NewCanaanite.com (https://newcanaanite.com/category/new-canaan-business-2/new-canaan-business/page/4)
In New Canaan, local merchants aren’t just people who sell us things: They’re our neighbors, our high school classmates, our kids’ youth sports coaches, our friends and often they’re the first people in town to give of their time, expertise, products and services to support human services organizations here.
Teriyaki East, the Asian fusion restaurant that opened this spring on East Avenue, has closed, according to its owner. Rafael Marin, the chef/owner of La Pescaderia, the popular Venezuelan seafood market and restaurant next door, said he came to a point where he wanted to focus on the existing business rather than both. The Asian fusion restaurant closed Nov. 2, he said. Marin said he’s now selling its assets to restaurateurs.
Marko Micic and Amy Cherrez—natives of Serbia and Ecuador, respectively, and lifelong dancers who became professionals before coming to the United States—met in May 2023 while each of them worked for different studios. The two began dancing together, developed a relationship and started to talk about launching a business. “We both had an interest in owning something that was ours,” Micic said. Now they do. Two weeks ago, the New Haven couple’s vision became a reality when Cherrez and Micic opened Fred Astaire Dance Studios New Canaan at 111 Main St., a second-floor space formerly occupied by the Caren Forbes store.
One of New Canaan’s hottest salons has a new owner. Gianna Parente has been with the salon formerly known as “Divaz,” now Dashing Diva Beauty, since she was 17. Taking over the business’s lease in August, after the previous owner decided not to renew, the native New Yorker formed a connection to New Canaan through her years of working here. “Truthfully, I feel like I grew up here,” Parente told the New Canaanite. “I’ve been here since I was very young, and when my boss was not going to re-sign, I kind of was like, oh my god, I can’t see us all not being together, I can’t see our clients leaving.
A new Dermatology practice is slated to open next month, located on 38 East Ave. Founded and led by board-certified Dermatologist and Dermatopathologist Dr. Elle H. de Moll, Elite Dermatology Physicians will begin seeing patients of all ages following their grand opening on Oct. 19. Originally from Wilton, de Moll earned her medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Post college, De Moll completed an internship with the Yale program of Internal Medicine at Norwalk Hospital, where she was recognized as Intern of the Year.
A New Canaan business has temporarily closed its doors after 30 years downtown as it finds new, expanded space here. The Beach Corner, a family-owned retailer specializing in women’s swimwear, matching accessories and cruise wear, opened in 1994 at the corner of Main Street and East Avenue. This month, according to Kim Ribeiro—an owner of the business along with her mom, Marcia Chludzinski, and sister, Margo Bogdanski—The Beach Corner shut its doors following discussions with the building’s landlord. It’s the right time to relocate within New Canaan and expand because “it’s not the busy season right now,” Ribeiro said. “We did look at some space in Westport, and that’s a nice change and it would bring new clientele, but I don’t want to lose my New Canaan clientele—they’ve been so amazing to me for 30 years and I know they’ll miss us if we leave,” Ribeiro said.