Augusto Baldini

New Canaan Teen Launches Portable Pizzeria

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Augusto Baldini, 17, a pure-blooded Italian who graduated from New Canaan High School two weeks ago, half-seriously proposed the idea of a portable pizzeria business with his family several weeks ago. He’d been cooking pizza for his family in their wood-fired oven on the patio, as they like to do in the summer, and innocently asked, “What if I started this pizza business where I went house-to-house and made pizzas for people?”

“They said, ‘Sure, it could be a good idea,’ but we never really thought of it again,” Baldini recalled on a recent morning during an interview at New Canaan Library. “And then I had an event for my mom. She hosted a bunch of people over for work at our house, and she asked would I mind cooking pizzas for them? I said sure, of course.

Business

‘Polestar’ Auto Dealership Planned for Park and Cherry Streets

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A new car dealership is planned for the corner of Park and Cherry Streets, a vacant structure long known to locals as the “Merrill Lynch building.”

According to a Zoning Permit application filed on behalf of property owner DP 4 Cherry Street LLC, the property at 4 Cherry St. will be converted into an “auto dealership.”

Renderings that accompany the application show a sign outside the building that says ‘Polestar.’

Polestar is a Swedish-born manufacturer of electric vehicles, according to the company’s website. The existing building, which currently is undergoing renovation, will have four bays for vehicles inside, renderings show. Interior renovations call for a “new wetbar,” according to the plans. It isn’t clear just when the new dealership will open or whether it will operate as a sales floor or show floor.

Business

‘It’s Just So Rewarding’: New Canaan Woman Launches Girls’ Dress Line

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New Canaan’s Morgan Clifford is no stranger to the fashion industry. 

Her eponymous outerwear line has dressed stars from Nikki Hilton to Selena Gomez, and is found in stores such as Loveshackfancy. 

Her newest venture? A line of girls dresses called ‘Emlagh.’

“I wanted to do something totally different, and I love girls’ dresses,” Clifford said. “It just kind of evolved into starting an entirely separate line.”

After launching her own fashion label in New York City in 2015, selling outerwear online, Clifford—a graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y.—moved to New Canaan with her young family. Now she’s launched the new line, which is seeing strong uptake in the early going, and is looking to future creations. 

Clifford also created ‘Emlagh’ because she has a daughter of her own. 

Clifford said creation and distribution of the Emlagh line has gone smoothly, in part, because it’s her second brand launch.  “I already had all the contacts,” she said.

Around Town

Mark Gust To Retire from Family Britches after 50 Years; Store Closing June 30

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Mark Gust started working for Family Britches in January of 1972. He was 21 years old, having graduated from Chappaqua High School and with two years at Villanova University under his belt.

Gust worked at the original Family Britches in Chappaqua, N.Y. for about two years and then came to New Canaan when the company opened a store on Elm Street. On June 30, Gust will retire from his career as a buyer and store manager for the clothing shop, which will close with his retirement. “It’s exciting,” Gust told NewCanaanite.com on Tuesday from the sales floor at 99 Main St. “It’s sad.

Business

‘The White Buffalo’ Seeks Permission for Twice-Weekly Outdoor Music through October

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Saying the business has met a number of Planning & Zoning conditions, the owners of a popular bar in downtown New Canaan are seeking permission to have outdoor music twice-weekly from May through October. Located down an alley just past Chef Luis on Elm Street since it launched in 2019, The White Buffalo has reviewed letters of complaint about past outdoor events, established an acceptable decibel level, produced a site plan for the access, talked to neighbors and produced documentation requested by the Planning & Zoning Commission, owners Rich Hewitt and Chris Meier said in a letter to P&Z. “We have combed through each complaint and made sure that we have addressed each complaint with sensitivity and empathy,” their letter said. “We feel we have addressed those complaints with our compliant actions. We have met with Chef Luis and feel we have come up with a great compromise to work together in order to generate business for both our restaurants.