Business

‘Kset’ Women’s Clothing Pops Up on South Avenue

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Kristen Setter, a 2016 Wilton High School graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in photography from the University of Connecticut, was working as a temporary staffer for clothing manufacturers, flying out to trade shows, when she decided she’d “rather be on the other side” of the business, meaning retail. “I was doing pop-ups at colleges for the past couple years,” Setter said Monday afternoon from inside her brick-and-mortar business, Kset, which had opened earlier this year on Elm Street and has since moved into the former The Agency space at South Avenue and Morse Court. “So I’d bring everything in my car to Sacred Heart, UConn, Quinnipiac—everywhere really. I did that for a while, and then I wanted to try the brick-and-mortar… I wanted the flexibility of doing the pop-up shop. And I wanted to do an online business, and I discovered through doing the in-person that I really liked this, too.”

Setter travels to trade shows in New York and Las Vegas, picking everything out so that what’s on offer at Kset is “fully curated by me,” she said.

Business

‘It’s Been Really Exciting’: Calibrate Physical Therapy Opens on Park Street

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Jonathan Filipe, a physical therapist and athletic trainer, was working in concierge medicine for a health and research institute when the idea for a new type of business came to him. It was late-2024, and Filipe—a Fairfield resident and graduate of New York Medical College’s physical therapy school, where he earned a doctorate degree—had already started transitioning out of working in professional sports, including managing the sports medicine staff for the United States Olympic Committee, Brooklyn Nets as head athletic trainer and physical therapist and New York City Football Club. “My goal was to try to bring that model and high-level quality care to Connecticut, but also bring that really high-level quality care that you see in professional sports that’s not out there for the general public,” Filipe said. “I wanted to deliver that at a really high level, both from a clinical acumen standpoint, like being able to solve really hard problems, but also being able to deliver on the hospitality front and quality of care side.”

Together with his wife—physical therapist Amanda Paquin, a former competitive high-level dancer who specializes in pelvic floor and women’s health and holds a doctorate degree in physical therapy from Sacred Heart University—opened Calibrate Physical Therapy and Fitness. Located at 98 Park St., the company offers personalized sports rehabilitation, performance training, concussion management and pain management through a science-driven, one-on-one approach.

Business

‘Sticks’ Members-Only Golf Simulator Coming to Vitti Street

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A Westport-based golf simulator company is preparing to open a new location in New Canaan. Sticks, which offers members a Trackman iO golf simulator with radar, infrared and high-speed imaging, is on track to open in November at 28 Vitti St., according to owner Ali Loyd. The company is a “passion project” that’s “small and still very new,” Loyd told NewCanaanite.com. “This is our second location, and we’re thrilled to be expanding to New Canaan.”

Asked why New Canaan is a good town for Sticks, Loyd said: “We’ve always loved New Canaan—one of my best friends in college was from New Canaan, and it sounded like a storybook whenever she would talk about it. When we moved to Fairfield County we were thrilled to land close by, and as we thought about opening a business we always kept it top of mind, as we know there are plenty of golf lovers there.”

Sticks operates on a members-only model, and the company limits membership at about 50 people with no drop-ins, ensuring there’s availability for members, she said.

News

‘Dry Martini Clothing’ To Open on Elm Street Next Month

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Dry Martini Clothing, a Manhattan-based women’s fashion brand known for its luxury fabrics and sharp New York aesthetic, is opening its second physical location at 70 Elm St. in New Canaan on Sept. 12, company officials say. The brand was founded by designer Sarah Miller, who said the concept begun from a simple vision.

62 Main St

Doppio Marks First Year on Main Street With a Focus on Food, Community and Growth

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by the New Canaan Racquet Club. Doppio, the Italian restaurant at 62 Main St., is celebrating its first year in New Canaan, marking a milestone its owners say has been defined by a warm reception from the community and a transformation of the longtime restaurant space. Owner Joseph Barresi said the first year has gone better than expected, with customers embracing the restaurant’s approach to Italian dining. “We’re really happy with the way the town received us,” Barresi said. “A lot of our customers, when they come in, they really embrace what we’ve done.”

Doppio occupies a space that had housed a restaurant for roughly 30 years before Barresi and his brother Louis Barresi took it over.