need something for your house,” Sell said.

Business

‘An Exciting Time of Year’: New Canaan’s Outdoor Dining Season Opens Thursday

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The sidewalks of downtown New Canaan will be remade by midday Thursday as the outdoor dining launches on what is forecast to be a sunny afternoon in the upper-60s. Pushed back one month this year to May 1, the launch of the outdoor dining season is a widely anticipated amenity for restaurateurs and visitors to New Canaan’s lively village center. Adam Zakka, principal of Z Hospitality Group—owners of Solé and Blackbird and new food-and-beverage providers for The Playhouse Pub next door—said he was “super-optimistic” about the upcoming season. 

“It was a little bit of a colder winter than usual, so we’re pretty happy to see the warmer weather coming,” Zakka told NewCanaanite.com. “And I think the town embraces local businesses so it’s an exciting time of the year.”

This year’s outdoor dining will be bolstered by the addition of more sidewalk “bumpouts” on Elm Street, including in front of Dunkin, The Playhouse and Dolce. (Because they’ll exempt the town from a state law that forbids parking within 25 feet of a crosswalk, the bumpouts will allow New Canaan to gain back a handful of parking spaces on the south side of Elm Street’s one-way stretch.)

Asked about the new menu at Playhouse Pub, Zakka said “there will be some unique options for The Playhouse, exclusively, that will fit their concept as far as pub food.” Those include “five or seven revolving items that will be more ‘pubbish’ than Italian,” he added.

Business

‘Sportova’ Planned for Former CT Muffin Space on Main Street

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A designer and provider of luxury home and commercial gym equipment and is on track to take over the former Connecticut Muffin space downtown, records show. Sportova, which grew out of a predecessor Boston-based home furniture and decor company, is seeking site plan approval at 108 Main St. from the Planning & Zoning Commission. The space has been vacant since Connecticut Muffin closed in December following decades in business. The retail use is allowed under the New Canaan Zoning Regulations—with site plan approval—“and appears similar to other showroom type retail stores the Commission has recently approved within the Retail A Zone,” Town Planner Sarah Carey wrote in her memo to P&Z ahead of its meeting Tuesday night. 

Referring to what is known locally as “the Raymond Building,” she continued: “The applicant is also seeking approval to remove the metal bars currently placed over the building’s second floor windows and would like to paint the newly exposed bricks black.

Business

‘A Part of the Town’: ‘Flour Water Salt Bread’ Opens on East Avenue

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The newest business in town, a hugely popular area bakery, opened Thursday. Flour Water Salt Bread, located at 53 East Ave. (next to La Pescaderia), is a fully sourdough American interpretation of a traditional French boulangerie, offering sourdough breads, croissants, bagels, pastries, English muffins and more. The cozy, brightly lit space was hopping with new customers as well as those who’d already discovered the business and baker/owner Robert VanKeuren, who opened his first location in Darien seven years ago. “It’s going great,” VanKeuren told NewCanaanite.com from behind the counter on his first day in business here.

Business

French Café ‘Saisons Sucrées’ Coming to Main Street

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A new café is set to open in the heart of downtown New Canaan. Saisons Sucrées, or “Sweet Seasons”—a “pâtisserie and café serving refined and innovative French sweet and savory pastries, bread, sandwiches, chocolates, coffee, and tea—is to open this spring at 84 Main St. The commercial space most recently was an art gallery. “With attentive service in our elegant café setting we aim to give you an experience that feels luxurious and authentically Parisian,” according to the Saisons Sucrées website (here on Instagram and Facebook). It continues: “We are passionate about serving you products made from the highest quality ingredients, including imported French flour and butter, and using the freshest local in-season produce to bring out the brightest flavors.”

The café will soft-open April 21, a company representative said.